Araneus apricus

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Green Pea Spider
Female from Zimbabwe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Araneus
Species:
A. apricus
Binomial name
Araneus apricus
(Karsch, 1884)[1]

Araneus apricus is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is commonly known as the green pea spider.[3]

Distribution

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Araneus apricus has a wide distribution across Africa, being recorded from São Tomé, Yemen, Socotra, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Eswatini, Tanzania, and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, the species occurs in eight of the nine provinces at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,556 m above sea level.[3]

Habitat and ecology

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This species is commonly found in warmer tropical regions where they construct orb-webs with a retreat to one side.[3] The species occurs in multiple biomes including Grassland, Savanna, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Fynbos, and Thicket biomes, with records from all South African floral biomes except the Succulent Karoo.[3]

In South Africa, Araneus apricus has been collected from agricultural areas including avocado orchards, citrus and macadamia orchards, and tomato fields. The species is protected in more than 10 protected areas including Addo Elephant National Park, Kruger National Park, De Hoop Nature Reserve, and Polokwane Nature Reserve.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms
  • Female from Mozambique
    Female from Mozambique
  • Female from South Africa
    Female from South Africa
  • from Zimbabwe
    from Zimbabwe

Conservation

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Araneus apricus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. The species is possibly under-collected and suspected to occur in countries between its known distribution points.[3]

Medical significance

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Araneus apricus is one of the few araneid spiders for which a case study on bite symptoms exists, though no serious medical effects have been documented.[3]

Etymology

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The species name apricus is derived from Latin meaning "sunny" or "delightful".[1]

Taxonomy

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The species was originally described by Ferdinand Karsch in 1884 from São Tomé as Epeira aprica, based only on a female specimen.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Karsch, F. (1884). "Arachnoidea". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft zur Beförderung der Gesamten Naturwissenschaften zu Marburg. 2: 60–68. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.25299.
  2. ^ a b "Araneus apricus (Karsch, 1884)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 1 (A-C). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 16–17. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326922. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.