Eilica fusca

Eilica fusca
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Eilica
Species:
E. fusca
Binomial name
Eilica fusca
Platnick, 1975

Eilica fusca is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It is endemic to the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Distribution

Eilica fusca is known from the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, recorded from Dunbrody (southeast of Kirkwood) and Addo Elephant National Park.

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller sampled from the Thicket biome at 66 m above sea level.

Description

Eilica fusca is known only from the female. The carapace is dark brown, the abdomen is dark grey without a pattern, and the legs are uniform dark brown. Total size is 4.2 mm.

Conservation

Eilica fusca is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons. The species is known only from the type locality based on a single specimen collected in 1958. It is protected in Addo Elephant National Park. More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the species' range.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Norman I. Platnick in 1975 from Dunbrody in the Eastern Cape.

References

  1. 1 2 Platnick, N.I. (1975). "A revision of the spider genus Eilica (Araneae, Gnaphosidae)". American Museum Novitates. 2578: 13.
  2. ↑ "Eilica fusca Platnick, 1975". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 7. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.