SimonJoubert

Rain spider portrait

The Common rain spider (Palystes superciliosus), formerly P. natalius, is a species of huntsman spider native to Southern Africa.[2] It is the most common and w...
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The Common rain spider (Palystes superciliosus), formerly P. natalius, is a species of huntsman spider native to Southern Africa.[2] It is the most common and widespread species in the Palystes genus. Its distribution ranges from KwaZulu-Natal province in the east, then westwards to the provinces of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West in the north, and Eastern Cape and Western Cape in the south. It has a body length of 25–30 mm.

Its preferred habitat is scrubland and savannah woodland. Spiders in the Palystes genus are commonly called rain spiders, or lizard-eating spiders. Palystes spiders will often enter homes before rain, where they will prey on geckos (usually Afrogecko porphyreus in the Western Cape, or Lygodactylus capensis in the eastern parts of southern Africa). Males are regularly seen from August to December, probably looking for females.
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