Steatoda fagei
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| Oudtshoorn False Button Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Steatoda |
| Species: | S. fagei |
| Binomial name | |
| Steatoda fagei | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Steatoda fagei is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae.[2] It is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa and commonly known as the Oudtshoorn false button spider.[3]
Steatoda fagei is known only from South Africa,[2] where it has been recorded from the Western Cape at altitudes ranging from 211 to 357 m. Locations include Skeleton Cave in Oudtshoorn and a cave in Bredasdorp.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Steatoda fagei constructs three-dimensional webs in dark places. The species has been sampled from caves.[3]
Description
Only the female is known. The carapace, sternum, and mouthparts are brown with a slight reddish tinge. The radiations from the thoracic fovea are a little darker, otherwise without markings.[1]
Legs from coxae to tarsi are uniform brown with a faint olive tinge. The abdomen above is reddish violet with a recurved white transverse stripe at the anterior apex with a short backwardly projecting stripe in the middle. Posterior to this are two pairs of ill-defined elongate white markings. Above the spinners is a short median elongate marking followed by a transverse series of three to four very fine white lines.[1]
