Meta meruensis

Meruensis Orb-Web Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Tetragnathidae
Genus:	Meta
Species:	M. meruensis
Binomial name
	Meta meruensis; Tullgren, 1910
Synonyms
	Meta pumila Thorell, 1877 ; Argyroepeira pumila Thorell, 1890 ; Mesida pumila Chrysanthus, 1975 ;

Meta meruensis is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae. It is commonly known as the meruensis orb-web spider.

Distribution

Meta meruensis is found in Tanzania and South Africa. In South Africa, the species is recorded from three provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.

Habitat and ecology

The species has been collected from low vegetation near water in Forest and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 687 to 2,785 m.

Description

Conservation

Meta meruensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in Blouberg Nature Reserve, Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve, and Lhuvhondo Nature Reserve.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Albert Tullgren in 1910 from Tanzania. According to Marusik and Larsen in 2018, the species is misplaced in Meta and based on the shape of the epigyne, it may belong to Leucauge. However, it differs from Leucauge in several aspects, including the absence of the double fringe of trichobothria on leg IV.

It is known only from females.

References

1 2 Tullgren, A. (1910). "Araneae". Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Kilimandjaro, dem Meru und den umgebenden Massaisteppen Deutsch-Ostafrikas 1905-1906 unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Yngve Sjöstedt. Sjöstedts Kilimandjaro-Meru Expedition. Vol. 20. pp. 85–172. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.6622.
1 2 3 "Meta meruensis Tullgren, 1910". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
1 2 Marusik, Y.M.; Larsen, N. (2018). "A new species and new records of Metellina (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from Africa". Zootaxa. 4418 (5): 497–504. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4418.5.8 (inactive 4 November 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2025 (link)

External links

Citizen science observations for Meta meruensis at iNaturalist

[tullgren1910-1] 1 2 Tullgren, A. (1910). "Araneae". Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Kilimandjaro, dem Meru und den umgebenden Massaisteppen Deutsch-Ostafrikas 1905-1906 unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Yngve Sjöstedt. Sjöstedts Kilimandjaro-Meru Expedition. Vol. 20. pp. 85–172. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.6622.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 "Meta meruensis Tullgren, 1910". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2023-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[marusik2018-4] 1 2 Marusik, Y.M.; Larsen, N. (2018). "A new species and new records of Metellina (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from Africa". Zootaxa. 4418 (5): 497–504. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4418.5.8 (inactive 4 November 2025).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2025 (link)