Biology:Moggridgea microps
| Malelane Moggridgea Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
LC (SANBI)
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Migidae |
| Genus: | Moggridgea |
| Species: | M. microps
|
| Binomial name | |
| Moggridgea microps Hewitt, 1915[1]
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Moggridgea microps is a species of spider in the family Migidae.[2] It occurs in South Africa and Eswatini and is commonly known as the Malelane Moggridgea trapdoor spider.[3]
Etymology
The specific name is Latin for "small-eyed".
Distribution
Moggridgea microps has a wide distribution across three South African provinces. It occurs in the Eastern Cape (East London, Port St. Johns), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, Eshowe, Port Shepstone, iSimangaliso Wetland Park), and Mpumalanga (Barberton, Malelane, Mariepskop). The species is also found in Eswatini.[3]
Habitat
The species inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Forest, Savanna, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes at altitudes ranging from 5 to 1,328 m above sea level.[3]
Lifestyle
It is an arboreal trapdoor spider with adult females collected in February, March, May, June, and November.[3]
Description
Moggridgea microps is known only from the female.[3]
Conservation
Moggridgea microps is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range extending into Eswatini. It is protected in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, but additional sampling is needed to collect male specimens.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by John Hewitt in 1915 from Malelane in Mpumalanga and later revised by :species:Charles E. Griswold in 1987.[4]
References
- ↑ Hewitt, J. (1915). "Descriptions of several new or rare species of Araneae from the Transvaal and neighbourhood". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 5: 89-100.
- ↑ "Moggridgea microps Hewitt, 1915". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/21353. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Migidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735880. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6735880. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ↑ Griswold, C.E. (1987). "The African members of the trap-door spider family Migidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) 1: the genus Moggridgea O. P.-Cambridge, 1875". Annals of the Natal Museum 28: 1-118.
Wikidata ☰ Q2412952 entry
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