Cynathea bicolor

Cynathea bicolor is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae. It is found in several African countries and is commonly known as Cynathea crab spider.

Distribution

Cynathea bicolor is found in Senegal, Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa.
In South Africa, the species is not very common and was only sampled from Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Habitat and ecology

Cynathea bicolor inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 78 to 1163 m above sea level.
They are free-living plant dwellers, found on shrubs and grasses.

Conservation

Cynathea bicolor is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. It is protected in Tembe Elephant Park.

Etymology

The species epithet bicolor means "two-colored" in Latin.

Taxonomy

Cynathea bicolor was described by Eugène Simon in 1895 from Senegal. The species is known only from the male.