Olorunia

{{Short description|Species of funnel-web spider}} {{Speciesbox | image = Olorunia punctata 299182882 538994943.jpg | image_caption = Female | image2 = Olorunia punctata 299182882 538994023.jpg | image2_caption = Female | taxon = Olorunia punctata | authority = Lehtinen, 1967 | synonyms = }}

'''''Olorunia punctata''''' is a species of funnel-web spider in the family Agelenidae. It is endemic to southern and central Africa,<ref name="wsc" /> where it is commonly known as '''Lehtinen's funnel-web spider'''.<ref name="dippenaar" />

The genus '''''Olorunia''''' as a whole is known only from male specimens of one species.<ref name="dippenaar" />

==Etymology== The etymology of the specific name ''punctata'' derives from the Latin word meaning "spotted" or "dotted", likely referring to the distinctive spotted pattern on the spider's opisthosoma.<ref name="lehtinen" />

==Taxonomy== The species was first described by Pekka T. Lehtinen in 1967 based on a male holotype collected from Costermansville (now Bukavu), Democratic Republic of the Congo.<ref name="lehtinen" /> The species is the type species of the monotypic genus ''Olorunia'', meaning it is currently the only known species in the genus.<ref name="wsc" /><ref name="dippenaar" />

The genus ''Olorunia'' was established by Lehtinen in 1967 and is classified within the family Agelenidae.<ref name="lehtinen" /> One species, ''Olorunia ocellata'' <small>(Pocock, 1900)</small>, was later transferred to the genus ''Benoitia'', leaving ''O. punctata'' as the sole representative of the genus.<ref name="wsc" />

==Distribution and habitat== ''Olorunia punctata'' has been recorded from Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Africa.<ref name="wsc" /><ref name="dippenaar" /> In South Africa, the species has a wide distribution across six provinces, including the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.<ref name="dippenaar" />

==Habitat== The spider inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, and Thicket biomes, where it builds its webs in low vegetation close to the soil surface. It has been recorded from seven protected areas in South Africa.<ref name="dippenaar" />

The species occurs at elevations ranging from 48 to 1,752 metres above sea level.<ref name="dippenaar" />

==Description== {{see also|Glossary of spider terms}} <gallery mode=packed heights=200px> Olorunia punctata 299182882 538995217.jpg|closeup of female </gallery>

''Olorunia punctata'' is a medium-sized funnel-web spider with a total length of 9–10 millimetres.<ref name="dippenaar" /> The carapace has a similar shape to related species in the genus ''Textrix'' but with distinctive coloration differences.<ref name="lehtinen" />

The cephalic area is centrally light-coloured, and the dark marginal stripe is much less distinct than in related genera. The ocular area forms a protruding snout that is more prominent than in ''Textrix'' and related genera.<ref name="lehtinen" />

The chelicerae are long and conical with an oblique cheliceral margin. The anterior margin of the cheliceral groove has three true teeth and two additional, more distal, minute tubercles, while the posterior margin has four teeth that increase in size towards the base of the chelicerae. The fangs are long and moderately curved.<ref name="lehtinen" />

The opisthosoma is narrow and oval-shaped with distinctive markings. There is a well-defined, lancet-shaped, brown anterior folium and two rows of dark lateral patches along the caudal half of the dorsal side. The ventral side of the opisthosoma is light brown. The anterior spinnerets are cylindrical and spaced as wide apart as the length of the basal segment of the posterior spinnerets, though they are considerably longer and suffused with dark brown pigment both ventrally and dorsally. The apical segment of the posterior spinnerets is longer than the basal segment, slender and light in color.<ref name="lehtinen" />

The legs are long and slender with dark femoral bases and indistinct annulations on the remaining segments. The trichobothria are short and mainly rather indistinct.<ref name="lehtinen" />

==Ecology and behaviour== ''Olorunia punctata'' is a web-dwelling spider that constructs characteristic funnel-webs in grass and low vegetation close to the soil surface. These webs are typical of the Agelenidae family, consisting of a sheet web with a funnel-shaped retreat where the spider waits for prey.

==Conservation status== In South Africa, ''Olorunia punctata'' is classified as Least Concern due to its wide range and the absence of known threats. It is protected in seven protected areas, including Blouberg Nature Reserve, Lhuvhondo Nature Reserve, and Polokwane Nature Reserve.<ref name="dippenaar" />

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="wsc">{{cite web | url=https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/914 | title=Olorunia punctata Lehtinen, 1967 | publisher=World Spider Catalog | accessdate=18 September 2025}}</ref> <ref name="lehtinen">{{cite journal | last=Lehtinen | first=P.T. | year=1967 | title=Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha | journal=Annales Zoologici Fennici | volume=4 | pages=199–468}}</ref> <ref name="dippenaar">{{cite book | last1=Dippenaar-Schoeman | first1=A.S. | last2=Haddad | first2=C.R. | last3=Foord | first3=S.H. | last4=Lotz | first4=L.N. | year=2020 | title=The Agelenidae of South Africa | publisher=South African National Survey of Arachnida | location=Irene | pages=23 | doi=10.5281/zenodo.5981186}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4}}</ref> }}

Category:Agelenidae Category:Spiders of Africa Category:Spiders described in 1967