Graptartia granulosa

Graptartia granulosa is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae. It occurs widely in southern Africa and is commonly known as the four-spotted mutilliform sac spider.

Distribution

Graptartia granulosa is found in ten African countries: Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. In South Africa, it has been recorded from Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal at altitudes ranging from 286 to 1,217 m above sea level.
The species occurs in protected areas including Ndumo Game Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Habitat and ecology

Graptartia granulosa is a ground-dwelling mimic of velvet ants that occurs in a variety of habitats but appears to prefer the Savanna biome.
It is usually collected in pitfall traps and leaf litter, or under prone objects where it shelters when not active.

Conservation

Graptartia granulosa is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no significant known threats to the species.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1896, with the type locality given as Zambezi. It was revised by Haddad in 2004.