| Northern Violin Spider | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Loxosceles |
| Species: | L. simillima
|
| Binomial name | |
| Loxosceles simillima Lawrence, 1927[1]
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| Synonyms | |
| |
Loxosceles simillima is a species of spider in the family Sicariidae.[2] It occurs widely in southern Africa and is commonly known as the northern violin spider.[3]
Distribution
Loxosceles simillima occurs in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. In South Africa, it is recorded from six provinces and occurs in more than 14 protected areas at altitudes ranging from 83 to 1816 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species consists of ground dwellers that are not web bound and spin only a few irregular strands of silk serving as retreats. They are collected from under rocks, logs and bark, from inside termite mounds, leaf litter, caves and buildings. The species is found in the Grassland, Nama Karoo and Savanna biomes.[3]
Description
-
female
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female
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Conservation
Loxosceles simillima is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in more than 14 protected areas.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was described by R. F. Lawrence in 1927 from Namibia. It has been revised by Lotz (2012, 2017) and synonymized with Loxosceles spiniceps Lawrence, 1952. The species is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Lawrence, R.F. (1927). "Contributions to a knowledge of the fauna of South-West Africa V. Arachnida". Annals of the South African Museum. 25 (1): 1–75.
- ^ "Loxosceles simillima Lawrence, 1927". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Sicariidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 19–20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162164. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
