Selenops zuluanus

Selenops zuluanus is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae. It is found in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa and is commonly known as the Ingwavuma Selenops flat spider.

Distribution

Selenops zuluanus is found in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In South Africa, it occurs in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces at altitudes ranging from 47 to 1,411 m above sea level.

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Savanna biome and is a free-living cryptozoic nocturnal ground living spider.

Description

Known from both sexes. The carapace is reddish brown and darker anteriorly, with a dark marginal border and some ill-defined thoracic striae. There is an indistinct dark stripe bisecting the cephalic area. The abdomen is almost uniformly black and speckled with some minute light dots, with those near the anterior margin being larger. The legs are dark with the anterior surfaces of femora being pale while the remaining segments are uniformly black except tarsi which are dark brown. Total length is 12-13 mm.

Conservation

Selenops zuluanus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range in southern Africa. The species is protected in uMkuzi Game Reserve, Ndumo Game Reserve, Kruger National Park and Lhuvhondo Nature Reserve.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Lawrence in 1940 from Ingwavuma in KwaZulu-Natal. It was revised by Corronca in 2002. The species was temporarily transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968 but was returned to Selenops by Corronca in 1996.