Thomisus dalmasi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dalmas's Thomisus crab spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female | |
 | |
| male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Thomisus |
| Species: | T. dalmasi |
| Binomial name | |
| Thomisus dalmasi Lessert, 1919 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Thomisus dalmasi is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae. It is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa.[1]
The species is named after Raymond Comte de Dalmas, a French arachnologist.[2]
Distribution
Thomisus dalmasi has been recorded from eight African countries: Guinea, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa.[1] In South Africa, the species is known from seven provinces and has been found in seven protected areas.[3]
Habitat
Thomisus dalmasi is found on plants across various biomes including Fynbos, forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, grassland, and savanna.[3] The species has also been recorded from agricultural crops such as lucerne and strawberries, at elevations ranging from 10 to 1,909 meters above sea level.[3]
Description
front view of female
preying on bee
on trunk
male
Thomisus dalmasi is a crab spider that exhibits the typical body plan of the family Thomisidae. Like other members of the genus Thomisus, it has a flattened cephalothorax and opisthosoma, with legs that can be held sideways in a crab-like manner.[4]
Both males and females of the species are known, with the female typically being larger than the male, as is common in spiders.[3] The species can be distinguished from other Thomisus species by specific characteristics of the male pedipalps and female epigyne, though detailed morphological descriptions require microscopic examination.[4]
Conservation status
Thomisus dalmasi is considered to be of Least Concern due to its wide geographical range across multiple African countries.[3] The species has been recorded in several protected areas including Tembe Elephant Park, Lhuvhondo Nature Reserve, Verloren Vallei Nature Reserve, and Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, and no specific conservation threats have been identified.[3]
