Palystes lunatus


Palystes lunatus is a spider species in the family Sparassidae. It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Murraysburg rain spider.

Distribution

Palystes lunatus was originally described with the type specimen only labelled as South Africa. According to Croeser, the species may be restricted to a relatively small locality, probably somewhere in the montane interior of the Eastern [Cape Province].

Habitat and ecology

Nothing is known about the habitat or ecology of this species.

Conservation

Palystes lunatus is listed as Data Deficient by the South [African National Biodiversity Institute]. The species is known only from a single unspecified site in South Africa. The status of the species remains obscure. Some more sampling is needed to collect the male and to determine the species' range.

Taxonomy

Palystes lunatus was originally described by Pocock in 1896. The species was revised by Croeser in 1996, and is known from only the female.