Heliophanus sororius

Golden Gate Heliophanus Sunny Jumping Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Genus: Heliophanus
Species:
H. sororius
Binomial name
Heliophanus sororius

Heliophanus sororius is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa and is commonly known as the Golden Gate Heliophanus sunny jumping spider.

Distribution

Heliophanus sororius is found in Lesotho and South Africa. Within South Africa, it is known from three provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, and Mpumalanga.

Habitat and ecology

This species is a plant-dweller sampled from the Grassland Biome at altitudes ranging from 1328 to 2398 m.

Description

Conservation

Heliophanus sororius is listed as of Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. There are no known threats to the species. It is protected in Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Taxonomy

The male of Heliophanus sororius was described by Wesołowska in 2003 from Golden Gate Highlands National Park in Free State. The female was described by Wesołowska and Haddad in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 Wesołowska, W. (2003). "New data on African Heliophanus species with descriptions of new species (Araneae: Salticidae)". Genus. 14: 249–294.
  2. 1 2 World Spider Catalog. "Heliophanus sororius Wesolowska, 2003". World Spider Catalog. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Walt, V. van der; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 3 (He-Iran). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 43. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Wesołowska, W.; Haddad, C.R. (2018). "Further additions to the jumping spider fauna of South Africa (Araneae: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici, Warszawa. 68 (4): 879–908. doi:10.3161/00034541ANZ2018.68.4.011.