Olios kunzi

Kunz Olios Huntsman Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Olios
Species:
O. kunzi
Binomial name
Olios kunzi
Jäger, 2020

Olios kunzi is a species of spider in the family Sparassidae. It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Kunz Olios huntsman spider.

Distribution

Olios kunzi is known from Namibia, possibly Zambia, and South Africa. In South Africa, it is recorded only from Free State Province at an altitude of 1,303 m above sea level.

Habitat and ecology

Specimens from South Africa have been collected from under stones in grassland.

Description

Olios kunzi has a yellowish-brown carapace with the fovea reddish-brown and reddish-brown chelicerae. The legs are slightly darker distally. The abdomen dorsally displays a tuning-fork pattern and few lateral dots, while ventrally it has few dots.

Conservation

Olios kunzi is listed as least concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide distribution range across southern Africa.

Taxonomy

Olios kunzi was described by Jäger in 2020 from specimens collected in Windhoek, Namibia. The species is known from both sexes.

References

  1. ↑ Jäger, P. (2020). "The spider genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae: Sparassidae) – Part 1: species groups, diagnoses, identification keys, distribution maps and revision of the argelasius-, coenobitus- and auricomis-groups". Zootaxa. 4866 (1): 1–119. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4866.1.1.
  2. 1 2 "Olios kunzi Jäger, 2020". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.