Biology:Idiops vandami
| Idiops vandami | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Idiopidae |
| Genus: | Idiops |
| Species: | I. vandami
|
| Binomial name | |
| Idiops vandami (Hewitt, 1925)[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Idiops vandami is a species of spider in the family Idiopidae.[2] The family Idiopidae is the second most diverse mygalomorph family, represented by 23 genera and 452 species.[3] It is endemic to South Africa.[4]
Distribution
Idiops vandami is a Mpumalanga endemic known only from the type locality Barberton at an altitude of 807 m above sea level.[4]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits the Savanna biome. It lives in silk-lined burrows closed with a trapdoor.[4]
Description
Idiops vandami is known from both sexes. The appendages are very pale brown, while the carapace is pale with a reddish tinge and the ocular region infuscated. The abdomen is purplish above with spinnerets almost white. Lower surfaces are pale, with some infuscation on the sternum.[4]
Conservation
Idiops vandami is listed as Data Deficient due to insufficient knowledge about its distribution and threats. The species is under-collected and more sampling is needed to determine its range.[4]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by John Hewitt in 1925 as Acanthodon vandami from Barberton, at pages 279 with figures 1.4–5, based on both male and female specimens.[5] The species has not been revised.[4] Hewitt served as Director of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown from 1910 until his retirement in 1958.[6]
The genus Acanthodon Guérin, 1838, under which the species was originally described, was synonymised with Idiops Perty, 1833 by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1870.[7] The genus Idiops is represented in South Africa by 23 species and one subspecies.[8]
References
- ↑ Hewitt, J. (1925). "Descriptions of some African Arachnida". Records of the Albany Museum Grahamstown 3: 277-299.
- ↑ "Idiops vandami (Hewitt, 1925)". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/13484. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ↑ "A new species of the trapdoor spider genus Titanidiops Simon (Araneae: Idiopidae) from western Maharashtra, India". doi:10.1080/00222933.2025.2603654. https://www.tandfonline.com/action/cookieAbsent.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Idiopidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 55. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6324502. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6324502. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ↑ "World Spider Catalog". https://wsc.nmbe.ch/genus-catalog/1271/Idiops.
- ↑ "S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science". https://s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1286.
- ↑ "World Spider Catalog". https://wsc.nmbe.ch/genus-catalog/1271/Idiops.
- ↑ "South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide: The Idiopidae of South Africa.". September 8, 2021. https://zenodo.org/records/6324502.
Wikidata ☰ Q2132872 entry
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