Paradonea parva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Decorated Velvet Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Eresidae |
| Genus: | Paradonea |
| Species: | P. parva |
| Binomial name | |
| Paradonea parva (Tucker, 1920) | |
Paradonea parva is a species of spider in the family Eresidae.[1] It occurs in southern Africa and is commonly known as the decorated velvet spider.[2]
Paradonea parva is found in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.[1] In South Africa, it occurs in four provinces: Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and North West.[2]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 116 to 1,394 m above sea level.[2]
They build silken tubes under stones or under shrubs. Sometimes, spiders build a round web approximately 10 cm in diameter that may be covered with sand and herbal debris. The species is often collected by pitfall trapping.[2]
Description
Paradonea parva exhibits distinct sexual dimorphism in size and colour typical of the genus: Males have distinct colour patterns on the carapace and opisthosoma, while females display various hues of dark brown, yellowish brown, or grey with small dark abdominal spots.[2]
The species is currently known only from males.[2]
