Haplodrassus bechuanicus

Haplodrassus bechuanicus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[1] It is endemic to southern Africa.^[2]

Haplodrassus bechuanicus
Conservation status
Least Concern (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Haplodrassus
Species:	H. bechuanicus
Binomial name
Haplodrassus bechuanicus (Tucker, 1923)
Synonyms
Drassodes bechuanicus Tucker, 1923

Etymology

The specific name bechuanicus refers to Bechuanaland, the former name of Botswana, where the species was first described.

Distribution

Haplodrassus bechuanicus occurs in three African countries: Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Within South Africa, the species is found in four provinces: Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo.^[2]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller that inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 271 to 1,500 m above sea level.^[2]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Haplodrassus bechuanicus is known only from females.^[2]

Conservation

Haplodrassus bechuanicus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide distribution. The species is protected in two protected areas: Ophathe Game Reserve and Polokwane Nature Reserve.^[2]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Richard William Ethelbert Tucker in 1923 as Drassodes bechuanicus from Botswana. In 2025, Yuri M. Marusik and Charles R. Haddad transferred the species to the genus Haplodrassus based on morphological characteristics, particularly the flattened retrolateral tibial apophyses positioned dorsally on the male pedipalp.^[3]