Anyphops bechuanicus
| Vryburg Anyphops Flat Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Selenopidae |
| Genus: | Anyphops |
| Species: | A. bechuanicus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Anyphops bechuanicus (Lawrence, 1940)[1]
| |
Anyphops bechuanicus is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Vryburg anyphops flat spider.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Anyphops bechuanicus is found in South Africa.[2] The species occurs in KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces, at altitudes ranging from 71 to 1218 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]The species inhabits the Savanna and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes.[3] These are free-living cryptozoic nocturnal ground dwellers.[3]
Description
[edit]A. bechuanicus is known from both sexes.[3] The carapace is yellow-brown, narrowly bordered with black and variegated with symmetrical brown markings, with an oval patch on each side of the thoracic striae. The mouthparts are light yellow-brown, with a narrow inner and outer dark stripe on their anterior surfaces.[3]
The opisthosoma is yellow-brown with indistinct symmetrical markings. The legs have distinct dark bands, those of the femora mottled and irregular, and those of the tibiae clearly defined. Tibia I and II have 5, metatarsus I and II have 3 pairs of inferior spines. Total length is 9.5 mm.[3]
Conservation
[edit]Anyphops bechuanicus is listed as Data Deficient.[3] The species is under sampled and more sampling is needed to determine the species' range. Threats to the species are unknown.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally described by R. F. Lawrence in 1940 as Selenops bechuanicus from Vryburg in the North West.[1] It was transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lawrence, R.F. (1940). "The genus Selenops (Araneae) in South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 32: 571.
- ^ a b "Anyphops bechuanicus (Lawrence, 1940)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Selenopidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 13. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162139.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
