| Malelane Moggridgea Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Migidae |
| Genus: | Moggridgea |
| Species: | M. microps
|
| Binomial name | |
| Moggridgea microps Hewitt, 19151
| |
Moggridgea microps is a species of spider in the family Migidae.2 It occurs in South Africa and Eswatini and is commonly known as the Malelane Moggridgea trapdoor spider.3
Etymology
The specific name is Latin for "small-eyed".
Distribution
Moggridgea microps has a wide distribution across three South African provinces. It occurs in the Eastern Cape (East London, Port St. Johns), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, Eshowe, Port Shepstone, iSimangaliso Wetland Park), and Mpumalanga (Barberton, Malelane, Mariepskop). The species is also found in Eswatini.3
Habitat
The species inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Forest, Savanna, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes at altitudes ranging from 5 to 1,328 m above sea level.3
Lifestyle
It is an arboreal trapdoor spider with adult females collected in February, March, May, June, and November.3
Description
Moggridgea microps is known only from the female.3
Conservation
Moggridgea microps is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range extending into Eswatini. It is protected in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, but additional sampling is needed to collect male specimens.3
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by John Hewitt in 1915 from Malelane in Mpumalanga and later revised by species:Charles E. Griswold in 1987.4
References
References
- Hewitt, J. (1915). "Descriptions of several new or rare species of Araneae from the Transvaal and neighbourhood". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 5: 89–100.
- "Moggridgea microps Hewitt, 1915". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Migidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735880. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- Griswold, C.E. (1987). "The African members of the trap-door spider family Migidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) 1: the genus Moggridgea O. P.-Cambridge, 1875". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 1–118.