Palfuria spirembolus
| Namibia Palfuria zodariid spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zodariidae |
| Genus: | Palfuria |
| Species: | P. spirembolus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Palfuria spirembolus Szűts & Jocqué, 2001[1]
| |
Palfuria spirembolus is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae.[2] It is found in Namibia and South Africa and is commonly known as the Namibia Palfuria zodariid spider.[3]
Etymology
The epithet is a compound of Latin spira (spiral) and embolus, referring to the long large embolus.
Distribution
Palfuria spirembolus occurs in southern Africa, with records from Namibia and the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. South African localities include Kruger National Park, Letaba, Legalameetse Nature Reserve, Olifantskamp, and the Skukuza-Malelane area.[3]
Habitat
The species is a very small, rare ground dweller that inhabits the Savanna biome at altitudes ranging from 208 to 687 m above sea level. It has been collected using pitfall traps.[3]
Description
Palfuria spirembolus is easily recognized by the strongly elevated cephalic part of the carapace and the presence of dorsolateral circumferential folds on the opisthosoma. The species is among the smaller members of the genus Palfuria, measuring 1.41–3.4 mm in total length.[3]
Conservation
The species is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range in southern Africa. It is protected in Kruger National Park and Legalameetse Nature Reserve.[3]
References
- ^ Szűts, T.; Jocqué, R. (2001). "A revision of the Afrotropical spider genus Palfuria". Journal of Arachnology. 29 (2): 216. doi:10.1636/0161-8202(2001)029[0205:AROTAS]2.0.CO;2.
- ^ "Palfuria spirembolus Szűts & Jocqué, 2001". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Jocqué, R.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2024). The Zodariidae of South Africa. Part 2 (H-T) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 22. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14568995. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.