Zelotes humilis

Ceres 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. humilis
Binomial name
	Zelotes humilis; (Purcell, 1907)
Synonyms
	Melanophora humilisPurcell, 1907 ; Zelotes hewittiTucker, 1923 ; Zelotes montivagaTucker, 1923 ;

Last updated October 06, 2025

Zelotes humilis is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the Ceres dark ground spider.^[3]

Distribution

Zelotes humilis occurs in Zimbabwe and South Africa.^[2] In South Africa, it is recorded from seven provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 61 to 1,850 m above sea level.^[3]

The species has an extensive distribution with numerous collection localities including Grahamstown, Mountain Zebra National Park, Florisbad Research Station, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, Ngome State Forest, and multiple sites within the Cederberg Wilderness Area, Bontebok National Park, and Stellenbosch.^[3]

Description

female

Habitat and ecology

Zelotes humilis are free-running spiders found under stones during the day. The species has been sampled from the Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes.^[3]

Conservation

Zelotes humilis 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 William Frederick Purcell in 1907 from Ceres in the Western Cape as Melanophora humilis. FitzPatrick's 2007 revision recognized Zelotes montivagus Tucker, 1923 as a junior synonym of Zelotes humilis. 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. 20 (118): 297–336. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
1 2 3 "Zelotes humilis (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 23–25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[purcell1907-1] 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. 20 (118): 297–336. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 "Zelotes humilis (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 23–25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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