FIRST ATLAS

compiled by

A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman, C.R. Haddad, S. Foord, R. Lyle, L. Lotz, L. Helberg, S. Mathebula A. van den Berg, P. Marais, A.M. van den Berg, E. Van Niekerk & R. Jocqu

OF THEOF THEOF THEOF THE

SPIDERSSPIDERSSPIDERSSPIDERS OFOFOFOF

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH AFRICA (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE)(ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE)(ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE)(ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE)

South African National Survey of Arachnida Technical Report 2010 version 1

2

Contents

Abstract .4 Introduction ......5 Material and methods .6 Results ..8 Family and species numbers ...8 ATLAS 1. AGELENIDAE ..9 2. AMAUROBIIDAE .....17 3. AMMOXENIDAE ..22 4. ANAPIDAE 31 5. ANYPHAENIDAE . 34 6. ARANEIDAE......36 7. ARCHAEIDAE ......94 8. ATYPIDAE ....101 9. BARYCHLIDAE .......103 10. CAPONIIDAE ... 106 11. CHUMMIDAE 113 12. CLUBIONIDAE .....115 13. CORINNIDAE ...131 14. CTENIDAE ....173 15. CTENIZIDAE ....178 16. CYATHOLIPIDAE .... 199 17. CYRTAUCHENIIDAE .. 208 18. DEINOPIDAE .......226 19. DESIDAE ......230 20. DICTYNIDAE ....232 21. DIPLURIDAE .... 235 22. DRYMUSIDAE ..... 239 23. DYSDERIDAE ......242 24. ERESIDAE ....244 25. FILISTATIDAE .....260 26. GALLIENIELLIDAE ..262 27. GNAPHOSIDAE ...... 271 28. HAHNIIDAE ......366 29. HERSILIIDAE 371 30. IDIOPIDAE 379 31. LINYPHIIDAE....405 32. LIOCRANIDAE .421 33. LYCOSIDAE .428 34. MICROSTIGMATIDAE 485 35. MIGIDAE ...489 36. MIMETIDAE...501 37. MITURGIDAE....504 38. MYSMENIDAE...522 39. NEMESIIDAE.524 40. NEPHILIDAE..549 41. NESTICIDAE..555 42. OECOBIIDAE.557 43. OONOPIDAE .562 44. ORSOLOBIDAE.571 45. OXYOPIDAE .574 46. PALPIMANIDAE ...597

3

Contents (continued)

47. PENESTOMIDAE .......................................................607 48. PHILODROMIDAE ...613 49. PHOLCIDAE ..634 50. PHYXELIDIDAE ....654 51. PISAURIDAE .671 52. PRODIDOMIDAE ..691 53. SALTICIDAE .....706 54. SCYTODIDAE ..833 55. SEGESTRIIDAE .......847 56. SELENOPIDAE .855 57. SICARIIDAE ..891 58. SPARASSIDAE .899 59. SYMPHYTOGNATHIDAE ...930 60. TELEMIDAE ..932 61. TETRAGNATHIDAE .934 62. THERAPHOSIDAE ...949 63. THERIDIIDAE .............................................................973 64. THERIDIOSOMATIDAE ..1006 65. THOMISIDAE 1008 66. TROCHANTERIIDAE ..1088 67. ULOBORIIDAE .....1094 68. ZODARIIDAE .1100 69. ZORIDAE ...1143 70. ZOROPSIDAE ...1145

4

Abstract

The South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) was initiated in 1997, with the main aim of documenting the arachnid fauna of South Africa at a national level. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) came on board for the projects second phase, called SANSA II, from 2006 to 2010, in partnership with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). This four-year inventory and conservation assessment project was dedicated to unifying and strengthening biodiversity research on spiders, and other arachnid fauna of South Africa. SANSAs aims are multiple, and include the collation of data, to determine the dis-tribution ranges of species in South Africa, for assessing their Red List status, using the IUCN criteria. All available data were collated into a relational database and to maximize benefits it was important to determine the spatial coverage of the already available data, and determine where the gaps in this data lie. Thus, field collecting can be guided towards filling these gaps. Data that was available electronically formed the basis of a GIS based gap analysis that was done end of 2007 to identify these gaps in spatial coverage for South African arachnids. Based on the GAP analysis areas were identified to undertake SANSA sur-veys. Due to extensive field work by SANSA field work managers and by catches of other research projects, student projects and public participation in collecting specimens, more than 40 degree squares were sampled in areas previously poorly sampled, providing valu-able material that improved our knowledge of the distribution of species and provided specimens for future taxonomic studies. All these data was used to compile this first atlas of the spider species of South Africa. Data included in this atlas will be used to assess their Red Listing status. Some of the results are: 70 families, 463 genera and 2003 species are presently known from South Africa. This represent 4.8% of the worlds fauna. Of the 2003 species 1220 (61%) are endemic to the region. With 485 species having a restricted distribution, known only from few localities In South Africa Salticidae is the most diverse family with 240 species, followed by

the Gnaphosidae with 176 species and Thomisidae with 133. Two families Chummidae and Pentastomidae is endemic to South Africa. During SANSA II a total of 116 new species were discovered and described and

another 50 is in the process of being described Distribution ranges of more than 200 species known from the rest of Africa were

extended to include South Africa. Information on habitat requirements showed that the Savanna Biome is the most

diverse with 1207 species from 62 families, followed by the Grassland Biome with 245 from 56 families.

5

Introduction

In November 1995, South Africa ratified the Conven-tion on Biological Diversity (CBD), which emanated from the convention. Signatories are obligated to de-velop a strategic plan for the conservation and sustain-able use of biodiversity. To meet these goals will re-quire an intensive national effort involving three interre-lated scientific missions: to discover, describe and to make an inventory of the species diversity of South Africa; to analyze and synthesize the information into predictive classification systems that reflect the history of life; and to organize this information in an efficiently retrievable form that best meets the needs of science and society. In 1997 the South African National Survey of Arachni-da (SANSA) in accordance with the countrys obliga-tions to the CBD was launched at the Agricultural Re-search Council (ARC) in Pretoria. The rationale for this project was to document the arachnid fauna of South Africa primarily to gather base-line information on spe-cies and to determine areas still poorly sampled. The main aim of SANSA is to compile an inventory of the arachnid fauna of South Africa that will provide essential information needed to address the above-mentioned issues concerning the conservation and sustainable use of the arachnid fauna. SANSA is an umbrella project conducted on a national basis in col-laboration with other researchers and institutions coun-trywide and dedicated to the unification and enhance-ment of biosystematic research on Arachnology in South Africa. Spiders are ranked the seventh most diverse Order in global diversity with about 39 000 species described globally and this is estimated to increase to 170 000. South Africa has a rich spider fauna probably due to the wide range of habitat types associated with the region ranging from extreme desert to forest within a relatively small land area.

Most spider sampling and taxonomic research, over the period 1820-1960, was based on the fauna of the coastal provinces as most of the practicing arachnolo-gists were stationed there. SANSA surveys increased sampling of spiders and the number of species de-scribed and named has increased drastically. As with insects, arachnids have several qualities to support human well-being and life on earth. For example, in the face of urgent conservation issues, they are likely to be used as valuable bioindicators i.e. species whose presence or abundance readily reflects some measure of the character of the habitat within which they are found. This is true because most arachnid orders are known to be sensitive to pollution and alterations in habitat structure, and because they are abundant, speciose and relatively easy to collect quantitatively to, e.g.

monitor changes within a particular habitat. They may also prove useful as indicators of overall species rich-ness of biotic communities. Moreover, with spiders being an important predatory group of terrestrial ani-mals, they are known to play important roles in biologi-cal control in agro-ecosystems, while a few species are also of medical importance to man. Although spiders are absent from the majority of Red Lists this does not mean that they are less threatened by human activities. Spiders are wingless animals and frequently have a high bio-indicative value, as they are usually more strongly associated with a biotope than flying insects. Spiders of the suborder Mygalomorphae and especially the larger baboon spiders of the family Theraphosidae, owing to their demand for pets, need to be accessed according to the IUCN systems. In this document the first atlas for spiders for South Africa is provided. It contains information on the spe-cies found in South Africa, their endemic status, distri-bution, abundance, taxonomic status as well as infor-mation on their presence in protected areas and agro-ecosystems. From this data it is now possible to deter-mine the species that might be threatened and need to be accessed for red listing.

6

Data collecting As part of SANSA II, data from a variety of sources were used to compile the atlas of the spiders of South Africa.

All collected specimens were identified and en-tered into a specimen relational database of the National Collection of Arachnida (NCA). All the collecting records were georeferenced.

Present and historical data contained in publica-tions based on material housed in 17 collections worldwide were added to the SANSA database.

Atlas Family information A short description is provided for each family and the following information is provided: common names, life style, body size, diagnostic charact