Tag Archives: Benoitodes

Benoitodes caheni (Benoit)

Cahen’s Ground Spider (Benoitodes caheni)

This species was described in 1977, it is or was endemic to the island of Saint Helena, where it appears to have been restricted to the Prosperous Bay Plain at the eastern coast of the island.

The species is/was 1,2 cm long, it has/had a reddish brown carapace and a grey abdomen.

The habitat of Cahen’s Ground Spider is now inhabited by the Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus C. L. Koch), that was introduced in 1967, and which probably outcompited the endemic spider. 

The species was not found during recent field studies in 2003 and 2005/06 and may indeed be extinct. [1][2]

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References:

[1] Philip Ashmole; Myrtle Ashmole: Guide to Invertebrates of Prosperous Bay Plain, St Helena and illustrated account of species found on the Eastern Arid Area (EAA), including Prosperous Bay Plain, Holdfast Tom and Horse Point Plain. Report for St Helena Government 2004
[2] Howard Mendel; Philip Ashmole; Myrtle Ashmole: Invertebrates of the Central Peaks and Peak Dale, St. Helena. Report for the St Helena National Trust, Jamestown 2008

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edited: 02.12.2018