Rothus auratus

Garies Rothus nursery-web spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Pisauridae
Genus:	Rothus
Species:	R. auratus
Binomial name
	Rothus auratus; Pocock, 1900

Rothus auratus is a spider species in the family Pisauridae. The species is commonly known as the Garies Rothus nursery-web spider.

Distribution

Rothus auratus is endemic to South Africa, where it has been sampled from three provinces: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.

Habitat and ecology

These are plant-living nursery-web spiders that are found on vegetation at night. Their movements are erratic but they move swiftly on the substrate, sometimes in leaps or jumps.

The species has been sampled from the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 327 to 1307 m.

Description

Conservation

Rothus auratus is listed as Least Concern. Although the species is presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range. The species is protected in Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve and Cederberg Wilderness Area. There are no significant threats to the species.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Pocock in 1900 from Garies in the Northern Cape. It was revised by Silva and Sierwald in 2015 and is known only from the female.

References

1 2 Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
↑ "Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Pisauridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 53. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157775. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
↑ Silva, E.L.C. da; Sierwald, P. (2015). "First description of the male of Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Pisauridae), with a review of the African nursery web spider genus Rothus Simon, 1898". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 325–341. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0207.

[pocock1900-1] 1 2 Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.

[wsc-2] "Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2020-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Pisauridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 53. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157775. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[silva2015-4] Silva, E.L.C. da; Sierwald, P. (2015). "First description of the male of Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Pisauridae), with a review of the African nursery web spider genus Rothus Simon, 1898". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 325–341. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0207.