Messapus natalis

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Giant Messapus dark sac spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Corinnidae
Genus: Messapus
Species:
M. natalis
Binomial name
Messapus natalis
(Pocock, 1898)

Messapus natalis is a spider species in the family Corinnidae.[1] It is commonly known as the Giant Messapus dark sac spider.[2]

Distribution

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Messapus natalis occurs in southern Africa, including Mozambique and South Africa.[1] In South Africa, the species has been sampled from three provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.[2]

Habitat and ecology

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Messapus natalis is primarily an arboreal species, with specimens collected from retreats constructed in fissures or similar structures on tree bark, or in canopy fogging samples.[2] It has been collected from the Forest, Savanna and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes at altitudes ranging from 17 to 975 m above sea level.[2]

Description

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Conservation

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Messapus natalis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range and no known threats.[2] The species is conserved in three protected areas Ndumo Game Reserve, Lowveld National Botanical Gardens and Dukuduku Forest.[2]

Taxonomy

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The species was originally described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1898 as Corinna natalis from Durban, South Africa.[2] It was redescribed by Haddad (2013) and transferred to Messapus by Haddad (2013).[1] The species is known from both sexes and is the largest described species of Corinnidae from Africa known to date.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Messapus natalis (Pocock, 1898)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 63. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.