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Ammoxenus kalaharicus
Ammoxenus kalaharicus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It is found in southern Africa and is known as the Kalahari termite feeding spider.
From the article Ammoxenus kalaharicus on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
A. kalaharicus is currently known only from female specimens. As with other members of the genus, it is likely small to medium-sized, with modified chelicerae bearing horn-like setae that curve downward from an extension of the clypeus and are covered with numerous obtuse spines used for digging.
Range & habitat
A. kalaharicus is found in Botswana and South Africa. The species was originally described from Botswana by Pierre Benoit in 1972. In South Africa, it is recorded from two provinces at elevations ranging from 77 to 1,850 meters above sea level.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
What it does
The species is particularly abundant in the Cederberg Wilderness Area where specimens have been collected from various altitudes using pitfall traps. A. kalaharicus occurs in Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes. Like other Ammoxenus species, it is a specialist predator associated with termite colonies.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and ecology”
In human culture
The species name kalaharicus refers to the Kalahari Desert region where the species was first discovered.
Wikipedia: “Etymology”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Ammoxenus kalaharicus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 649195.