Zelotes frenchi

French Dark Ground Spider
	Female
	Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Zelotes
Species:	Z. frenchi
Binomial name
	Zelotes frenchi; Tucker, 1923

Last updated October 06, 2025

Zelotes frenchi is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It is commonly known as the French dark ground spider.^[3]

Distribution

Zelotes frenchi is a southern African spider distributed across Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.^[2] In South Africa, it has been recorded from eight provinces, at altitudes ranging from 58 to 1,762 m above sea level.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes. These are free-running ground spiders.^[3]

Description

female
female
female

Conservation

Zelotes frenchi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. There are no significant threats to the species and it is protected in more than 10 protected areas.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Tucker in 1923 from Zimbabwe. It was revised by FitzPatrick in 2007. The species is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437, pl. 8-11.
1 2 "Zelotes frenchi Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-09-25.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 17–18. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[tucker1923c-1] Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437, pl. 8-11.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Zelotes frenchi Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-09-25.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 17–18. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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