Pronophaea proxima

Zebra Pronophaea dark sac spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Corinnidae
Genus: Pronophaea
Species:
P. proxima
Binomial name
Pronophaea proxima
(Lessert, 1923)

Pronophaea proxima is a spider species in the family Corinnidae. It is commonly known as the Zebra Pronophaea dark sac spider.

Distribution

Pronophaea proxima is endemic to South Africa, where it is known from four provinces: Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.

Habitat and ecology

This species consists of free-living ground-dwellers that have been sampled from the Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 19 to 1,097 m above sea level.

Description

Conservation

Pronophaea proxima is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in two protected areas, Groeneweide Forest Station and Nylsvley Nature Reserve. There are no known threats to the species.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Roger de Lessert in 1923 as Medmassa proxima from Krantzkloof, KwaZulu-Natal. Haddad & Bosselaers (2010) illustrated the male, but the female has not yet been described.

References

  1. ↑ "Pronophaea proxima (Lessert, 1923)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 67. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.