May bruno

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Witsand Huntsman Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: May
Species:
M. bruno
Binomial name
May bruno
Jäger & Krehenwinkel, 2015[1]

May bruno is a species of spider in the family Sparassidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Witsand huntsman spider.

Distribution

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May bruno is endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is known from Witsand Nature Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park at Twee Rivieren, and Postmasburg.[3]

Habitat and ecology

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The species inhabits the Nama Karoo biome at elevations ranging from 928 to 1,316 m above sea level. It is found in white sand dunes where they dig burrows leading 20–30 cm into the ground. The burrow is closed with a lid. The specialised elongated hairs situated in a row on the pedipalps are most likely functionally connected to this digging behaviour.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms

Conservation

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May bruno is listed as least concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species is only known from protected areas and has no recorded threats. It is protected in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Witsand Nature Reserve.[3]

Taxonomy

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The species was described by Jäger & Krehenwinkel in 2015 as the type species of the new genus May.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Jäger, P.; Krehenwinkel, H. (2015). "May gen. n. (Araneae: Sparassidae): a unique lineage from southern Africa supported by morphological and molecular features". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 365–392. Bibcode:2015AfrIn..56..365J. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0209.
  2. ^ "May bruno Jäger & Krehenwinkel, 2015". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  3. ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 12. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.