Zelotes natalensis

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

Last updated October 06, 2025

Zelotes natalensis is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Natal dark ground spider.^[3]

Distribution

Zelotes natalensis occurs in Mozambique and South Africa.^[2] The species has a wide distribution throughout South Africa and is recorded from eight provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Western Cape. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 16 to 1,730 m above sea level.^[3]

Description

female
female
male
male

Habitat and ecology

Zelotes natalensis are free-running ground spiders found under stones during the day. The species has been sampled from all the floral biomes. It was also sampled from avocado, citrus, cotton, and sunflower crops.^[3]

Conservation

Zelotes natalensis 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. It is a very abundant species protected in more than ten protected areas.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was described by Tucker in 1923 from Inyalazi River in KwaZulu-Natal. FitzPatrick's 2007 revision synonymized Zelotes ungula Tucker, 1923 with Z. natalensis. 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.
1 2 "Zelotes natalensis Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. 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. 34–36. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[tucker1923-1] Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Zelotes natalensis Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. 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. 34–36. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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