Biology:Copa kei
| Kei ground lycosiform sac spider | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
| |
| Male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Corinnidae |
| Genus: | Copa |
| Species: | C. kei
|
| Binomial name | |
| Copa kei Haddad, 2013
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| |
| Cope kei shown as yellow triangles. Copa flavoplumosa shown as black circles. | |
Copa kei is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae.[1] The species is endemic to eastern South Africa. The species epithet is named after Kei Mouth.[2][3]
Distribution
Copa kei is endemic to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa.[4]
Notable locations include Dwesa Nature Reserve, Cwebe Nature Reserve, Hogsback, Kei Mouth, and Karkloof Nature Reserve.[4]
Habitat and ecology
Copa kei is a free-living ground-dweller mainly found in the leaf litter layer of Afromontane and coastal forests, where it has been recorded at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,505 m above sea level.[4]
The species inhabits Forest, Savanna, and Thicket biomes.[4]
Description
Copa kei is known from both sexes.[4] Like other members of its genus, it is a medium-sized spider that closely resembles wolf spiders (Lycosidae) in general appearance and is well camouflaged.[4]
Conservation
Copa kei is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[4] Although threatened by habitat loss for urbanization and agricultural activities in parts of its range, it is well protected in several areas.[4] The species is recorded from three protected areas.[4]
References
- ↑ "Copa kei Haddad, 2013". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/6737. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "Copa kei Haddad, 2013" (in en). https://www.gbif.org/species/7747324.
- ↑ "ZooBank.org". https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/A4CC7016-5E90-4687-8936-2F07FE3BDE0F.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 23. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8300753. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Wikidata ☰ Q13496118 entry
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