Menemerus bivittatus

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Menemerus bivittatus
Menemerus.bivittatus.male.-.tanikawa.jpg
Male
Menemerus bivittatus 27138620.jpg
Female
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: Menemerus
Species:
M. bivittatus
Binomial name
Menemerus bivittatus
(Dufour, 1831)
Synonyms
List
  • Attus attentusWalckenaer, 1837
  • Attus bivittatus(Dufour, 1831)
  • Attus cinctusWalckenaer, 1837
  • Attus foliatusL. Koch, 1867
  • Attus locustoidesWalckenaer, 1837
  • Attus manniiPeckham & Peckham, 1883
  • Attus melanognathusLucas, 1838
  • Attus muscivorusVinson, 1863
  • Attus planusTaczanowski, 1871
  • Camponia lineataBadcock, 1932
  • Dendryphantes balteata(C. L. Koch, 1846)
  • Dendryphantes discoloria(C. L. Koch, 1846)
  • Dendryphantes dissimilis(C. L. Koch, 1846)
  • Dendryphantes incerta(C. L. Koch, 1846)
  • Icius convergens(Doleschall, 1859)
  • Icius dissimilis(C. L. Koch, 1846)
  • Icius maritus(Karsch, 1879)
  • Marpessa nigrolimbata(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873)
  • Marpissa balteataC. L. Koch, 1846
  • Marpissa discoloriaC. L. Koch, 1846
  • Marpissa dissimilisC. L. Koch, 1846
  • Marpissa incertaC. L. Koch, 1846
  • Marpissa melanognatha(Lucas, 1838)
  • Marpissa nigrolimbata(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873)
  • Marpissa plana(Taczanowski, 1871)
  • Marpissa ridensHogg, 1914
  • Marptusa maritaKarsch, 1879
  • Marptusa melanognatha(Lucas, 1838)
  • Menemerus acuminatusRainbow, 1912
  • Menemerus bivittatus(Dufour, 1831)
  • Menemerus bonnetiSchenkel, 1963
  • Menemerus foliatus(L. Koch, 1867)
  • Menemerus lineatus(Badcock, 1932)
  • Menemerus melanognathus(Lucas, 1838)
  • Menemerus ridens(Hogg, 1914)
  • Menemerus vittatusSimon, 1877
  • Salticus bivittatusDufour, 1831
  • Salticus convergensDoleschall, 1859
  • Salticus nigro-limbatusO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870
  • Stridulattus stridulansPetrunkevitch, 1926
  • Tapinattus melanognathus(Lucas, 1838)
Male pedipalp Menemerus bivittatus pedipalp.jpg
Male pedipalp

Menemerus bivittatus is a spider in the family Salticidae commonly known as the gray wall jumper. It is a pantropical species and is usually found on the walls of buildings or on tree trunks where it stalks its prey.

Contents

Description

Gray wall jumpers are dorso-ventrally flattened and are covered with short dense, grayish-white hairs. There are tufts of dark brown bristles near the large, forward-facing eyes. [1] The spiders are about nine millimetres long, the male being slightly smaller than the female. The male has a blackish longitudinal dorsal stripe with a brownish-white stripe on either side of the abdomen. The carapace and chelicerae are also black and white and the legs have transverse bandings of the same colours. The female is generally paler and more brown, with a larger carapace and abdomen. Her carapace is edged with two black bands and a thin white stripe and her abdomen is edged with broad black stripes on each side which unite at the posterior end. Her legs are banded but are paler than those of the male. Immature spiders resemble the female. [2]

Biology

The female gray wall jumper builds an eggsac in a crack or other concealed position in which she lays 25 to 40 eggs in a purse-like silken case. She guards the eggs until they hatch in about three weeks time after which the young spiders disperse. [2]

Both young and old spiders feed mainly on small flies which alight on walls. They do not build a web but instead, stalk their prey before launching an attack by leaping on the victim. They have high visual acuity and their large eyes are able to focus on objects [3] and detect different colours. [4] They use their highly coordinated jumping ability to capture their prey and to move from one place to another. They are capable of capturing insects such as crane flies that are at least twice their own size. [2]

Male spiders of this species possess a stridulatory apparatus which consists of several long bristles on the palpal femur and a series of horizontal ridges on the outer side of the chelicerae. Sound is generated when the spider rubs these ridges up and down against the palpal teeth. This is believed to be part of a courtship display by the male. [1]

In India, this common spider is found on the outer walls of buildings and on tree trunks. It moves actively about in search of small insect prey, often vibrating its hairy palps as it walks. [5] In Gambia, spiders of this species have been observed loitering near and observing the entrances to nests of stingless bees. It is difficult for the spider to catch the bees as they fly out of the entrance but the bees are more vulnerable when returning to the nest. [6]

Distribution

Menemerus bivittatus is native to Africa, but has been widely introduced, resulting in a cosmopolitan distribution. [7] In America, the species is found in Florida, Texas, and California (USA) and south as far as Paraguay, including some Caribbean islands, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is often seen on the outside of man-made structures. [2]

Related Research Articles

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

Menemerus semilimbatus is a spider in the family Salticidae.

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

Menemerus modestus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Tunisia. The species was first identified in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she produced during her lifetime. The spider is mainly a diurnal hunter. It is small, with a brown carapace that is typically 2.2 mm (0.09 in) long and a light abdomen 2.1 mm (0.08 in) long. The male's copulatory organs have a distinctive configuration of two appendages at the base of the palpal bulb, or apophyses, one larger and bulbous, the other a short spike. The female has not been described.

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

Menemerus guttatus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Morocco. The spider has been found in the High Atlas mountains in gravel rivers. It displays complex courtship patterns. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has made during her lifetime. The spider is small, with a dark brown, nearly black carapace that is between 2.8 and 3.5 millimetres long and a dark brown abdomen between 2.5 and 5.6 millimetres long. The female is larger than the male. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the pattern on its abdomen, which consists of two lines of white patches that converge to the back of the spider. Otherwise, it is the copulatory organs that most identify the species. The male has a distinctive relatively wide and short embolus and lamella and two similar appendages at the base of the palpal bulb, or apophyses. The female has a complex internal structure of the epigyne including crescent-shaped chambers and circular spermathecae.

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

Menemerus bifurcus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has written during her lifetime. The spider lives in groups in Acacia, Combretum, Jacaranda, Spathodea and Trichilia trees as well as in houses and other areas of human habitation. It descends to attack prey on long threads of silk. It is a small spider, with a carapace that is between 1.9 and 2.3 millimetres long and an abdomen between 1.9 and 2.5 millimetres long. The female is larger than the male and generally lighter, ranging generally from fawnish-brown to dark brown. The species is similar to Menemerus formosus and Menemerus transvaalicus but differs in the design of its copulatory organs. The male has a short embolus with a longer lamella, which is recalled in the species name, and two distinctive tibial appendages, or apophyses, one with a characteristic triangular lobe. Examples found in Zimbabwe have one longer tibial apophysis. The female has a heart-shaped depression in the epigyne and an unusual insemination duct morphology.

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

Menemerus transvaalicus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Lesotho and South Africa. The species was first identified in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has written during her lifetime. The spider often lives on Eucalyptus trees and the walls of buildings. It is small, with a dark brown hairy carapace that is between 2.1 and 2.5 millimetres long and a fawn to dark brown abdomen that is between 2.0 and 3.6 millimetres in length. The female is larger than the male. It has a yellowish leaf-shaped pattern on its abdomen and orange to brown legs. The male has a conductor on its double embolus, which helps to distinguish the spider from the related Menemerus bifurcus.

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

Menemerus formosus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Kenya. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has written during her lifetime. It is a small spider, with a brown carapace that is between 2.0 and 2.3 millimetres long, with a darker eye field that is between 1.0 and 1.2 millimetres long, and a yellowish abdomen between 1.9 and 2.3 millimetres long. The female is larger than the male and has a pattern of silver patches on its abdomen. The legs are yellow. The species is similar to Menemerus bifurcus, Menemerus magnificus and Menemerus transvaalicus but differs in the design of its copulatory organs. The male has a conductor that curves over its short embolus. The female has an epigyne that has a shallow depression and a furrow with a wide pocket.

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

Menemerus minshullae is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has completed during her lifetime. She originally identified the male as a different species, named Menemerus manicus, but merged the two in 2007. It is small to medium-sized spider with a cephalothorax that is between 1.9 and 2.2 millimetres long and an abdomen between 2.1 and 3.3 millimetres long. The female is larger than the male and lighter, with a dark brown rather than black carapace and lighter brown abdomen. The abdomen has a large, leaf-shaped, pattern. It lives on Vachellia xanthophloea trees, using its flattened shape to hide under flakes of bark. The copulatory organs distinguish the species from others in the genus. The male has a very short embolus with a larger accompanying conductor. The female epigyne has two pockets that have strongly sclerotized edges.

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

Menemerus meridionalis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in South Africa. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she produced during her lifetime. The spider is small, with a carapace that is typically 2.8 millimetres (0.11 in) long and an abdomen 3.3 millimetres (0.13 in) long. The carapace is generally dark brown with a white stripe down the middle while the abdomen has a dark brown stripe. Otherwise, it is its copulatory organs that most distinguish the species from others in the genus. The male has a lumpy retrolateral tibial apophysis, similar to but smaller than Menemerus tropicus, and a very small spiked ventral tibial apophysis.

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

Menemerus mirabilis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Ethiopia in areas of human habitation, including a house and a hotel. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small and brown, with a carapace that is between 1.8 and 2.4 millimetres long and an abdomen between 2.0 and 3.5 millimetres long. The female has a larger and lighter abdomen than the male. The male has an indistinct leaf-shaped pattern on its abdomen. It is similar to other species in the genus but can be distinguished by its copulatory organs. The male has a shorter embolus than other species. The female can be identified by the two depressions in its epigyne and its circular spermathecae.

<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>Menemerus animatus</i> Species of spider

Menemerus animatus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives across the Mediterranean Basin and into the Afrotropical realm. The species was first described in 1876 by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge based on an example from Egypt. It has subsequently been found living across many countries from Algeria to Greece and Senegal to Yemen. It prefers living in sandy environments.

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

Menemerus soldani is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. It was first described in 1826 by Jean Victor Audouin. He identified both the male and female but not in much detail and it was not until 1999 that a thorough description was completed. This led to confusion, with many museums holding examples of different species labelled Menemerus soldani. When the female was described by Hippolyte Lucas and Wanda Wesołowska, they were designated as different species, both of these being declared junior synonyms by subsequent arachnologists. The spider is small, with a total length between 3.11 and 5.65 mm, and has a brown carapace, yellow abdomen and orange legs. The spiders have characteristic copulatory organs. The female has a characteristic semi-circular notch at the rear of its epigyne while the male has a large bulbous patellar apophysis that other species in the genus lack. The male has a flat projection or apophysis on its pedipalp tibia. The spider lives in palm groves and Quercus suber forests.

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

Menemerus pulcher is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Mauretania. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is small and brown, with an atypically high carapace that is 2.6 millimetres (0.10 in) long and an abdomen 2.8 millimetres (0.11 in) long. There is a white stripe running down the back of the otherwise brown carapace. The abdomen is yellowish-fawn with a dark pattern that is reminiscent of a fleur-de-lis and more rounded than other spiders in the genus. Otherwise, it is externally similar to Menemerus plenus, although it can be distinguished by its copulatory organs. The male has a double embolus and two large parallel retrolateral apophyses, or appendages. The female has not been described.

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

Menemerus regius is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Ethiopia. The species was first identified in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider has been found living in low vegetation, on trees and in houses. It is small, with a brown hairy carapace that is between 1.9 and 2.4 millimetres long and a yellowish-grey or greyish-beige abdomen that is between 2.1 and 3.0 millimetres in length. The female is slightly larger than the male. The carapace has a large yellowish patch and the abdomen a stripe down the middle. The spider has yellow legs. The spider is similar to others in the genus. However, its copulatory organs are distinctive. The male lacks the ventral tibial apophysis normally found on its palpal bulb and instead has an unusual double tibial apophysis with one bulbous appendage and the other shaped like a horn. The female has a characteristic shape to its epigyne with two rounded depressions to the front and a noticeable notch to the rear.

<i>Icius insolidus</i> Species of spider

Icius insolidus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Icius that lives in Namibia and South Africa. First described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska and allocated to the genus Menemerus, the species was transferred to its current genus in 2006. It lives in rocky environments, primarily granite rocks and boulders, but also the walls of gardens. It is small spider, with a carapace between 1.8 and 2.4 mm long and an abdomen is between 1.7 and 2.4 mm. It is very dark brown or black. The male carapace and abdomen have a white stripe down the middle. The female abdomen has a vague leaf-like pattern on it. The male has a prominent tooth on the base of the chelicerae. It is this tooth that helps distinguish the species from others in the genus. The female epigyne has two widely separated rounded depressions. The species lives in nests, and the male and female will often share a nest after mating.

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

Menemerus nigeriensis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Nigeria. The species was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith based on a holotype found near Ibadan. The spider is medium-sized, with a cephalothorax that is typically 2.5 millimetres (0.10 in) long and an abdomen 2.6 millimetres (0.10 in) long. The carapace is generally a uniform dark brown, the eye field black and the abdomen greyish-brown. As with other Menemerus spiders, it is its copulatory organs that most distinguish the species from others in the genus. The male has a distinctive dorsal tibia that has a very long and pointed apophysis or appendage. The female has not been identified.

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

Menemerus pallescens is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Yemen. The spider was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. Other examples have been found in the Emirate of Dubai. The spider is medium sized with a carapace that is between 2.5 and 3.1 mm long and abdomen between 3.4 and 4.2 mm long. The carapace is dark brown with white stripes at the back. The abdomen is yellowish-beige or light grey, sometimes with a pattern of lines and spots. The legs are yellow. The spider is hard to distinguish from others in the genus without a study of its copulatory organs. The spider has a shallow notch at rearmost edge of its epigyne and long accessory glands. The male has not been described.

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

Menemerus patellaris is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Yemen. The spider was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is medium-sized with a carapace that is typically 2.6 mm (0.10 in) long and abdomen between 2.9 mm (0.11 in) long. The carapace is brown with white stripes on the edges. The abdomen is yellowish-beige, while the legs are yellow. The spider is hard to distinguish from others in the genus without a study of its copulatory organs. It has a very short embolus and a distinctive furrow in its tegulum dividing a sac of tissue used in copulation called the haematodocha. In addition to the spike, or apophysis on its tibia, it has another one on the patellar, the section between the tibia and the palpal bulb.

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

Menemerus tropicus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Kenya and Uganda near Lake Victoria. The spider lives in large nest complexes that can stretch between trees in mangrove savannas. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has written during her lifetime. It is a small spider, with a flattened cephalothorax that is between 1.7 and 2.1 mm and a rounded abdomen between 1.7 and 2.9 mm long. The female is larger than the male and has a darker abdomen and lighter carapace. The male abdomen has a pattern that includes a brown streak and silver spots. The female has a yellowish streak, in some examples, with yellow patches. The legs are brown and yellow. The copulatory organs help distinguish the species from others in the genus. The male has a very short double embolus and very large retrolateral apophysis. The female has a narrower pocket in its epigyne, narrow insemination ducts and small spherical spermathecae.

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

Menemerus cummingorum is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Zimbabwe. The species was first described in 2007 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she has written during her lifetime. It is medium-sized spider, with a flattened cephalothorax that is between 2.2 and 2.4 mm and an oval abdomen between 2.3 and 2.9 mm long. The female has a larger abdomen than the male. It is also dark brown and marked with a large yellow leaf-shaped pattern compared to the yellowish-grey of the male. Both the male and female have a dark brown carapace, with a pattern of white streaks, a line and five patches, although the pattern is more pronounced on the male. It has yellow legs, the foremost pair being darker and having brown patches. It is similar to the related Menemerus minshullae, but larger.

References

  1. 1 2 A revision of the spider genus Menemerus in Africa
  2. 1 2 3 4 Featured Creatures. entnemdept.ufl.edu.
  3. Land M. 1972. Mechanisms of orientation and pattern recognition by jumping spiders (Salticidae). Pages 231-247 In Information processing in the visual system of arthropods, R. Wehner, ed. Berlin, Springer-Verlag.
  4. DeVoe RD. 1975. Ultraviolet and green receptors in principal eyes of jumping spiders. Journal of General Physiology 66: 193-208.
  5. Spiders of India
  6. Feeding behavior of trunk-living jumping spiders (Salticidae) in a coastal primary forest in The Gambia
  7. "Taxon details Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2020-11-11

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.485.4929&rep=rep1&type=pdf