Ammoxenus amphalodes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Common termite feeding spider | |
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| Female | |
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| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Ammoxenus |
| Species: | A. amphalodes |
| Binomial name | |
| Ammoxenus amphalodes Dippenaar & Meyer, 1980 | |
Ammoxenus amphalodes is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where it is commonly known as the common termite feeding spider.[1][2]
A. amphalodes is widespread in South Africa, occurring in six of the nine provinces: Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga. The species is found at elevations ranging from 54 to 2,302 meters above sea level.[2]
Habitat and ecology
This species is a free-running ground dweller that lives in sand mounds left by Hodotermes mossambicus termites. The spiders are very agile and when disturbed will dive head-first into sand. They are specialist predators of harvester termites, particularly H. mossambicus and Psammotermes species, with their activity density closely coupled to termite activity.[2]
female
A. amphalodes is a univoltine species with a wide reproductive period corresponding to the seasonal occurrence of termites. The species occurs in Grassland, Savanna, Nama Karoo, and Succulent Karoo biomes. They can be easily sampled with pitfall traps and occasionally occur in agricultural areas, having been recorded from cotton fields.[2]
male
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