Ilisoa knysna

Knysna Tree Sheet-Web Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Cyatholipidae
Genus: Ilisoa
Species:
I. knysna
Binomial name
Ilisoa knysna
Griswold, 1987

Ilisoa knysna is a species of spider in the family Cyatholipidae. It is the type species of the genus Ilisoa and is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa.

Distribution

Ilisoa knysna is known from three locations in the Western Cape: Brenton-on-Sea, Diepwalle Forest Station, and George. The species occurs at elevations between 99 and 466 metres above sea level.

Habitat

The species builds small horizontal sheet webs in vegetation and was collected in wet forest from the Forest Biome.

Etymology

The species is named after the Knysna district, where it was first discovered.

Conservation

The species is threatened by ongoing habitat loss due to infrastructure development around Brenton-on-Sea and Knysna. It is partly protected in Diepwalle Forest Station and is listed as Vulnerable.

References

  1. 1 2 Griswold, C.E. (1987). "A review of the southern African spiders of the family Cyatholipidae Simon, 1894 (Araneae: Araneomorphae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 499–542.
  2. ↑ "Ilisoa knysna Griswold, 1987". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Cyatholipidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6759933.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.