Biology:Anyphops atomarius

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Short description: Species of spider

Eastern Cape Anyphops Flat Spider
LC (SANBI)
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Selenopidae
Genus: Anyphops
Species:
A. atomarius
Binomial name
Anyphops atomarius
(Simon, 1887)[1]
Synonyms
  • Selenops subradiatus Strand, 1906

Anyphops atomarius is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Eastern Cape Anyphops flat spider.[3] This species serves as the type species for the genus Anyphops.[2]

Distribution

Anyphops atomarius is found in South Africa.[2] The species occurs in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, including localities such as Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Steytlerville, Alicedale, and Cape Town, at altitudes ranging from 7 to 552 m above sea level.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Fynbos and Thicket biomes.[3] These are free-living cryptozoic nocturnal ground dwellers.[3]

Description

The species is known from both sexes.[3] The legs have distinct bands. Anterior tibiae have 5 inferior pairs of spines, tibia II has 1 posterior lateral spine in addition, and anterior metatarsi have 3 inferior pairs of spines. Total length is 8 mm.[3]

Conservation

Anyphops atomarius is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographic range.[3] There are no known threats to the species.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1887 as Selenops atomarius from Port Elizabeth.[1] It was transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968 and serves as the type species for the genus.[3] Selenops subradiatus Strand, 1906 was later synonymized with this species by Roewer in 1955.[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Simon, E. (1887). "Espèces et genres nouveaux de la famille des Sparassidae". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France 12: 466. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Anyphops atomarius (Simon, 1887)". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/33946. Retrieved 2025-09-27. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Selenopidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162139.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Wikidata ☰ Q304138 entry