Zelotes sclateri

Lesotho Dark Ground Spider
	Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Zelotes
Species:	Z. sclateri
Binomial name
	Zelotes sclateri; Tucker, 1923
Synonyms
	Zelotes vryburgensis Tucker, 1923 ;

Zelotes sclateri is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It is commonly known as Lesotho dark ground spider and occurs in southern Africa.^[3]

Distribution

Zelotes sclateri occurs in Lesotho and South Africa. In South Africa, it is widely distributed and recorded from eight provinces, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, and Western Cape.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 58 to 1,816 m above sea level. They are free-running ground spiders found under stones during the day. The species has also been sampled from tomato fields.^[3]

Description

female

Conservation

Zelotes sclateri is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. The species is protected in nine protected areas. It faces no significant threats.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was described by Tucker in 1923 from Lesotho. Moira FitzPatrick (2007) revised the species and synonymized Zelotes vryburgensis Tucker, 1923 with this species. It is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.
↑ "Zelotes sclateri Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 45. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[tucker1923-1] Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.

[wsc-2] "Zelotes sclateri Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 45. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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