Evarcha grandis

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Evarcha grandis
Evarcha michailovi female frontal.jpg
The related Evarcha michailovi
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: Evarcha
Species:
E. grandis
Binomial name
Evarcha grandis
Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2011

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.

Taxonomy

Evarcha grandis is a species of jumping spider that was first described by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith in 2011. [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 genera of jumping spiders, with members found on four continents. [4]

In 1976, Jerzy Prószyński placed the genus in the subfamily Pelleninae of the family Plexippoida, along with the genera Bianor and Pellenes . [5] In Wayne Maddison's 2015 study of spider phylogenetic classification, the genus Evarcha was allocated to the subtribe Plexippina. [6] This is a member of the tribe Plexippini, in the subclade Simonida in the clade Saltafresia. [7] It is related to the genera Hyllus and Plexippus . [8] Analysis of protein-coding genes showed it was particularly related to Telamonia . [9] In the following year, 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. [10] The species is named after a Latin word that can be translated "large". [11]

Description

As its name suggests, Evarcha grandis is a large spider, with a body length of about 10 mm (0.39 in). It has a body that is divided into two main parts: an oval cephalothorax and an ovoid abdomen. The female has a cephalothorax that is typically 3.6 mm (0.14 in) long and 2.9 mm (0.11 in) wide. The carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is moderately high. The top is brown and covered with delicate light hairs. There is a distinctive fovea, or indentation in the centre of the carapace. It has a darker eye field with very longer bristles near the eyes themselves. White hairs encircle some of the front eyes. The sides are darker with lighter hairs lining the edges. The underside, or sternum, is dark. The spider's face, or clypeus, is low and brown with a scattering of long brown bristles. The cheeks have four thin lines of white hairs. The spider's mouthparts are larger than most species in the genus. It has dark brown chelicerae with a single tooth visible. Its labium is a lighter brown with even lighter tips. [11]

The spider's abdomen is larger than the carapace, measuring typically 5.7 mm (0.22 in) in length and 2.9 mm (0.11 in) in width. The top is a dark greyish-brown with light band that extends from the front edge to the sides and another at the back extending similarly. It is covered in iridescent hairs, amongst which are a few very long brown bristles. The underside is dark grey marked with four rows of small light dots. The spider's spinnerets are greyish-black. It has generally dark brown legs with brown hairs, some longer than others, and dark spines. It has dark orange pedipalps. [11]

The spider's copulatory organs are unusual and, in addition to its large size, help distinguish the species from others in the genus. The female's epigyne has clear sclerotisation, particularly towards the wall at the very back of the central depression. There are two sizeable pockets at the sides of the depression. The positioning of the pockets in the epigyne, which are near the mid-point of epigyne when in most species in the genus they are to the rear, is a distinguishing feature for the species. [11] The epigastric furrow, a ridge to the rear of the epigyne, is also clearly marked. [12] The copulatory openings lead to very short insemination ducts and large bean-shaped spermathecae, or receptacles. [13] The male has not been described. [1]

Distribution

Evarcha spiders live across the world, although those found in North America may be accidental migrants. [14] Although the genus is found across Africa, Evarcha grandis is endemic to Nigeria. [1] The female holotype was collected in Ibadan 1974. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Menemerus zimbabwensis</i> Species of spider

Menemerus zimbabwensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska first described the female in 1999 and the male in 2007. The spider is large, with a cephalothorax that is between 1.9 and 3.2 millimetres long and an abdomen that is between 2.1 and 4.6 millimetres in length. The female is larger than the male. It also lacks the light stripe down the centre of its dark brown carapace and has a less distinct pattern on its abdomen. Its legs and pedipalps are yellow, while on the male they are brown. The male can be distinguished from the similar Menemerus nigli by the wide stripe on its abdomen. The female is harder to identify without looking at its copulatory organs. These are distinctive. It has characteristic large entrance bowls on its epigyne, which are larger than the insemination ducts and spermathecae combined. Its internal organs are very sclerotized.

<i>Evarcha flagellaris</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha brinki</i> Species of spider

Evarcha brinki is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Northern Cape, South Africa. The species was first described in 2011 by Charles Haddad and Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a carapace measuring typically 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long and an abdomen 2.1 mm (0.08 in) long. It is generally yellow, with an orange tinge to the top of the carapace and a darker, nearly black eye field. There are large black spots on the abdomen. While the majority of the legs are yellow, the front pair are brown. It is very different to other African Evarcha spiders. Its copulatory organs are distinctive, particularly the male's embolus, which is short and encircled by a very thin appendage. The female has not been described.

<i>Evarcha acuta</i> Species of spider

Evarcha acuta is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Namibia, Seychelles and South Africa. The species was first described in 2006 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small, with a carapace measuring typically 1.6 mm (0.06 in) long and an abdomen between 1.4 and 1.9 mm long. The carapace is light brown with a short black eye field. The abdomen has patterns that vary depending on geography. The holotype, found near Brandberg Mountain in Namibia, has lines of brown patches on the top. Examples found in Free State, South Africa, have black lines on the top and sides. The spider can be most easily distinguished from other spiders in the genus by its copulatory organs. The male has a distinctive notch on a long straight projection from its tibia known as a tibial apophysis and a long embolus. The female has not been described.

<i>Evarcha aposto</i> Species of spider

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 is 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.

<i>Evarcha awashi</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha pinguis</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha rotundibulbis</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha russellsmithi</i> Species of spider

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 is 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.

<i>Hasarius insularis</i> Species of spider

Hasarius insularis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Hasarius that lives on Socotra Island, Yemen. It was first described in 2002 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is medium-sized, with a carapace that measures typically 4.5 mm (0.18 in) in length and an abdomen that is typically 5.9 mm (0.23 in) long. It has a cephalothorax that is mainly reddish-brown on top and yellowish on the bottom. The abdomen has dark topsides with a yellowish pattern and dark dots and patches underneath. It has copulatory organs that are similar to other species in the genus. The insemination ducts are relatively short and the spermathecae spherical, but they are both thicker than those found in other examples. The spider's name recalls a Latin word that means "insular".

<i>Evarcha bakorensis</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha certa</i> Species of spider

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<i>Evarcha maculata</i> Species of spider

Evarcha maculata is a species of jumping spider in the genus Evarcha that lives in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia. It thrives in savanna, particularly 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 an 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.

<i>Evarcha idanrensis</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha arabica</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Evarcha picta</i> Species of spider

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.

<i>Hyllus nigeriensis</i> Species of spider

Hyllus nigeriensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Hyllus that is endemic to Nigeria. It lives in rainforest. The spider was first described in 2012 by Wanda Wesołowska and G. B. Edwards. A medium-sized spider, it typically has a cephalothorax 4.1 mm (0.16 in) long and an abdomen 4.0 mm (0.16 in) long. The abdomen is reddish-brown and narrower than the light brown carapace. Originally tentatively allocated to the genus Brancus, the species was allocated to Hyllus in 2022. Only the female has been described.

<i>Menemerus affinis</i> Species of spider

Menemerus affinis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in the United Arab Emirates. The spider is externally hard to tell apart from the related Menemerus arabicus or Menemerus fagei; this affinity is reflected in the species name. The spider was first described in 2010 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten based on a holotype discovered in Ras Al Khaimah. Other examples have been found in Dubai. The spider is medium sized with a brown cephalothorax that is between 2.7 and 2.9 mm long and a greyish-brown abdomen between 3.1 and 4.0 mm long. It has brown legs. The female is larger than the male and has an epigyne with a large pocket to the front and a notch at the back. The male copulatory organs has an embolus paired to a large secondary conductor and two spikes, or apophyses, on the pedipalp tibia.

<i>Hyllus ignotus</i> Species of spider

Hyllus ignotus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Hyllus that is endemic to Ivory Coast. The female of the species was first described in 2022 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. The male has not been identified. It is large, with a carapace typically 3.7 mm (0.15 in) long and a abdomen 5.3 mm (0.21 in) long. The spider is brown and with a white pattern on the back of the abdomen. Its epigyne has two pockets that stretch down the middle of its length and copulatory openings that are close together.

<i>Menemerus niangbo</i> Species of spider

Menemerus niangbo is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Ivory Coast. The spider was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. It lives in montane grasslands and shrublands.The spider is medium sized with a cephalothorax that is typically 2.6 mm (0.10 in) long and an abdomen 2.9 mm (0.11 in) long. The pear-shaped carapace is brown with a black eye field. The abdomen is dark grey with a pattern of lighter patches on top and yellowish underneath. The legs are yellowish. The spider is hard to distinguish from others in the genus without a study of its copulatory organs. Only the female has been identified. It has two distinctive pockets in the fold at the back of epigyne that is visible externally and an internal structure that includes long accessory glands and bean-shaped spermathecae.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 World Spider Catalog (2017). "Evarcha grandis Wesolowska & Russell-Smith, 2011". World Spider Catalog. 18.0. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  2. Wiśniewski 2020, p. 6.
  3. Wesołowska 2006, p. 230.
  4. Prószyński 2018, p. 132.
  5. Maddison & Hedin 2003, p. 549.
  6. Maddison 2015, p. 250.
  7. Maddison 2015, pp. 246, 280.
  8. Maddison, Bodner & Needham 2008, p. 56.
  9. Maddison & Hedin 2003, p. 536.
  10. Prószyński 2017, p. 51.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2011, p. 570.
  12. Prószyński 2018, p. 156.
  13. Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2011, p. 571.
  14. Maddison & Hedin 2003, p. 543.

Bibliography