Biology:Rothus auratus

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Short description: Species of spider

Garies Rothus nursery-web spider
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Pisauridae
Genus: Rothus
Species:
R. auratus
Binomial name
Rothus auratus
Pocock, 1900[1]

Rothus auratus is a spider species in the family Pisauridae.[2] The species is commonly known as the Garies Rothus nursery-web spider.[3]

Distribution

Rothus auratus is endemic to South Africa, where it has been sampled from three provinces: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3]

Habitat and ecology

These are plant-living nursery-web spiders that are found on vegetation at night. Their movements are erratic but they move swiftly on the substrate, sometimes in leaps or jumps.[3]

The species has been sampled from the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 327 to 1307 m.[3]

Description

Conservation

Rothus auratus is listed as Least Concern. Although the species is presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range. The species is protected in Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve and Cederberg Wilderness Area. There are no significant threats to the species.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was described by Pocock in 1900 from Garies in the Northern Cape.[1] It was revised by Silva and Sierwald in 2015 and is known only from the female.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7 6 (33): 316-333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382. 
  2. "Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/27481. Retrieved 2025-10-01. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Pisauridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 53. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157775.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. Silva, E.L.C. da; Sierwald, P. (2015). "First description of the male of Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Pisauridae), with a review of the African nursery web spider genus Rothus Simon, 1898". African Invertebrates 56 (2): 325-341. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0207. 

Wikidata ☰ Q2104759 entry