Urozelotes rusticus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Urozelotes Ground Spider | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Urozelotes |
| Species: | U. rusticus |
| Binomial name | |
| Urozelotes rusticus (L. Koch, 1872)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Urozelotes synonyms
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Urozelotes rusticus is a cosmopolitan spider species in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is the type species of the genus Urozelotes.
Urozelotes rusticus is probably native to Europe and the Mediterranean region extending to temperate Asia, but has been introduced to both Americas, tropical Africa, Australia, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, it occurs across seven provinces: Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, at altitudes ranging from 109 to 1,688 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Urozelotes rusticus is a free-living ground dweller. In South Africa, it is found in Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes. Due to its synanthropic habits, U. rusticus is most frequently found in buildings but also occurs in gardens, pastures, citrus orchards, oak forests, and caves. Its widespread occurrence in human-modified environments has contributed to its global distribution.[3]
Description
Conservation
Urozelotes rusticus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide global range. The species is protected in four nature reserves in South Africa.[3]
