Gandanameno fumosa

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Gandanameno fumosa, commonly known as the spotted velvet spider, is a spider in the family Eresidae. It is found only in southern Africa, specifically in South Africa and Namibia, across provinces such as Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.

This spider lives in diverse habitats, including Fynbos, Savanna, Grassland, Desert, and Succulent Karoo, from about 9 to 1,399 meters above sea level. It usually sits on bark and builds a funnel-shaped retreat with an entrance tucked under a flat, tarpaulin-like silk sheet, which helps trap prey. Both male and female individuals are known. Its appearance includes white spots on the abdomen and white rings around the dorsal stigmata, with the front leg femora having many tiny sharp spinules that help identify it.

Gandanameno fumosa is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. It is protected in seven areas, including Table Mountain National Park, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park, and Augrabies National Park. The species was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837 as Eresus fumosus and was moved to the genus Gandanameno by Pekka Lehtinen in 1967; it has a synonym, Eresus bubo.