Palystes perornatus

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Eastern Cape's rain spider
female
female with egg sac
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Palystes
Species:
P. perornatus
Binomial name
Palystes perornatus
Pocock, 1900[1]

Palystes perornatus is a spider species in the family Sparassidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Eastern Cape's rain spider.[3]

Distribution

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Palystes perornatus is found in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape provinces. The species is protected in three reserves including Tsolwana Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, and Swartberg Nature Reserve. Notable locations include Hogsback, Queenstown, and Port Edward. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 63 to 1,754 m.[3]

Habitat and ecology

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Palystes perornatus has been sampled from the Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Grassland, Nama Karoo, and Savanna biomes. Some specimens have also been sampled from houses.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms

Conservation

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Palystes perornatus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in Swartberg Nature Reserve, Tsolwana Nature Reserve, and Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve.[3]

Taxonomy

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Palystes perornatus was originally described in 1900 from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. The species was revised by Peter M. C. Croeser in 1996.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
  2. ^ a b "Palystes perornatus Pocock, 1900". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e 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. 46. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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