Palystes castaneus
Palystes castaneus is a species of huntsman spider found in parts of South Africa. It is common from Cape Town to Heidelberg, Western Cape, especially in forested areas. In scrub outside forested areas, it is replaced by Palystes superciliosus. It occurs mainly on plants, where it hunts insects. It has a body length of 17–22 mm. P. castaneus is the type species for the genus Palystes, and was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1819.
Distribution
Palystes castaneus is recorded from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.In South Africa, the species is known from the Western Cape province, where it is protected in seven protected areas including De Hoop Nature Reserve and Table Mountain National Park. Notable locations include Cape Town, Hermanus, Stellenbosch, and Swellendam.
Life style
Palystes castaneus is a forest and humid fynbos species. In the Western Cape it is found in the eastern Cape Peninsula forest and in similar areas to Grootvadersbos and De Hoop Nature Reserves. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 1,517 m.Spiders in the genus Palystes are commonly called rain spiders, or lizard-eating spiders. P. castaneus often appears in the home just before the onset of rain, where they hunt geckos. Males are regularly seen from August to December, probably looking for females.
After mating in the early summer, the female constructs a round egg sac about 60–100 mm in size made of silk, with twigs and leaves woven into it. These egg sacs are commonly seen from about November to April. The female constructs the sac over 3–5 hours, then aggressively guards it until the spiderlings, who hatch inside the protective sac, chew their way out about three weeks later. Many gardeners are bitten by protective Palystes mothers during this period. Females will construct about three of these egg sacs over their two-year lives.