Themacrys silvicola
species of arachnid
Themacrys silvicola is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae. It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Pietermaritzburg Themacrys hackled band spider.
Distribution
Themacrys silvicola is distributed across two South African provinces, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 1,551 m above sea level.
Habitat and ecology
This species inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes. Themacrys silvicola is a ground retreat-web cryptic spider that lives in damp and dark places.
Description
Conservation
Themacrys silvicola is listed as Vulnerable by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although the species is known from two provinces, it is experiencing ongoing loss of habitat due to urban development, crop cultivation and afforestation. There has been extensive transformation of habitat within the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, with habitat loss due to agroforestry plantations, crop cultivation and urban development.
Etymology
The specific name is Latin for "forest-dwelling".
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Themacrys silvicola” as species of arachnid. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of arachnid. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2280370. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Themacrys silvicola” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.