Ariadna kolbei

Kentani Tube-Web Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Segestriidae
Genus:	Ariadna
Species:	A. kolbei
Binomial name
	Ariadna kolbei; Purcell, 1904

Short description: Species of spider

Ariadna kolbei is a species of spider in the family Segestriidae.^[2] It is endemic to the Eastern Cape of South Africa and is commonly known as the Kentani tube-web spider.^[3]

Distribution

Ariadna kolbei is known only from the type locality Kentani in the Eastern Cape, at an altitude of 485 m above sea level.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Thicket biome and constructs tube signal-webs made in crevices of walls, rocks, fallen tree trunks, or bark of trees.^[3]

Description

Females have a dark reddish-brown carapace, very dark anteriorly. Chelicerae are black. Posterior legs are rufescent, while the anterior legs are reddish, with the first pair dark red and lighter patella. The abdomen is pallid, suffused with dark purplish above, especially posteriorly. The sternum is yellowish-brown and the labium is dark brown. Total length is 14.25 mm.^[3]

Conservation

Ariadna kolbei is listed as data deficient for taxonomic reasons. More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the species' range.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by W. F. Purcell in 1904 from Kentani. Only females are known.^[3]

References

↑ Purcell, W.F. (1904). "Descriptions of new genera and species of South African spiders". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society 15: 115-173.
↑ "Ariadna kolbei Purcell, 1904". World Spider Catalog. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/33892. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Segestriidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 1-22. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162194. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.