Eastern Cape surveys: A checklist of the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve, South Africa. SANSA Newsletter 47: 33-42

As part of the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA), surveys were undertaken in the Eastern Cape. In this paper, an annotated species list of spider species sampled from the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve is presented. A total of 48 families represented by 190 species from 133 genera have been recorded. The most species-rich families are the Thomisidae (27 spp.), Araneidae (22 spp.), and Salticidae (19 spp.), with 22 singletons. The conservation status and level of endemicity based on their known distribution are provided for each species. Eight of the species were not evaluated and five of them are possibly new to science. Eight species are endemic to the Eastern Cape and three are Baviaanskloof endemics. Only one species is of special concern and three species are endemic to the reserve. Six species are Data Deficient and one Endangered but 92.1% of the species have a wide distribution with no known threats and are listed as Least Concern