Echemus erutus

Pale Echemus Ground Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Echemus
Species:
E. erutus
Binomial name
Echemus erutus
Tucker, 1923[1]

Echemus erutus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is a southern African endemic species commonly known as the pale Echemus ground spider.[3]

Distribution

Echemus erutus is distributed across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.[3] In South Africa, it is recorded from four provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller, sampled from the Savanna, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Nama Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 29 to 1,523 m above sea level.[3] It has also been sampled from macadamia orchards.[3]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Echemus erutus is known only from the female. The carapace is yellowish brown with slightly darker chelicerae. The first pair of legs is considerably darker and redder distally, while the posterior legs are similar in colour to the carapace. The abdomen is testaceous and slightly infuscated dorsally. Total length is 5.7 mm.[3]

Conservation

Echemus erutus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species has a wide geographical range and is protected in more than 10 protected areas.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Tucker in 1923 from Botswana.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 350.
  2. ^ "Echemus erutus Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 4. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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