Cheiracanthium wilma (Benoit, 1977:80)
Prosperous Bay sac spider
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Helebiona wilma Benoit, 1977:80
Helebiona was synonymised with Cheiracanthium by (Lotz, 2007a:66)
Conservation Status
Missing (Ashmole & Ashmole, 2004b; Sherwood et al., 2025)
Last record: 5-6 May 1967 (Lotz, 2007a:66; Sherwood et al., 2025 [as 1967]); 1995 (Mendel et al., 2008/2013:38)
IUCN RedList status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
Possibly still extant (Ashmole & Ashmole, 2004b; Sherwood et al., 2025), but not found during a search in 2005/06 (Mendel et al., 2008/2013:38).
Distribution & Habitat
St. Helena, South Atlantic Ocean
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Benoit, P. L. G. (1977). Fam. Clubionidae. In La faune terrestre de l'île de Saite-Hélène IV. Annls Mus. r. Afr. cent. (Zool.-Ser. 8°) 220: 64-81.
Other references:
Ashmole, P. and Ashmole, M. (2000). St Helena and Ascension Island: a natural history. Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, U.K.
Ashmole, Philip, and, Ashmole, Myrtle. (2004a). The invertebrates of Prosperous Bay Plain, St Helena: A survey, by Philip and Myrtle Ashmole, September – December 2003. Commissioned by the St Helena Government and financed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Peebles, Scotland: Kidston Mill.
Ashmole, Philip, and, Ashmole, Myrtle. (2004b). Guide to Invertebrates of Prosperous Bay Plain, St Helena and Illustrated account of species found on the Eastern Arid Area (EAA), including Prosperous Bay Plain, Holdfast Tom and Horse Point Plain. Peebles, Scotland: Kidston Mill. 92 pp.
Lotz, L. N. (1995). The genus Cheiracanthium (Araneae: Clubionidae) in southern Africa. Doctoral dissertation, University of the Free State.
Lotz, L. N. (2007a). The genus Cheiracanthium (Araneae: Miturgidae) in the Afrotropical region: 1: revision of known species. Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum, Bloemfontein 23(1): 1-76. [pp. 2-4; pp. 4-71]
Lotz, L. N. (2007b). The genus Cheiracanthium (Araneae: Miturgidae) in the Afrotropical Region: 2: description of new species: systematics. Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum: Researches of the National Museum, 23(5): 148-180.
Mendel, Howard, Ashmole, Philip and Ashmole, Myrtle. (2008/2013). Invertebrates of the Central Peaks and Peak Dale, St Helena. Report to the St Helena National Trust. 122pp. [originally published in 2008; taxonomy updated by David Pryce in 2013]
Sherwood, D., Fowler, L., Peyton, J., Scipio-O'Dean, C.J., Sharp, A., Pryce, D., White, L. and Wilkins, V. L. (2025). Cheiracanthium wilma. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T65686687A65686691. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T65686687A65686691.en. Accessed on 06 August 2026.
Sherwood, D., Henrard, A., Jocqué, R., Fowler, L., Marusik, Y. M., Maddison, W., Harvey, M. S., Hormiga, G., Rheims, C. A., Piacentini, L. N., Peters, M., Stevens, N., Joshua, D., Scipio-O’Dean, C. J., Ellick, G., Wilkins, V., Ashmole, M. and Ashmole, P. (2024). Annotated checklist of the spiders of Saint Helena, with new records, descriptions of unknown sexes, new and restored genera, and two new species (Araneae: Araneomorphae). Arachnology 19(9): 1218-1291. https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2024.19.9.1218
Zhang, J., Yu, H. and Li, S. (2020). New cheiracanthiid spiders from Xishuangbanna rainforest, southwestern China (Araneae, Cheiracanthiidae). ZooKeys 940: 51-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.940.51802