Zelotes fuligineus

Zelotes fuligineus
	Female
	Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Zelotes
Species:	Z. fuligineus
Binomial name
	Zelotes fuligineus; (Purcell, 1907)
Synonyms
	Melanophora fuligineaPurcell, 1907 ; Melanophora simoniPurcell, 1907 ; Melanophora montanaPurcell, 1907 ; Melanophora aculeataPurcell, 1908 ; Prosthesima montanaTullgren, 1910 ; Melanophora fuliginoidesHewitt, 1915 ; Zelotes montanusTucker, 1923 ; Zelotes simoniTucker, 1923 ; Zelotes fuliginoidesTucker, 1923 ;

Last updated October 06, 2025

Zelotes fuligineus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2]

Distribution

Zelotes fuligineus is a common African spider in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, and Lesotho.^[2] In South Africa, it has been sampled from all provinces, at altitudes ranging from 6 to 2,998 m above sea level.^[3]

The species was originally described from Signal Hill, Cape Town, and has an extensive distribution across the country.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits all the floral biomes: Fynbos, Grassland, Nama Karoo, and Savanna. These are free-running spiders that are found under stones. The species has also been sampled from citrus and pistachio orchards.^[3]

Description

female

Conservation

Zelotes fuligineus 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 ten protected areas.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Purcell in 1907 from Signal Hill, Cape Town as Melanophora fuliginea. Multiple species were later synonymized with Z. fuligineus by FitzPatrick in 2007.^[2] The species is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 20 (118): 297–336, pl. 13-15. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
1 2 3 4 "Zelotes fuligineus (Purcell, 1907)". 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. 19–20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[purcell1907e-1] Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 20 (118): 297–336, pl. 13-15. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 4 "Zelotes fuligineus (Purcell, 1907)". 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. 19–20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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