Parabomis martini

Martin's Bomid Crab Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Thomisidae
Genus:	Parabomis
Species:	P. martini
Binomial name
	Parabomis martini; Lessert, 1919
Synonyms
	Parabomis anabensis Lawrence, 1928 ;

Parabomis martini is a spider in the family Thomisidae. It is found in several African countries and is commonly known as Martin's Bomid crab spider.

Distribution

Parabomis martini is found in Guinea, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

In South Africa, it is known from Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and North West provinces.

Habitat and ecology

Parabomis martini has been collected from a variety of habitats ranging from grass and trees in thorn bushveld to the undergrowth of coastal dune forest.

They have also been collected from the tree species Buddleia saligna, Euclea crispa, Dombeya sp., Vitex rehmanni, and Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus.

The species has been recorded from Grassland, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 10 to 1860 m.

Description

Conservation

Parabomis martini is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is recorded in 11 reserves. There are no significant threats and no conservation actions are recommended.

Taxonomy

Parabomis martini was described by Roger de Lessert in 1919 from Tanzania. Dippenaar-Schoeman and Foord synonymized Parabomis anabensis Lawrence, 1928 with P. martini in 2020. The species is known from both sexes.

References

1 2 Lessert, R. de (1919). "Araignées du Kilimandjaro et du Mérou (suite). 3. Thomisidae". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 27 (5): 99–234. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.36325.
1 2 3 "Parabomis martini Lessert, 1919". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 30. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
↑ Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H. (2020). "Revision of the Afrotropical crab-spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae)". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 161–174. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.8. hdl:10019.1/121579. PMID 33756830.

External links

Citizen science observations for Parabomis martini at iNaturalist

[lessert1919-1] 1 2 Lessert, R. de (1919). "Araignées du Kilimandjaro et du Mérou (suite). 3. Thomisidae". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 27 (5): 99–234. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.36325.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 "Parabomis martini Lessert, 1919". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2020-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 30. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[dippenaarfoord2020-4] Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H. (2020). "Revision of the Afrotropical crab-spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae)". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 161–174. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.8. hdl:10019.1/121579. PMID 33756830.