Spiroctenus fossorius

Port Elizabeth 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. fossorius
Binomial name
Spiroctenus fossorius
(Pocock, 1900)
Synonyms
  • Bessia fossoria Pocock, 1900
  • Bessia fossorix Bonnet, 1955
  • Spiroctenus fossorina Raven, 1985

Spiroctenus fossorius is a species of spider in the family Bemmeridae. It is endemic to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

Distribution

Spiroctenus fossorius is known only from the type locality at Port Elizabeth.

Habitat

The species inhabits the Thicket Biome as a ground-dwelling burrow constructor.

Description

Only females of Spiroctenus fossorius are known to science. The labium and maxillae each bear approximately 20 cuspules. The paired tarsal claws have 3-4 teeth on both inner and outer margins. The posterior sternal sigilla are subcentral. The carapace and legs are pale reddish in color. The total length is 12 millimeters.

Conservation

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

References

  1. ↑ "Spiroctenus fossorius (Pocock, 1900)". 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 Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6 (33): 316–333.