Isoxya tabulata

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Yellow Isoxya Box Kite Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Isoxya
Species:
I. tabulata
Binomial name
Isoxya tabulata
(Thorell, 1859)[1]
Synonyms
  • Gasteracantha tabulata Thorell, 1859
  • Gasteracantha modesta Thorell, 1859
  • Gasteracantha cicatrella Strand, 1907
  • Gasteracantha kibonotensis Tullgren, 1910
  • Gasteracantha momboensis Tullgren, 1910

Isoxya tabulata is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is found in Africa and is commonly known as the yellow Isoxya box kite spider.[3]

Distribution

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Isoxya tabulata is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini. In South Africa, the species is recorded from five provinces, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Western Cape.[3]

Habitat and ecology

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The species has been sampled from Forest, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 1,399 m above sea level.[3]

During the day, the species can be found in large orb-webs usually made high between trees. The web is usually decorated with silk tufts. The species was also sampled from citrus orchards and tomato fields.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms

Conservation

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Isoxya tabulata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range across nine African countries. The species is protected in more than 20 protected areas including Ndumo Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, Kruger National Park, and Addo Elephant National Park.[3]

Taxonomy

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The species was originally described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1859 as Gasteracantha tabulata from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was later transferred to the genus Isoxya by Benoit in 1962. Both male and female specimens are known. This species closely resembles Isoxya stuhlmanni.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Thorell, T. (1859). "Nya exotiska Epeirider". Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar. 16: 299–304.
  2. ^ "Isoxya tabulata (Thorell, 1859)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 32–33. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.