Palystes stuarti
| Nieuwoudtville rain spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sparassidae |
| Genus: | Palystes |
| Species: | P. stuarti
|
| Binomial name | |
| Palystes stuarti Croeser, 1996[1]
| |
Palystes stuarti is a spider species in the family Sparassidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Nieuwoudtville rain spider.[3]
Distribution
Palystes stuarti is found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. The species has been recorded from Nieuwoudtville and Borrelfontein near Gouritz Mouth. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 699 m.[3]
Habitat and ecology
During the day, adults are inactive and shelter in vegetation. The type specimen was sampled in a house in the Fynbos Biome.[3]
Description
Conservation
Palystes stuarti is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species is under-sampled as only one other specimen has been sampled from the Western Cape. The status of the species remains obscure, and additional sampling is needed to determine the species' range.[3]
References
- ^ Croeser, P.M.C. (1996). "A revision of the African huntsman spider genus Palystes L. Koch 1875 (Araneae: Heteropodidae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 37: 1–122.
- ^ a b "Palystes stuarti Croeser, 1996". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 48. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.