Hahnia clathrata

Hahnia clathrata is a species of spider in the family Hahniidae. It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the Cape comb-tailed spider.

Distribution

Hahnia clathrata is a southern African endemic, recorded from Namibia and South Africa. In South Africa it is known from four provinces: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape. The species occurs at elevations ranging from 39 to 1698 m above sea level.

Habitat and ecology

The species makes small sheet-webs in litter and has been sampled from the Fynbos, Savanna, and Thicket biomes.

Description

Hahnia clathrata is known only from the female.

Conservation

Hahnia clathrata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. The species is protected in ten protected areas.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1898 with the type locality given only as "Prom. Bonae Spei". Although identification of the male is still problematic, the female has been sampled over a wide range.