ID spiders South Africa

[NARIES]

Hi there!
After my scorpions and my myriapods, I need your help to confirm the spiders I observed in South Africa (North-West province, Limpopo and Mpumalanga).
I am especially wondering how we can determine the species (nephila and argiope in a future post!)... because identifying the genus or family is just easy...

Thanks for your help!
(is there a limitation in the number of pic per post???)

Latrodectus geometricus


Salticidae:


Solifugae:


Wall spider:


Kite spider:

 

[pannaking22]

1. Agreed with L. geo.
2. I can't go further
3. @Smokehound714
4. Selenopidae
5. Gasteracantha sp.

 

[NARIES]

Thanks!
Impossible to give species?

 

[pannaking22]

I'm not familiar enough with the South African species to be confident on them. The Gasteracantha looks like cancriformis, which seems to be wide spread and found on several continents, so that could be it.

 

[NARIES]

Ok, thanks Pannaking!

Here is a second bunch! I think they are all argiope, but I was wondering if someone could go up to the species again here! And if they were maybe different?
Actually, if someone can teach me what I need to look at to determine the species, it would be great! I have a huge book on spiders of Southern Africa, but they all look the same within a family...
Thanks for your help!


I was told it is an argiope... I first thought about a sac spider...???

 

[pannaking22]

1. Argiope sp.
2. Nephilinae, could be Nephila sp. Both male and female in that shot.
3-7. Argiope sp.

I think that pic 1 is a different species than 3-7, but I admit I struggle a bit with Argiope as well, especially if they aren't adults (I can't say whether these are or not, though I'm leaning towards they are). Dorsal and ventral patterning and maybe the bumps along the edge can help with ID to species.

In species that are distinct, a dorsal and ventral shot should give you a good idea of what you're looking at. The only guaranteed way to ID to species involves shots of the genitals. If you get an up close ventral shot of the female abdomen that can show us hers at least. Males you need them to be mature so you can look at the structures and shapes within the emboli. Most other spiders a dorsal and frontal shot should help narrow it to family/subfamily/genus and with luck species. Ventral shots are helpful when you can get them, but of course anything not in a vertical web is tough to get that shot of.

Which book are you using for ID?

 

[NARIES]

Ok great, many thanks for the explanations!
I would go toward Argiope australis, which is the most common. I think it is also this one for pic 1. Indeed, I improved the pic on Lightroom and we also see the distinct pattern yellow and grey. The marks on the legs are also good for this species, whereas for Argiope levii, they would be farther apart.

I am using Field Guide to the Spiders of South Africa from Ansi Dippenaar-Schoeman. Unfortunately, there is not always shots of both ventral and dorsal sides... for example for A. australis, we don't see the opposite side of the abdomen with the red mark... so I can't confirm that.

For the Nephila, what do you think of Nephilengys cruentata? It has a creamy-yellow mottled with grey abdomen.

I'll send a last bunch with other Nephila on Thursday! ;-)

 

[Smokehound714]

the 'wall spider' is a selenopid of some sort

 

[The Snark]

Very rough rule of thumb for orb weavers. First and second & third and forth legs held in pairs, very likely an argiope. Big bulgy abdomen, usually very rounded, Araneus.

 

[pannaking22]

Abdomen shape looks a little off for Nephilengys cruentata, but that also seems to be a variable species, so there could be differences just in that. It could have also had a good meal recently. I'd say that's probably a good guess for the species.