Aelurillus basseleti

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Aelurillus basseleti
Salticidae, Aelurillus species - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg
A spider of the genus Aelurillus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Salticinae
Genus: Aelurillus
Species:
A. basseleti
Binomial name
Aelurillus basseleti
(Lucas, 1846)

Aelurillus basseleti is a species of jumping spider in the genus Aelurillus that has been found in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Originally named Salticus basseleti, the spider was first identified in 1846 by Hippolyte Lucas, but the original male holotype has been lost. The female was first described in 2006. The spider is small and hard to distinguish from the related species Aelurillus luctuosus and Aelurillus monardi . The dark brown carapace is typically between 2.8 and 3.4 mm (0.11 and 0.13 in) long and the grey-yellow abdomen is between 2.3 and 4 mm (0.091 and 0.157 in) long, the female being larger than the male. The carapace has a single stripe down the middle. While the female is hard to distinguish compared to others in the genus, the male spider has distinctive white or tawny bands on the clypeus. The male has a curved embolus that is sufficiently varied between individual spiders that it is not sufficiently specific to identify the species.

Contents

Taxonomy

Aelurillus basseleti was first described by the French arachnologist Hippolyte Lucas in 1846. It was initially named Salticus basseleti and allocated to the genus Salticus . [1] The genus name was derived from the Latin word saltus, meaning something that jumps. [2] In 1876, Eugène Simon moved the species to the genus Aelurops and then, in 1880, Pietro Pavesi moved it to the genus Ictidops before Simon finally moved it to Aelurillus in 1886. [3] The genus Aelurillus was first described by Eugène Simon one year before, in 1885. [4] The genus name derives from the Greek word for cat. [5] It was placed in the subtribe Aelurillina in the tribe Aelurillini, both named after the genus, by Wayne Maddison in 2015. These were allocated to the clade Saltafresia. [6] In 2017, the genus was grouped with nine other genera of jumping spiders under the name Aelurillines by Jerzy Prószyński. [7]

Description

Initially, only the male was described. [8] The spider is small, about 6 mm (0.24 in) long. [9] The male has a dark brown carapace that is typically 2.8 mm (0.11 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) wide. Two white stripes cross the otherwise black eye field and extend along the rest of the carapace. The grey-yellow abdomen is 2.3 mm (0.091 in) long and 1.7 mm (0.067 in) wide. It has a brown underside with a wide white band across the middle. The clypeus is brown and covered with dense hairs that are either white or tawny. The hairs form wide bands which are distinctive for the species. The chelicerae are brown with short brown hairs and the spinnerets are grey-brown. The legs are yellow. The pedipalps are also yellow and have a covering of white hairs. The palpal bulb has two short tibial apophyses and distinctive blended appendages that extend from the middle. [10] The palpal bulb is rounded with a long coiled embolus which has a hooked end. [11] The shape of the embolus shows sufficient variation that it is not a distinguishing feature for the species. [12]

The female was not described until 2006. [1] it is large, with a carapace that is 3.4 mm (0.13 in) long and 2.6 mm (0.10 in) wide. It is similar in colour but has a covering of white and yellow scales that can form a pattern reminiscent of a net. The abdomen is also larger, with a length of 4.0 mm (0.16 in) and a width of 2.9 mm (0.11 in). It is similar in colour on the top, but the underside has a similar pattern of brown and white scales. Although the clypeus is similar in colour, much of the remaining features are darker. The chelicerae are darker brown, the spinnerets are brown-grey and the legs have dark brown patches on an otherwise brown background. [10] The epigyne has a pocket and short copulatory ducts. [11]

The spider is typical of the genus and can be confused with other related species. It is superficially similar, particularly in its patterning. It can be distinguished from the related Aelurillus luctuosus and Aelurillus monardi by the band of hairs on the clypeus. The females are almost indistinguishable. [13] Similarly, there is too large a variation in the male palpal bulb to enable clear differentiation. [14]

Distribution

The spider has been found in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The spider was first identified by Lucas in Constantine, Algeria. This holotype was subsequently lost. [11] Examples have also been found in locations around the country including Zemmouri in 1984, El Harrach in 1985, Reghaïa in 1988 and Taghit in 1989. [15] The spider has been found in Tunisia, first noted in Aïn Draham by Eugène Simon in 1885. [11] It has been identified in Jendouba, Nabeul and Tunis. [16] In 2003, Jerzy Prószyński described a male spider from the Levant, which he saw as another example of the species. However, when this example was re-examined by Galina Azarkina and Dmitri Logunov in 2006, it was found to be the related Aelurillus luctuosus. [11] In 2013, Liviu Moscaliuc found the first example in Morocco, near Sidi Kaouki. [14]

In terms of habitat, the spider inhabits a wide range of environments. Examples have been found in open grassland amongst flowering plants like Oxalis pes-caprae , in areas of shrubs like Cistus salviifolius , near to pools found in dunes, in palm groves and within plantations of cedar trees. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Aelurillus desertus</i> Species of spider

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<i>Langelurillus orbicularis</i> Species of spider

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<i>Stenaelurillus fuscatus</i> Species of spider

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<i>Stenaelurillus hirsutus</i> Species of spider

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<i>Stenaelurillus guttiger</i> Species of spider

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<i>Aelurillus dubatolovi</i> Species of spider

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<i>Stenaelurillus jocquei</i> Species of spider

Stenaelurillus jocquei is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Cameroon. It was first described in 2018 by Dmitri Logunov and Galina Azarkina. The spider is medium-sized, with a carapace between 2.6 and 2.7 mm long and abdomen between 12.4 and 3.5 mm long. The female is slightly larger than the male. The colouration differs between examples, which have been termed the light form and dark form. The carapace is brown and has two white stripes and the abdomen is brown with three white spots and three white stripes, the abdomen being darker in the dark form. The clypeus is yellowish brown in the light form and brown in the dark form. The male light form has iridenscent hairs on the clypeus and its brown eye field. The spinnerets of the female light form are yellow, the male brown and the dark form darker still. The species can be best distinguished from the similar Stenaelurillus hirsutus by its copulatory organs. The male has a ribbon-like spiralling embolus and the female has large round spermathecae.

<i>Stenaelurillus albopunctatus</i> Species of spider

Stenaelurillus albopunctatus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Kenya. It was first described in 1949 by Ludovico di Caporiacco. The spider is medium-sized, with a cephalothorax between 2.24 and 23.55 mm long and abdomen between 2.38 and 3.92 mm long. It has two white stripes on its carapace and white speckles or spots on its abdomen. The female is generally lighter than the male. For example, the female has a brown and yellow carapace, which in the male is brown or black. The female clypeus and legs are yellow, while on the male they are brown. Otherwise, the colouration is similar to many other species in the genus. It is this similarity that led to the species Stenaelurillus guttiger being recognised as a member of the genus. The male has a spatula-like appendage at the front of its yellow pedipalps and a short thick embolus. The female has copulatory openings positioned very closely together and short insemination ducts.

<i>Stenaelurillus bandama</i> Species of spider

Stenaelurillus bandama is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Ivory Coast. Named after the country where it was first found, it was first described in 2018 by Dmitri Logunov and Galina Azarkina. The spider is small, with a carapace between 2.45 and 2.55 mm long and abdomen between 2.4 and 3.1 mm long, although the female is larger than the male. They also differ in colouration. The male carapace is brown and has two white stripes unlike the female's yellow carapace. The male abdomen is dark brown has a pattern of spots and stripes while the female is lighter brown and has a single spot and speckles. The clypeus and legs are also brownish-yellow on the male and yellow on the female. It is similar to Stenaelurillus hirsutus, Stenaelurillus iubatus and Stenaelurillus striolatus but can be distinguished by the lack of hair and presence of a wider vertical stripe on the clypeus, the male's narrow embolus and the female's elongated pocket in the epigyne.

<i>Stenaelurillus senegalensis</i> Species of spider

Stenaelurillus senegalensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Senegal. Named after the country where it was first found, it was first described in 2018 by Dmitri Logunov and Galina Azarkina. The spider is small, with a carapace between 1.7 and 2.5 mm long and abdomen between 1.6 and 3.45 mm long, although the female is larger than the male. The carapace is hairy, brown and has two white stripes. The abdomen differs between the male and female. The male has a pattern of yellow spots and a brown stripe. The female has a cross of yellow stripe and two brown stripes. The male has a bulging palpal bulb while the female has a flat epigyne with widely separated and backward-facing copulatory openings. It is similar to Stenaelurillus nigricaudus, also found in the country, but can distinguished by the design of its long straight embolus and the lack of pockets in the epigyne.

<i>Langelurillus holmi</i> Species of spider

Langelurillus holmi is a species of jumping spider in the genus Langelurillus that is endemic in Kenya. It was first described in 1994 by Maciej Próchniewicz. The spider is small, with a orange-brown carapace that is typically 1.9 mm (0.075 in) long and a round brown abdomen typically 1.3 mm (0.051 in) long. The abdomen is marked with a yellow cross-like pattern surrounding a diamond motif. The mouthparts and legs are orange-yellow. The male has a distinctive palpal bulb, particularly the shape of the appendages on the tibia. It has three tibial apophyses, or spikes, which is typical of the genus. The female has not been described.

<i>Aelurillus hirtipes</i> Species of spider

Aelurillus hirtipes, synonym Aelurillus sinaicus, is a species of jumping spider in the genus Aelurillus that lives in North Africa. First identified by Jacques Denis in Chad in 1960 as part of the Missions Berliet-Ténéré, it has also been found in Algeria, Egypt and Morocco. The spider is small, with a brown carapace that is between 3.5 and 3.6 mm long and a yellow abdomen that measures between 3 and 4 mm in length. The male has a small hooked embolus protruding from its palpal bulb and the female has S-shaped flaps on the epigyne and short copulatory ducts. The spider has a covering of light hairs, whiter on the female and more yellow on the male. These hairs help distinguish it from the related Aelurillus v-insignitus and Aelurillus plumipes

<i>Stenaelurillus nigricaudus</i> Species of spider

Stenaelurillus nigricaudus, synonyms Aelurillus sahariensis and Stenaelurillus nigritarsis, is the type species of the genus Stenaelurillus. It is a jumping spider that lives in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Niger and Senegal. The male was first described by Eugène Simon in 1886 and the female initially in 1936 by Ludovico di Caporiacco and more thoroughly by Nikolaj Scharff and Tamás Szűts in 2005. It is a medium-sized spider with a cephalothorax between 2.4 and 2.7 mm and an abdomen that is between 2 and 3.7 in long. The carapace is reddish-brown and has two white or yellow stripes. The female abdomen has a pattern of stripes and spots, with some examples having brown spots inside yellow spots. The male abdomen has either a single dark stripe or two white and one brown stripes. While the female pedipalps are yellow, the male has either dark or brown pedipalps. The female has distinctive flanges at its copulatory openings. The male is distinguished by the shape of its palpal bulb and, particularly, of its hook-shaped embolus.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 World Spider Catalog (2021). "Aelurillus basseleti (Lucas, 1846)". World Spider Catalog. 22.0. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  2. Fernández-Rubio 2013, p. 129.
  3. Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 234.
  4. Azarkina 2022, p. 220.
  5. Fernández-Rubio 2013, p. 125.
  6. Maddison 2015, p. 279.
  7. Prószyński 2017, p. 95.
  8. Lucas 1846, p. 159.
  9. Lucas 1846, p. 158.
  10. 1 2 3 Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 236.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 235.
  12. Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 233.
  13. Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 239.
  14. 1 2 Moscaliuc 2014, p. 1.
  15. Azarkina & Logunov 2006, p. 234, 236.
  16. Dimassi et al. 2016, p. 26.

Bibliography