{{Short description|Species of spider}} {{Speciesbox | name = Urozelotes Ground Spider | image = Urozelotes rusticus 57219659.jpg | image_caption = | image2 = Urozelotes rusticus 31048047.jpg | image2_caption = | taxon = Urozelotes rusticus | authority = (L. Koch, 1872)<ref name="koch1872" /> | synonyms = {{Species list|hidden=yes|header=''Urozelotes'' synonyms |Melanophora rustica|Canestrini & Pavesi, 1870 |Drassus razoumowskyi|Pavesi, 1873 |Drassus cerdo|Thorell, 1875 |Prosthesima larifuga|Simon, 1878 |Prosthesima pallida|Keyserling, 1878 |Drassus agelastus|Keyserling, 1891 |Prosthesima blanda|Banks, 1892 |Prosthesima minima|Banks, 1892 |Prosthesima completa|Banks, 1898 |Prosthesima lutea|F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 |Melanophora pacifica|Simon, 1899 |Zelotes femoralis|Banks, 1904 |Melanophora porteri|Simon, 1904 |Drassodes pater|Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 |Drassodes rotundifoveatus|Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 |Scotophaeus blepharotrichus|Strand, 1915 |Drassyllus blandus|Chamberlin, 1922 |Drassyllus femoralis|Chamberlin, 1922 |Drassyllus liopus|Chamberlin, 1922 |Camillina amnicola|Tucker, 1923 |Haplodrassus magister|Chamberlin, 1933 |Drassyllus abdalbus|Chamberlin, 1936 |Urozelotes cardiogynus|Mello-Leitão, 1938 |Zelotes scutatus|Mello-Leitão, 1939 |Drassodes malodes|Tikader, 1962 |Camillina gigas|Schmidt, 1973 }} }}
'''''Urozelotes rusticus''''' is a cosmopolitan spider species in the family Gnaphosidae.<ref name="wsc" /> It is the type species of the genus ''Urozelotes''.
==Distribution== ''Urozelotes rusticus'' is probably native to Europe and the Mediterranean region extending to temperate Asia, but has been introduced to both Americas, tropical Africa, Australia, and South Africa.<ref name="wsc" />
In South Africa, it occurs across seven provinces: Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape, at altitudes ranging from 109 to 1,688 m above sea level.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />
==Habitat and ecology== ''Urozelotes rusticus'' is a free-living ground dweller. In South Africa, it is found in Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes. Due to its synanthropic habits, ''U. rusticus'' is most frequently found in buildings but also occurs in gardens, pastures, citrus orchards, oak forests, and caves. Its widespread occurrence in human-modified environments has contributed to its global distribution.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />
==Description== {{see also|Glossary of spider terms}} {{missing section|date=September 2025}}
==Conservation== ''Urozelotes rusticus'' is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide global range. The species is protected in four nature reserves in South Africa.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />
==Taxonomy== The species was originally described by L. Koch in 1872 as ''Prosthesima rustica''. It was later transferred to ''Urozelotes'' by Platnick & Murphy in 1984, who also synonymized numerous other species with it. The species has probably accumulated the longest list of synonyms of any gnaphosid species due to its widespread distribution and synanthropic habits. It is known from both sexes and has been revised by Platnick and Murphy.<ref name="dippenaar2021" />
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="wsc">{{cite web | url=https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/12150 | title=Urozelotes rusticus (L. Koch, 1872) | publisher=World Spider Catalog | accessdate=2025-09-25 | doi=10.24436/2}}</ref> <ref name="dippenaar2021">{{cite book | last1=Dippenaar-Schoeman | first1=A.S. | last2=Haddad | first2=C.R. | last3=Foord | first3=S.H. | last4=Lotz | first4=L.N. | year=2021 | title=The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 3 (T-X). Version 1 | publisher=South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide | pages=30 | doi=10.5281/zenodo.7197741}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4}}</ref> <ref name="koch1872">{{cite journal | last=Koch | first=L. | year=1872 | title=Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Arachnidenfauna Tirols. Zweite Abhandlung | journal=Zeitschrift des Ferdinandeums für Tirol und Vorarlberg | volume=17 | issue=3 | pages=239–328}}</ref> }}
==External links== * {{inaturalist taxon}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q4263738}}
Category:Gnaphosidae Category:Spiders of South Africa Category:Cosmopolitan spiders Category:Spiders described in 1872