Palystes stuarti

Palystes stuarti is a spider species in the family Sparassidae.^[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Nieuwoudtville rain spider.^[3]

Nieuwoudtville rain spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Sparassidae
Genus:	Palystes
Species:	P. stuarti
Binomial name
Palystes stuarti Croeser, 1996[1]

Distribution

Palystes stuarti is found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. The species has been recorded from Nieuwoudtville and Borrelfontein near Gouritz Mouth. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 699 m.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

During the day, adults are inactive and shelter in vegetation. The type specimen was sampled in a house in the Fynbos Biome.^[3]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Conservation

Palystes stuarti is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species is under-sampled as only one other specimen has been sampled from the Western Cape. The status of the species remains obscure, and additional sampling is needed to determine the species' range.^[3]