Hippasa australis

Hippasa australis is a species of spider in the family Lycosidae. It is found in several southern African countries and is commonly known as the African funnel-web wolf spider.

Distribution

Hippasa australis is found in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa.
In South Africa, it occurs in Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces, with numerous recorded localities.

Habitat and ecology

This species is a ground dweller that makes sheet-webs in low vegetation.
It is commonly found in Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 2102 m.

Conservation

The species has a very large range and is protected in more than ten protected areas across southern Africa. There are no significant threats to the species.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Lawrence in 1927 from Ingwavuma in KwaZulu-Natal. It was later revised by Alderweireldt and Jocqué in 2005.