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Asemesthes modestus

Asemesthes modestus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It is endemic to South Africa.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
256 w
Citations
9
Source
Asemesthes modestus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Asemesthes
Species:
A. modestus
Binomial name
Asemesthes modestus
Dalmas, 19211

Asemesthes modestus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.2 It is endemic to South Africa.3

Distribution

Asemesthes modestus is known only from its type locality at Makapan in Limpopo province at an altitude of 1,417 m above sea level.3

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller found in the Savanna biome.3

Description

Asemesthes modestus is known only from the male.3

Conservation

Asemesthes modestus is listed as Data Deficient due to taxonomic reasons, as too little is known about the location, habitat and threats to this taxon for an assessment to be made. Placement of the species is also problematic. More sampling is needed to collect the female and determine the species' range.3

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by R. de Dalmas in 1921 from Makapan in Limpopo.1 It has not been revised since its original description and no additional collecting has been undertaken.3

References

References

  1. Dalmas, R. de (1921). "Monographie des araignées de la section des Pterotricha (Aran. Gnaphosidae)". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 89: 233–328.
  2. "Asemesthes modestus Dalmas, 1921". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 30. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.