Leucauge thomeensis
| Thomeensis Silver Vlei Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Leucauge |
| Species: | L. thomeensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Leucauge thomeensis Kraus, 1960[1] | |
Leucauge thomeensis is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] a group commonly known as long-jawed orb-weavers due to their elongated chelicerae and web-building behavior. It is an African species native to southern Africa.[3] It is commonly known as the thomeensis silver vlei spider.[4]
Distribution
Leucauge thomeensis is found in São Tomé and Príncipe, Botswana, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is recorded only from the Eastern Cape, specifically from Jeffrey's Bay, Thyspunt, Storms River, and Addo Elephant National Park.[4]
Habitat and ecology
The species makes orb-webs low in grass and has been sampled from the Fynbos and Thicket biomes.[4]
Description
Known only from males.[4]
Conservation
Leucauge thomeensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[4] The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park.[4]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Otto Kraus in 1960 from São Tomé.[1] The presence of the species in southern Africa still needs to be confirmed.[4]
References
- 1 2 Kraus, O. (1960). "Mission du Muséum dans les îles du Golfe de Guinée. Araneae von der Insel São Thomé, West-Afrika (Arach.)". Revue Française d'Entomologie. 27: 92–100.
- 1 2 "Leucauge thomeensis Kraus, 1960". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ↑ "World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.