New Cryptic Spider Species Found in South Africa
A new species of spider from the genus Copa has been identified in Africa. There were originally thought to be four species of the spiders in the Afrotropical Region. Researchers have discovered that there are actually only two, but one of them, C. kei, is a new species. The spiders are predominantly ground-living. The can be found in savanna woodlands and also occasionally in forests, where they are well camouflaged.
A male Copa kei from Cwebe Nature Reserve, South Africa is pictured above. It can be easily recognized by the black dot on its back. A blue colored female from the other species, Copa flavoplumosa, is pictured below.
A research paper about the Copa spiders in Africa was published here in ZooKeys.
Posted on March 7, 2013