| Lesotho Anyphops Flat Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Selenopidae |
| Genus: | Anyphops |
| Species: | A. basutus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Anyphops basutus (Pocock, 1901)1
| |
Anyphops basutus is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae.2 It occurs in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Lesotho Anyphops flat spider.3
Distribution
Anyphops basutus is found in Lesotho and South Africa.2 In South Africa, the species occurs in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, at altitudes ranging from 375 to 1690 m above sea level.3
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Forest and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes.3 These are free-living cryptozoic nocturnal ground dwellers.3
Description
The species is known only from females.3 It resembles A. atomarius and A. spenceri in having seven pairs of tibial spines on leg I and II. Total length is 18 mm.3
Conservation
Anyphops basutus is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range.3 There are no known threats to the species. It is protected in Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve. More sampling is needed to determine the range.3
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901 as Selenops basutus from Lesotho.1 It was transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968.3
References
References
- Pocock, R.I. (1901). "Descriptions of some new African Arachnida". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7: 288. doi:10.1080/00222930108678472.
- "Anyphops basutus (Pocock, 1901)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Selenopidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 12. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162139.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.