Evarcha certa | |
---|---|
The related Evarcha arcuata | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Salticidae |
Subfamily: | Salticinae |
Genus: | Evarcha |
Species: | E. certa |
Binomial name | |
Evarcha certa Rollard & Wesołowska, 2002 | |
Evarcha certa is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Guinea and Ethiopia. It thrives in grasslands, particularly near bodies of water like the Baro River and in areas of high altitude such as the Guinea Highlands. The species was first described in 2002 by Christine Rollard and Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax measuring between 2.6 and 2.9 mm (0.10 and 0.11 in) long and an abdomen that is between 2.7 and 3.4 mm (0.11 and 0.13 in) long. The cephalothorax has a reddish-brown topside, or carapace, with a darker eye field, and an orange underside, or sternum. The abdomen has a pattern consisting of irregular brown patches, although this differs between individual spiders. The spider has orange or yellow legs. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has relatively simple spermathecae that are heavily sclerotized and short insemination ducts. The male has not been described.
Evarcha certa is a species of jumping spider that was first described by Christine Rollard and Wanda Wesołowska in 2002. [1] It was one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist Wesołowska during her career, making her one of the most prolific in the field. [2] They allocated it to the genus Evarcha , first circumscribed by Eugène Simon in 1902. [3] The genus is one of the largest, with members found on four continents. [4] The species is named for a Latin word that can be translated "unquestionable" and recalls the relationship between this species and the genus Evarcha. [5]
In 1976, Jerzy Prószyński placed the genus Evarcha in the subfamily Pelleninae, along with the genera Bianor and Pellenes . [6] In Wayne Maddison's 2015 study of spider phylogenetic classification, the genus Evarcha was moved to the subtribe Plexippina. [7] This is a member of the tribe Plexippini, in the subclade Simonida in the clade Saltafresia. [8] It is closely related to the genera Hyllus and Plexippus . [9] Analysis of protein-coding genes showed it was particularly related to Telamonia . [10] In the following year, in 2016, Prószyński added the genus to a group of genera named Evarchines, named after the genus, along with Hasarinella and Nigorella based on similarities in the spiders' copulatory organs. [11] He retained the species in Evarcha in his 2018 reclassification of the genus. [12]
Evarcha certa is small with looks that are typical for the genus. The spider's body is divided into two main parts: an oval cephalothorax and an egg-shaped abdomen. The cephalothorax is between 2.6 and 2.9 mm (0.10 and 0.11 in) long and 2 and 2.4 mm (0.08 and 0.09 in) wide. The carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is reddish-brown. It has a darker eye field is covered with a large number of greyish hairs. The area around the eyes themselves is black, some of which are encircled by small yellowish grey scales and long brown bristles. [13] Some examples have yellow scales. The underside of the cephalothorax, or sternum, is orange. The spider's face, or clypeus, is high and light. Its mouthparts are distinctive. The chelicerae are light brown with two teeth to the front and a single tooth to the back. The light brown labium, with light tips, contrasts with the spider's orange maxillae. [5]
The spider's abdomen is larger than its carapace, measuring between 2.7 and 3.4 mm (0.11 and 0.13 in) in length and having a width of between 1.9 and 2.5 mm (0.07 and 0.10 in). It is generally brownish-grey, although some examples are yellow. All have a brown pattern. Some have a number of indistinct design. Others have irregular brown patches, some of which are lighter and arrow shaped. [13] Some examples have an abdominal pattern similar to the related Evarcha maculata . [14] Others have light spots at the very back of the abdomen. All have an abdomen that is covered in brown or greyish hairs, interspersed with thick brown bristles. The underside is grey with a pattern of darker spots dotted across its surface and three darker lines that stretch down from towards the front to nearer to the back. The spider has yellow spinnerets to the front and grey to the back. Its legs are orange or yellow with a covering of brown hairs. The legs have brown spines. [13]
The spider has a distinctive reproductive_system. The female has an oval epigyne that has rather heavy sclerotization. [5] The copulatory openings are to the rear of the epigyne and lead to, initially, narrow, simple insemination ducts. The spermathecae, or receptacles, are also heavily sclerotized. They have thick walls and a simple design, consisting of a small number of chambers. The accessory glands are long. [13] The relatively short length of the insemination ducts and simple design of the spermathecae help identify the species. [5] The male has not been described. [1]
Jumping spiders do not spin webs to catch prey but rather hunt using their eyesight, which combines high depth perception, spatial definition that surpasses that of many vertebrates and the ability to operate in a range of light levels. [15] Evarcha spiders often ambush their prey. [16] The spiders will frequently live in nests constructed of webs. A study of the related Evarcha arcuata found that the spider will rest hanging from a silken thread. [17]
Evarcha spiders live across the world, although those found in North America may be accidental migrants. [18] Although the genus is found across Africa, Evarcha certa lives in Ethiopia and Guinea. [1] The female holotype for the species was found in a meadow at an altitude of 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level on Mount Tô in the Guinea Highlands in 1951. [5] The first example to be found in Ethiopia was collected near the Baro River and Gambela, in the Illubabor Province, in 1985 at an altitude of 450 m (1,480 ft) above sea level. Others have been found across the country, including near Bishoftu and Wondo Genet. [13]
The spider thrives in grasslands, particularly near water. It has been collected on grass on a rock face near Lake Ziway at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft) above sea level. Another specimen was found near Hawassa in lush grass near a stream at a height of 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. The spider seems to show a particular preference for meadows that include grasses of the genus Pennisetum . [19]
Nigorella aethiopica is the type species of the genus Nigorella. A jumping spider that lives in Ethiopia and named in honour of the country in which it is found, it was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider is larger than others in the species with a cephalothorax that is between 4.1 and 4.8 mm long and an abdomen that is between 4.3 and 5.6 mm long. The carapace is generally brown and hairy, although the male is darker. While the male abdomen is marked by a light stripe on the topside and dots underneath, the female abdomen has a pattern of a light stripe and patches on the top and dark stripes on the bottom. As well as its larger size, the species can be distinguished by its copulatory organs. The split at the end of the appendage on the pedipalp tibia marks out the male, and the female has longer seminal ducts and thinner spermathecae than others in the genus.
Evarcha flagellaris is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Kenya and South Africa. The species was first described in 2011 by Charles Haddad and Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a carapace measuring between 2.0 and 2.4 mm long and an abdomen between 1.9 and 3.6 mm long. The female is larger than the male, particularly in the size of its abdomen. Both have stripes on the abdomen, the male being more distinct with four brown stripes contrasting with a yellow background. This is similar to the related Evarcha striolata, from which it can be distinguished by the presence of an orange scutum. It can also be identified by its copulatory organs. The female has very wide looping insemination ducts that lead to heavily sclerotized multi-chambered spermathecae. The male has a long straight projection from its tibia or tibial apophysis and a whip-like embolus. It is after the latter feature that it is named.
Evarcha aposto is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia and Nigeria. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. It is named for the place in Ethiopia where it was first found. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax measuring between 1.9 and 2.2 mm long and an abdomen between 1.8 and 1.9 mm long. The carapace is generally light, yellow or fawn, with a dark stripe down the middle and occasionally a thin stripe to the rear. The abdomen is yellow with a pattern of darker patches. It has a black eye field. The front legs are darker, brown in the case of those found in Nigeria and black for the Ethiopian examples. The remaining legs have a distinctive top half that is black or brown, the remainder being yellow. Its copulatory organs are distinctive, particularly the male's very short embolus, which is accompanied by a spoon-like appendage. The female has not been described.
Evarcha awashi is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax measuring between 2.0 and 2.3 mm long and an abdomen between 1.9 and 2.4 mm long. The male and female are similar in size but differ slightly externally. The male carapace is orange while the female is brown, both with a darker eye field. The pattern on the abdomen is generally similar, a combination of light background and dark patches, but the female has less contrast between the two. The legs are mainly brown with yellowish tarsi. Its copulatory organs are distinctive. The male has a short embolus that follows the palpal bulb and a sharp tooth on its short wide and blunt protrusion on its palpal tibia, or tibial apophysis. The female has insemination ducts that narrow into multi-chambered spermathecae.
Evarcha pinguis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider is larger than others in the genus, with a cephalothorax measuring 3.4 mm (0.13 in) long and an abdomen between 4.7 mm (0.19 in) long. The spider is dark brown and hairy apart from a lighter streak on the back of the carapace and a pattern of light chevrons down the back of the abdomen. The legs are brown, the front four being thicker and shorter than the rest. The copulatory organs are distinctive. The female has marked sclerotization to the edge of its epigyne. The male has not been described.
Evarcha rotundibulbis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider is small to medium-sized, with a cephalothorax measuring between 2.4 and 2.7 mm long and an abdomen between 2.3 and 2.6 mm long. The carapace is light brown with a dark brown eye field. The abdomen is russet with a yellowish pattern of arrows and spots. The spider has brown and yellow legs. Its copulatory organs are unusual and help identify it. The male has a distinctive rounded palpal bulb that is recalled in the name of the species. It also has a very short forked embolus and a shovel-like projection, or apophysis, on the palpal tibia that distinguishes it from other related species. The female has not been described.
Evarcha russellsmithi is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider is small to medium-sized, with a cephalothorax measuring typically 2.2 mm (0.09 in) long and an abdomen 1.8 mm (0.07 in) long. The carapace is yellowish with dark rings around the spider's eyes. The abdomen is brown with an indistinct pattern of spots and lines. The legs are generally brown. The copulatory organs are distinctive. The male has a projection, or apophysis, from the palpal tibia that has a series of tooth-like features, and a very short embolus that is attached to another very small apophysis. The female has multi-chambered spermathecae and distinctive accessory glands.
Evarcha bakorensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. It thrives in savanna grasslands. The species was first described in 2002 by Christine Rollard and Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax measuring between 1.6 and 1.8 mm long and an abdomen that is between 1.3 and 1.9 mm long. The female is larger than the male. The cephalothorax has a light brown topside, or carapace, yellow underside, or sternum, and darker sides. The abdomen is greyish-brown or brown and has a lighter pattern on it. The spider has generally brown legs. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has a large membrane in the centre of its epigyne while the male has a straight and blunt tibial apophysis, or projection on its palpal tibia.
Evarcha maculata is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia. It has been found in savanna in the Guinea Highlands and near bodies of water like the Awash River. The species was first described in 2002 by Christine Rollard and Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax measuring between 1.7 and 2.3 mm long and an abdomen that is between 1.6 and 3.6 mm long. The female is generally larger than the male, although there are exceptions, particularly amongst those found in Guinea. The cephalothorax has a yellowish topside, or carapace, with a darker eye field, and a yellow or yellowish-orange, or sternum. The abdomen has a distinctive pattern that is basically shaped like a capital "H", referred to in the species name, which can be translated "spotted". The spider has orange or yellow legs. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has distinctively shaped insemination ducts. The male has a very short curved embolus.
Evarcha striolata is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in South Africa. The species was first described in 2009 by Wanda Wesołowska and Charles Haddad. The spider lives in savanna and forests. Medium-sized, the spider has a dark orange or yellowish-orange carapace, the top side of its cephalothorax, measuring between 2.1 and 2.6 mm in length and an abdomen that is between 2 and 2.5 mm long. The male has a pattern of dark stripes on the top of its abdomen, which is recalled in the species name. The female is generally lighter and has indistinct lines formed of dots on both the top and bottom of its abdomen. The underside of cephalothorax, or sternum, is dark yellow in both the female and male. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by its copulatory organs, particularly the shape of the male's palpal bulb and the female spermathecae. These are also more similar to Asian and Australian spiders in the genus, which has led Jerzy Prószyński to suggest that it should be a member of a different genus named Evacin.
Evarcha grandis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Nigeria. The species was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. It is larger than typically for the genus, which is reflected in the species name derived from the Latin word that means "large". The spider has a cephalothorax that is typically 3.6 mm (0.14 in) long and an abdomen 5.7 mm (0.22 in) long. It has a brown carapace with a black eye field and greyish-brown abdomen. It has long brown bristles on its clypeus, or face, and white lines on its cheeks. The spider's legs are dark brown. Apart from its size, the spider's copulatory organs are the most clear way to identify it. The female has pockets towards the midpoint, rather than the rear, of its epigyne, short insemination ducts and large spermathecae. The male has not been described.
Evarcha idanrensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Nigeria. It is named after Idanre Hill in Ondo State, where it was first found. The species was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. The spider is hard to distinguish from other spiders in the genus. It has a cephalothorax measuring between 2.1 and 2.5 mm long and an abdomen between 2.2 and 3.5 mm long. It has a yellow carapace with a black eye field and light brown legs. The abdomen is brownish-grey with an indistinct pattern on its back. Apart from the size of the epigyne, the female's copulatory organs are similar to other members of the genus. The male has not been described.
Evarcha arabica is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Yemen. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is small, with a carapace that measures between 2.1 and 2.7 mm long and an abdomen that is between 1.8 and 3.2 mm long. The female is generally larger and lighter than the male. The spider's eye field is darker. The top of the male abdomen is blackish-brown with a pattern of white dots and a large yellowish-orange belt. The top of the female abdomen has similar white dots but is mainly yellow with small darker dots. The male's legs are brown and yellow while the female's are orange to yellow. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has accessory glands near the copulatory openings and simple bean-like spermathecae. The male has a thin embolus and a tibial apophysis that has a forked tip.
Evarcha improcera is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that is endemic to Yemen. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. Only the female has been described. The spider is small, with a broad carapace that measures typically 2.2 mm (0.09 in) long and a narrower oval abdomen that is typically 1.8 mm (0.07 in) long. The spider has a whiteish-yellow pattern on its otherwise brown abdomen, which consists of a large patch at the front, a stripe down the middle that meets another stripe in a cross shape, the bottom arm of which consists of a series of closely tessellating wide chevrons. The species can be distinguished from others in the genus by its copulatory organs, particularly its small bean-like spermathecae, or receptacles, and the position of its accessory glands.
Evarcha picta is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Yemen. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is small, with a carapace that measures between 2.4 and 2.6 mm long and an abdomen that is between 2 and 2.4 mm long. It has a distinctive pattern on its abdomen that is recalled in its name, which can be translated "patterned", which includes a series of white dots and chevrons. The pattern is less clear on the female than the male. Otherwise, the spider is generally brown and yellow. The male's legs are brown and yellow while the female's are yellow. There is a characteristic fovea, or indentation, in the centre of the carapace. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has a large depression in the centre of its epigyne and narrow insemination ducts that lead to long accessory glands and small spermathecae. The male has a terminal apophysis that makes it look as if its embolus has two branches. The spider's brownish-orange clypeus is also an identifying trait.
Evarcha seyun is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula. It seems to be common across many of the Emirates of the United Arab Emirates and the Al Mahrah and Hadramaut Governorates of Yemen. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax that measures between 2.2 and 2.6 mm long and an abdomen that is between 2 and 2.7 mm long. The female is hairier than the male. The female spider is generally brown with a darker eye field, while the male is dark brown with a black eye field. Both have legs that are black, orange and yellow. They can be distinguished from the closely-related Evarcha praeclara by the patterns on their body, including a semi-lunar marking in the middle of its carapace and a light stripe on its abdomen. The species also has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has a characteristic depression in the middle of its epigyne and narrow insemination ducts that lead to complex spermathecae. The male has a spade-like apophysis that accompanies its embolus and a short blunt tibial apophysis.
Evarcha ignea is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is ground-dwelling spider, thriving in leaf litter, but has also been observed living on the walls of houses. The species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Meg Cumming, although the female was not described until the year after. The spider is small, with a rounded cephalothorax that is usually between 1.9 and 2.5 mm long and an ovoid abdomen that is between 1.6 and 2.2 mm long. The female is slightly larger than the male. It is also lighter. The male has a mostly dark brown carapace and russet-brown abdomen, while the female's carapace is whitish-yellow and abdomen creamy. The male spider's face, or clypeus, is covered in bright scarlet scale-like hairs, which gives the spider its name, which can be translated "fiery". This is similar to the related Evarcha bakorensis. To distinguish this species from others in the genus, it is necessary to compare their copulatory organs. The male Evarcha ignea has a distinctive small notch on the spike, or apophysis, that emanates from its palpal tibia. The female has shorter insemination ducts than other species, and spermathecae that have a large first chamber.
The Fayda Jumper or Afraflacilla fayda is a species of jumping spider in the genus Afraflacilla that lives in the United Arab Emirates. The spider was first described in 2010 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is small, with an cephalothorax that is typically 1.8 mm (0.07 in) and an abdomen typically 2.9 mm (0.11 in) long. The female has a distinctive design on its abdomen that includes a pattern of an indistinct light patch in the centre and two light patches to the rear on a greyish-beige background, darker to the end. In comparison, the carapace is a uniform brown with a darker brown eye field. The spider's legs are yellow, the first legs being larger and featuring stridulatory apparatus. It has distinctive copulatory organs. The female has long winding insemination ducts and large spermathecae. The male has not been described.
Evarcha praeclara is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Iran, Israel, South Sudan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The first examples of the spider were first identified by Eugène Simon in the early twentieth century in what is now Southern Sudan, but it was not until 2003 that the species was formally described by Jerzy Prószyński and Wanda Wesołowska. The exact nature of the species is disputed, with Prószyński stating that the examples found may be a group of species rather than a single one. Those that have been described are small, with a carapace that is between 2.1 and 2.4 mm long and an ovoid abdomen that measures between 1.7 and 3.2 mm long. The female is generally larger than the male. They have a brown or dark brown carapace, the female being plain while the male having a pattern of creamy white spots. The pattern on the top of the abdomen varies, with some spiders having lighter patches on a russet background and others being brown and white. They are all hairy. The spiders have generally brown mouthparts. The spiders' copulatory organs are distinctive and help distinguish the species from others in the genus. The female has an unusual trapezoid-shaped depression in its epigyne. The male has a broad embolus that has a tip that hugs a very distinctive protrusion, or apophysis.
Evarcha zougoussi is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first described in 2022 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. It is a comparatively large spider, with an oval cephalothorax measuring between 2.7 and 3.3 mm long and an ovoid abdomen between 3 and 3.5 mm long. It has a pattern of a light streak down its carapace, the top of its cephalothorax, and a series of spots on its abdomen. In comparison, the spider's sternum, or underside of the cephalothorax, is a plain yellow. Its legs are generally light brown. Although only the female has been identified, it is clear that the spider's copulatory organs are distinctive, including the existence of a deep pocket in its epigyne and its bean-shaped spermathecae.