Zelotes lightfooti

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Lightfoot's Dark Ground Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Zelotes
Species:
Z. lightfooti
Binomial name
Zelotes lightfooti
(Purcell, 1907)[1]
Synonyms
  • Melanophora lightfooti Purcell, 1907
  • Zelotes ornatus Tucker, 1923

Zelotes lightfooti is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the lightfoot's dark ground spider.[3]

Distribution

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Zelotes lightfooti has been recorded from four South African provinces: Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 249 to 2,040 m above sea level.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms

Habitat and ecology

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Zelotes lightfooti are free-running spiders found under stones during the day. The species has been sampled from the Fynbos, Nama Karoo, Grassland, and Savanna biomes.[3]

Conservation

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Zelotes lightfooti is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. There are no significant threats to the species, and it is protected in Verlorenvallei Nature Reserve, Anysberg Nature Reserve, and Witteberg Nature Reserve.[3]

Taxonomy

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The species was originally described by William Frederick Purcell in 1907 from Ceres in the Western Cape as Melanophora lightfooti. FitzPatrick's 2007 revision synonymized Zelotes ornatus Tucker, 1923 with Z. lightfooti. The species is known only from the female.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 20 (118): 297–336. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
  2. ^ "Zelotes lightfooti (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 28–29. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.