Capheris langi
| Lang's Capheris Zodariid spider | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
| |
| Female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zodariidae |
| Genus: | Capheris |
| Species: | C. langi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Capheris langi Lawrence, 1936[1]
| |
Capheris langi is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae.[2] It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as Lang's Capheris Zodariid spider.[3]
Etymology
[edit]The species is named in honor of Herbert Lang, who participated in the American Museum of Natural History's Congo Expedition and contributed to arachnological collections in Africa.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Capheris langi occurs in two southern African countries: Botswana and South Africa. In South Africa, it has been sampled from Limpopo province at elevations ranging from 418 to 959 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat
[edit]The species is a ground-living burrow-dweller found in the Savanna biome.[3]
Description
[edit]-
female
Only the female of Capheris langi is known. The carapace and legs are blackish-brown, while the sternum is orange. The legs are medium brown. The opisthosoma dorsum is uniform grey with four reddish apodemes and is sparsely covered with mixed, short, white and blackish hairs.[4]
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2025) |
Conservation
[edit]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, though more sampling is needed to collect the male.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Lawrence, R.F. (1936). "Scientific results of the Vernay-Lang Kalahari Expedition, March to September 1930. Spiders (Ctenizidae excepted)". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 17: 145–158.
- ^ "Capheris langi Lawrence, 1936". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 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 1 (A-D) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 33–34. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14404920. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Jocqué, R. (2009). "Some keep it short: on the radiation in the Afrotropical spider genera Capheris and Systenoplacis (Araneae, Zodariidae) without male pedipalp complexity increase". Journal of Afrotropical Zoology. 5: 77–148.
