Scytodes caffra
Scytodes caffra is a species of spider in the family Scytodidae. It is commonly known as the dark spitting spider and is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, and South Africa.
Distribution
Scytodes caffra is known from three African countries. In South Africa, it is recorded from five provinces: Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the Western Cape. The species has a wide geographical range and is found at elevations ranging from 1 to 1,690 m above sea level.Habitat and ecology
Scytodes caffra is a free-living ground dweller. The species has been sampled from the Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, and Savanna biomes, as well as from commercial pine plantations.Description
The carapace is black, with the anterior two-thirds having a median yellow stripe containing a narrow, median black line which almost reaches to the middle of the carapace. The posterior surface of the carapace has a median yellow patch, and the sides have four tiers of rather small yellow spots. The carapace is very high, with its posterior surface almost vertical and its superior-anterior surface sloping at an angle of about 45° to the horizontal. The sternum is black.The abdomen is transversely striped with black and yellow. Legs have infuscate femora.