Ammoxenus daedalus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dendron termite feeding spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Ammoxenus |
| Species: | A. daedalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ammoxenus daedalus Dippenaar & Meyer, 1980 | |
Ammoxenus daedalus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It is endemic to Limpopo province, South Africa, where it is known as the Dendron termite feeding spider.[1][2]
The species name daedalus likely refers to Daedalus from Greek mythology.[3]
Distribution
Habitat and ecology
This free-running ground spider lives in sand mounds left by termites and is a specialist predator of harvester termites, particularly Hodotermes species. When disturbed, individuals dive head-first into sand. The species was sampled in high numbers (over 400 specimens) from pitfall traps on a farm near Dendron in the Savanna biome.[2]
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
