Spiroctenus exilis

Port Edward Spiroctenus Trapdoor Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Bemmeridae
Genus: Spiroctenus
Species:
S. exilis
Binomial name
Spiroctenus exilis
Lawrence, 1938

Spiroctenus exilis is a species of spider in the family Bemmeridae. It is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

Distribution

Spiroctenus exilis is known only from the type locality at Port Edward.

Habitat

The species inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Biome as a ground-dwelling burrow constructor.

Description

Only males of Spiroctenus exilis are known to science. The carapace is orange in color and the legs are yellow. The opisthosoma is blackish brown with light spots. The total length is 12 millimeters.

Conservation

The species is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons, as females remain unknown and the full species range requires further study.

References

  1. ↑ "Spiroctenus exilis Lawrence, 1938". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Bemmeridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–41. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7810486. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. 1 2 Lawrence, R.F. (1938). "A collection of spiders from Natal and Zululand". Annals of the Natal Museum. 8: 455–524.