Mashimo

Mashimo Mesh-web Spider
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Dictynidae
Genus: Mashimo
Species:
M. leleupi
Binomial name
Mashimo leleupi
Lehtinen, 1967[1]

Mashimo leleupi is a species of spider in the family Dictynidae.[2] It is commonly known as the Mashimo mesh-web spider and is the only species in the monotypic genus Mashimo.[3]

Distribution

Mashimo leleupi is an African endemic originally described from Zambia.[3] In South Africa, it has been recorded from five provinces, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape.[3] The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 1,513 m above sea level.[3]

Habitat and ecology

Mashimo leleupi has been sampled from pitfall traps and low vegetation in the Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna and Thicket biomes.[3] Little is known about their specific behaviour, though they are retreat-web spiders.[3]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Mashimo leleupi is known from both sexes. Females and males measure 4-6 mm in total body size.The carapace is pear-shaped with a groove separating the cephalic region from the thoracic region and radiating depressions. The eyes are small and arranged in two rows, with the eye region being broad.[3]

The chelicerae are strong with four strong teeth on the anterior margin of the cheliceral furrow. The sternum is heart-shaped, being as wide as it is long. The abdomen is long and oval with white reticulation. The leg coxae are whitish while the rest of the segments are yellow, and the calamistrum consists of 18-19 strongly curved hairs.[3]

Conservation

Mashimo leleupi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range.[3] The species is protected in seven protected areas including Addo National Park, Mkambathi Nature Reserve, Ndumo Game Reserve, and Blouberg Nature Reserve.[3]

References

  1. ^ Lehtinen, P.T. (1967). "Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 4: 199–468.
  2. ^ "Mashimo leleupi Lehtinen, 1967". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Dictynidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 10. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6159874. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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