A checklist of the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa

An annotated species list of spiders presently known from the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is provided. The checklist was compiled from the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) database and museum collections. Presently, 170 species from 40 families and 116 genera are protected in the park. The most species-rich families are the Salticidae (23 spp.), Thomisidae (20 spp.), and Araneidae (16 spp.) and Gnaphosidae with 14 spp., while 16 families are represented by singletons. The global distribution, endemicity and conservation status for each species is provided. A large number of the species (91.6%) have a wide distribution range and are of Least Concern. Approximately 7% of the total South African spider fauna is protected in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and 29.4 % of the species recorded are South African endemics and four species are Free State Province endemics.