Redefinition and partial revision of the genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886 (Arachnida, Araneae, Salticidae)

Abstract

This paper presents an improved diagnosis and definition of the genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886, with new taxonomic and faunistic data for 23 species. The genera Microheros Wesołowska & Cumming, 1999 and Mashonarus Wesołowska & Cumming, 2002 are synonymized with Stenaelurillus. Six new species are described: Stenaelurillus bandama sp. nov. (♂♀, from Côte d’Ivoire), S. belihuloya sp. nov. (♂, from Sri Lanka), S. jocquei sp. nov. (♂♀, from Cameroon), S. pseudoguttatus sp. nov. (♂, from Namibia), S. senegalensis sp. nov. (♂♀, from Senegal), and Stenaelurillus siyamae sp. nov. (♀, from Sudan). Lectotypes are designated for two species: S. albopunctatus Caporiacco, 1949 (♂) from Kenya and S. werneri Simon, 1906 (♀) from South Sudan. Six new combinations are proposed: Aelurillus ambiguus (Denis, 1966), comb. nov. (ex Stenaelurillus); Evarcha werneri (Simon, 1906), comb. nov. (ex Stenaelurillus); Phlegra davidi (Caleb, Mungkung & Mathai, 2015), comb. nov. (ex Mashonarus); Stenaelurillus brandbergensis (Wesołowska, 2006), comb. nov. (ex Mashonarus); Stenaelurillus guttatus (Wesołowska & Cumming, 2002), comb. nov. (ex Mashonarus); and S. termitophagus (Wesołowska & Cumming, 1999), comb. nov. (ex Microheros). Two species names are synonymized: Evarcha elegans Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 with E. werneri comb. nov.; and Aelurillus sahariensis Berland & Millot, 1941 with Stenaelurillus nigricaudus Simon, 1886. The female of S. fuscatus Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 is described for the first time.

A new species of Aelurillus Simon, 1884 (Aranei: Salticidae) from Thailand, with the first description of the male of A. afghanus Azarkina, 2006

“…The terminology follows Azarkina & Zamani [2019] and Logunov & Azarkina [2018]. Abbreviations used in the text are as follows: ALE -anterior lateral eyes, AME -anterior median eyes, ap -apical, CO -copulatory openings, ddorsal, ED -embolic division, EP -epigynal pocket, EWepigynal wings, Fm -femur, ID -insemination duct, Mt -metatarsus, pr -prolateral, PLE -posterior lateral eyes, PS -primary spermatheca, Pt -patella, RTAretrolateral tibial apophysis, SR -salticid radix, TAterminal apophysis, Tb -tibia, rt -retrolateral, vventral.…”

New chrysilline and aelurilline jumping spiders from Pakistan (Araneae, Salticidae)

“…The subtribe Aelurillina includes more than 260 species in nine genera in the Old World (Maddison 2015; Logunov and Azarkina 2018), and a single species in the New World (Logunov and Koponen 2002). Stenaelurillus , recently reviewed by Logunov and Azarkina (2018), are ground-dwelling spiders, notable for the highly ornamented males of some species (Caleb and Sanap 2016).…”

“…Stenaelurillus , recently reviewed by Logunov and Azarkina (2018), are ground-dwelling spiders, notable for the highly ornamented males of some species (Caleb and Sanap 2016). Most of its 45 known species are African (World Spider Catalog 2018; Wesołowska 2014b; Logunov and Azarkina 2018), but there is a centre of diversity in south Asia (see figure 507 of Logunov and Azarkina 2018), with 8 species in India (Caleb et al 2015; Caleb et al 2017b; Caleb and Mathai 2016; Logunov and Azarkina 2018; Prajapati et al 2016; Sebastian et al 2015; Vidhel et al 2015; Wesołowska 2014a), one from Iran (Logunov 2001), and one from Pakistan (Logunov and Azarkina 2018). We here describe a second species from Pakistan.…”

“…An embolus of this shape is unique among known Stenaelurillus . Two species with a similar prolateral extension near the base of the embolus are S.triguttatus Simon 1886 from Nepal, and S.arambagensis (Biswas & Biswas, 1992) from Pakistan, but in both of those species the extension points distally (Wesołowska 2014a; Logunov and Azarkina 2018) and at least in S.arambagensis it is not part of the embolus, but rather of the functional tegulum (Logunov and Azarkina 2018: 20). The prolateral extension of S.mardanicus is clearly part of the embolic division (Figs 18, 19, 20).…”

“…The salticid spider fauna of Pakistan is little studied, with only a few species reported to date (Azarkina 2004; Bauer et al 2015; Logunov and Azarkina 2018; Logunov et al 2011; Wesołowska and Freudenschuss 2012). However, an ongoing project to discover the country’s salticid diversity is revealing that many species are present, especially of the tribes Chrysillini and Aelurillini.…”