Anyphops septemspinatus

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Anyphops septemspinatus, the Kosi Bay flat spider, is a small spider in the Selenopidae family. It lives in Mozambique and South Africa, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces, at elevations from about 4 to 1152 meters above sea level.

Where it’s found
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park (including Hell’s Gate, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, and Fanie’s Island)
- Tembe Elephant Park
- Ndumo Game Reserve
- Van Reenen and Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal
- Sekhukhune District in Limpopo

Habitats include grassland, the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and savanna.

Behavior and habits
These spiders are free-living, nocturnal, and cryptozoic (they hide in cracks or under bark). They have been found in blue tsetse fly traps and under bark at iSimangaliso, in a cave near the entrance in Limpopo, and near fever tree bark at Ndumo.

Appearance
Both sexes exist. The carapace has irregular black markings on the sides, with two black dots just in front of the head. There is a black spot behind each posterior eye and spots along the edge of the carapace. The chelicerae are yellow with black margins near the bases. The abdomen is mottled with dark markings and white A-shaped marks near the spinnerets. The legs are very dark with strong black bands on the front legs. Tibiae I and II have seven spines, and metatarsi I and II have three spines. Total length is about 10.4 mm.

Conservation
Listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographic range. It is protected in Tembe Elephant Park, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, and Ndumo Game Reserve. No major threats are known.

Taxonomy
It was first described in 1937 by Reginald Frederick Lawrence as Selenops septemspinatus from Kosi Bay Nature Reserve. In 1968, Benoit moved it to the genus Anyphops.