Scytodes silvatica

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Forest Spitting Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Scytodidae
Genus: Scytodes
Species:
S. silvatica
Binomial name
Scytodes silvatica

Scytodes silvatica is a species of spider in the family Scytodidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the forest spitting spider.[3]

Distribution

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Scytodes silvatica is found in two South African provinces, Eastern Cape and Western Cape.[3]

Habitat and ecology

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The species inhabits the Forest, Savanna and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 1479 m above sea level. It is a wandering spider commonly collected from under stones and dark places on the soil surface.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms

Scytodes silvatica has a deep brown or purplish-black colour, mottled with yellow. The carapace has a well-developed median stripe lying between a pair of broader yellow stripes, on each side of which is a very broad, curved, black band. The latter bears a small yellow spot just before the middle of the carapace. The sides of the carapace are broadly blackened inferiorly, with a row of four yellow spots on each side and a row of larger or smaller, more irregular yellow marks above these. The posterior part of the carapace has a median yellow spot.[3]

Conservation

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Scytodes silvatica is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in Mkambathi Nature Reserve, Asante Sana Private Game Reserve, and Tsitsikamma National Park.[3]

Etymology

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The species name is from Latin silvaticus "of the woods".

Taxonomy

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The species has not been revised and is known from both sexes, but has not been illustrated.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Purcell, W.F. (1904). "Descriptions of new genera and species of South African spiders". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 15: 148. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.18693.
  2. ^ "Scytodes silvatica Purcell, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Booysen, R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Scytodidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 31. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157802. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.