Coryssiphus praeustus


Coryssiphus praeustus is a species of spider in the family Miturgidae. It is endemic to South Africa.

Distribution

Coryssiphus praeustus is found only in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The type locality is given as "Cape of Good Hope", and it has been recorded from Table Mountain National Park, including the Orange Kloof area.

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits Fynbos biomes at 9 m above sea level. These are free-living ground-dwelling spiders.

Description

The species is known from both sexes.

Conservation

Coryssiphus praeustus is listed as Data Deficient due to taxonomic reasons. More sampling is needed to collect additional females and determine the species' range. It is currently protected in Table Mountain National Park.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1903 as the type species of the genus Coryssiphus. The genus was transferred from Liocranidae to Miturgidae by Bosselaers in 2024, who also provided the first description of the female.