Zelotes natalensis

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Natal Dark Ground Spider
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Zelotes
Species:
Z. natalensis
Binomial name
Zelotes natalensis
Tucker, 1923[1]
Synonyms

Zelotes natalensis is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Natal dark ground spider.[3]

Distribution

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Zelotes natalensis occurs in Mozambique and South Africa.[2] The species has a wide distribution throughout South Africa and is recorded from eight provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, and Western Cape. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 16 to 1,730 m above sea level.[3]

Description

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See also: Glossary of spider terms
  • female
    female
  • female
    female
  • male
    male
  • male
    male

Habitat and ecology

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Zelotes natalensis are free-running ground spiders found under stones during the day. The species has been sampled from all the floral biomes. It was also sampled from avocado, citrus, cotton, and sunflower crops.[3]

Conservation

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Zelotes natalensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. There are no significant threats to the species. It is a very abundant species protected in more than ten protected areas.[3]

Taxonomy

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The species was described by Tucker in 1923 from Inyalazi River in KwaZulu-Natal. FitzPatrick's 2007 revision synonymized Zelotes ungula Tucker, 1923 with Z. natalensis. The species is known from both sexes.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.
  2. ^ a b "Zelotes natalensis Tucker, 1923". 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. 34–36. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.