Zelotes tuckeri
| Tucker's Dark Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Zelotes |
| Species: | Z. tuckeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Zelotes tuckeri Roewer, 1951[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Zelotes tuckeri is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is commonly known as Tucker's dark ground spider and occurs widely in Africa.[3]
Distribution
Zelotes tuckeri is known from more than seven African countries: Botswana, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. In South Africa, it has been recorded from six provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species has a wide altitudinal range, occurring from 17 to 1,645 m above sea level. They are free-running ground spiders found under stones during the day and inhabit the Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Savanna biomes.[3]
Description
Conservation
Zelotes tuckeri is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. The species is sampled from more than ten protected areas. There are no significant threats to the species.[3]
Etymology
The species is named after South African arachnologist Richard William Ethelbert Tucker.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Tucker in 1923 as Zelotes rufipes, but this name was preoccupied. Roewer provided the replacement name Zelotes tuckeri in 1951. The species was revised by FitzPatrick in 2007 and is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Roewer, C.F. (1951). "Neue Namen einiger Araneen-Arten". Abhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins zu Bremen. 32: 437–456.
- ^ "Zelotes tuckeri Roewer, 1951". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 49. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.