Can someone help me identify this spider? Saw it in Malawi; aprox. 5 to 6 cm. Seems like a Solifugae but I cannot go any further... I thank you in advance!
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1$\begingroup$ That is a sun spider. It is in the order Solifugae, family Solpugidae. I don't know the species. Looks like genus Zeria. $\endgroup$– Karl KjerFeb 1, 2018 at 18:02
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1$\begingroup$ Just to make it clear - although Solifugids are arachnids, they are not spiders. Those big heavy 'pincers' in front of the face are the useful ID factor. They are not venomous (as far as I know), but the pincers can give you quite a nip, like a crab or lobster. $\endgroup$– John RobinsonFeb 1, 2018 at 18:26
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1 Answer
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According to museum.wa.gov.au, there are four solifugid species in Malawi. Ceroma johnstonii, Ceroma zomba, Zeria niassa and Zeria paludicola.
Ceroma johnstonii has a grayish-brown tint, not the dark brown, almost black coloration (and red) of your solifugid. Ceroma zomba is only 8 mm in length, much too small even if your estimate of 50-60 mm was referring to the legspan.
Zeria niassa is only 24-28 mm in body length, significantly smaller than what you saw unless you meant legspan. Zeria paludicola is also smaller than your 50-60 mm estimate, so it must have been the legspan, not the length. The only photo I could find of any Zeria species is from eol.org and is of an unspecified species. In the photo, it has a dark brown coloration and a very faint tinge of red on the side of the abdomen.
So your image is either of Zeria niassa or Zeria paludicola.
