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''Palystes castaneus'' is a species of 
After mating in the early summer, the female constructs a round egg sac about 60–100 mm in size made of silk, with twigs and leaves woven into it. These egg sacs are commonly seen from about November to April. The female constructs the sac over 3–5 hours, then aggressively guards it until the spiderlings, who hatch inside the protective sac, chew their way out about three weeks later. Many gardeners are bitten by protective ''Palystes'' mothers during this period. Females will construct about three of these egg sacs over their two-year lives.
''P. castaneus'' (and other ''Palystes'' spiders) are also commonly seen
File:Sparassidae_Palystes_castaneus_mature_female_9933s.jpg, Female ''P. castaneus''
File:Sparassidae_Palystes_castaneus_mature_female_9929s.jpg, Female ''P. castaneus''
File:Sparassidae Palystes castaneus mature female 9937s.jpg, Female ''P. castaneus''
''Palystes castaneus''
on Iziko Museums' ''Biodiversity Explorer'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q2395890 Endemic fauna of South Africa Spiders of South Africa Sparassidae Spiders described in 1819 Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille
huntsman spider
Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae), are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometim ...
found in parts of South Africa. It is common from Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
to Heidelberg, Western Cape
Heidelberg is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, 274 km east of Cape Town (about halfway between Cape Town and Knysna). Heidelberg is just east of the Overberg region, a ...
, especially in forested areas. In scrub outside forested areas, it is replaced by ''Palystes superciliosus
The common rain spider (''Palystes superciliosus''), formerly ''P. natalius'', is a species of huntsman spider native to Southern Africa. It is the most common and widespread species in the genus ''Palystes''. In South Africa its distribution ran ...
''. It occurs mainly on plants, where it hunts insects. It has a body length of 17–22 mm. ''P. castaneus'' is the type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...
for the genus ''Palystes
''Palystes'' is a genus of huntsman spiders, commonly called rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders, occurring in Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific. The most common and widespread species is '' P. superciliosus'', found in South Africa, h ...
'', and was first described by Pierre André Latreille
Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom ...
in 1819.
Spiders in the genus ''Palystes'' are commonly called rain spiders, or lizard-eating spiders. ''P. castaneus'' often appears in the home just before the onset of rain, where they hunt geckos (usually '' Afrogecko porphyreus''). Males are regularly seen from August to December, probably looking for females.
After mating in the early summer, the female constructs a round egg sac about 60–100 mm in size made of silk, with twigs and leaves woven into it. These egg sacs are commonly seen from about November to April. The female constructs the sac over 3–5 hours, then aggressively guards it until the spiderlings, who hatch inside the protective sac, chew their way out about three weeks later. Many gardeners are bitten by protective ''Palystes'' mothers during this period. Females will construct about three of these egg sacs over their two-year lives.
''P. castaneus'' (and other ''Palystes'' spiders) are also commonly seen paralysed
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
, being dragged by a large wasp called a Pompilid wasp. Sometimes the wasp will not be present. Pompilid wasps only hunt spiders, which they paralyse by stinging them. They then drag the spider back to their nest where they lay an egg on the spider, then seal the spider and the egg in. When the egg hatches, the larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
eats the paralysed spider, keeping the spider alive as long as possible by eating peripheral flesh first, and saving the vital organs till last. By doing this, the spider stays fresh long enough for the wasp larva to mature and pupate
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
. The Pompilid wasp species '' Tachypompilus ignitus'' is at least largely a specialist hunter of mature ''Palystes'' females.
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External links
''Palystes castaneus''
on Iziko Museums' ''Biodiversity Explorer'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q2395890 Endemic fauna of South Africa Spiders of South Africa Sparassidae Spiders described in 1819 Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille