Our March 2022 spider of the month (SOTM) is this hedgehog spider (Pycnacantha cf. tribulus) in the orb-web spider family (Araneidae), taken by Geoff Lockwood. He found the spider in Lakenvlei, Mpumalanga, in calf-high grass, busy guarding her egg sac. Pycnacantha means “thick (or densely) thorned”, originating from the Greek pyknon (thick, dense) and akantha … Read more

The spider of the month (SOTM) is this crowned lynx spider (Hamataliwa sp.; Oxyopidae), taken by Robert Wienand in Marloth Park. This is his second SOTM; the previous one was also a crowned lynx spider. Robert had this to say: “This beautiful and very photogenic Hamataliwa species was found in Marloth Park sitting dead still … Read more

Our first spider of the month (SOTM) in 2022 is this green lynx spider (Peucetia striata; Oxyopidae) taken by Desiré Pelser in Kloof, KZN. Lynx spiders are free-living plant dwellers that stalk and pounce on their prey, much like that of the cat family, hence the name “lynx spider”. Their scientific name, Oxyopidae, means “sharp … Read more