Hyllus dotatus

Hyllus dotatus is a species of spider in the family Salticidae. It is found from South Africa to Yemen and is commonly known as the dotatus Hyllus jumping spider.

Distribution

Hyllus dotatus is has been found in Botswana, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In South Africa, the species is known from all nine provinces.

Habitat and ecology

This species is a free-living plant-dweller found on the foliage of shrubs and trees in various savannah and floodplain habitats.
In South Africa, it has been sampled from multiple biomes including Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna and Thicket at altitudes ranging from 1 to 1732 m. The species has also been sampled from agricultural ecosystems such as cotton, kenaf and maize.

Conservation

Hyllus dotatus is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range across South Africa. It is protected in more than ten protected areas.

Taxonomy

Hyllus dotatus was originally described in 1903 as Habrocestum dotatum from Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. The species has a complex taxonomic history with several synonyms. Both sexes were described by Wesołowska and Russell-Smith in 2000.