Aelurillus Basseleti
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''Aelurillus basseleti'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''
Aelurillus ''Aelurillus'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Description Species of the genus ''Aelurillus'' are typically about 7 mm long in females, and up to five mm in males. They are stout, squat-shaped and rather f ...
'' 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 A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
is typically between long and the grey-yellow abdomen is between 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.


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 ''Salticus'' (from Latin “''saltus''” – leap or jump) is a genus (biology), genus of the family Salticidae (the jumping spiders). ''Salticus'' is the type genus for the family Salticidae. Description Coloration is determined by various sc ...
''. The genus name was derived from the Latin word saltus, meaning something that jumps. In 1876,
Eugène Simon Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider taxonomist in history, describing over 4, ...
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 ''Aelurillus'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Description Species of the genus ''Aelurillus'' are typically about 7 mm long in females, and up to five mm in males. They are stout, squat-shaped and rather f ...
'' in 1886. The genus ''Aelurillus'' was first described by
Eugène Simon Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider taxonomist in history, describing over 4, ...
one year before, in 1885. The genus name derives from the Greek word for cat. 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 A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
Saltafresia. In 2017, the genus was grouped with nine other genera of jumping spiders under the name Aelurillines by
Jerzy Prószyński Jerzy Prószyński (born 1935 in Warsaw) is a Polish arachnologist specializing in systematics of jumping spiders (family Salticidae). He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, a long-term employee of the Siedlce University of Natural Scienc ...
.


Description

Initially, only the male was described. The spider is small, about long. The male has a dark brown
carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
that is typically long and wide. Two white stripes cross the otherwise black eye field and extend along the rest of the carapace. The grey-yellow abdomen is long and 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 A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ...
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. The palpal bulb is rounded with a long coiled embolus which has a hooked end. The shape of the embolus shows sufficient variation that it is not a distinguishing feature for the species. The female was not described until 2006. it is large, with a carapace that is long and 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 and a width of . 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. The
epigyne The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species. ...
has a pocket and short copulatory ducts. 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. Similarly, there is too large a variation in the male palpal bulb to enable clear differentiation.


Distribution

The spider has been found in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The spider was first identified by Lucas in
Constantine, Algeria Constantine ( ar, قسنطينة '), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman Empire, Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Const ...
. This holotype was subsequently lost. Examples have also been found in locations around the country including
Zemmouri Zemmouri is a town and commune in the Bordj Menaïel District of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. As of 2008, the population of the municipality is 26,408. Villages The villages of the commune of ''Zemmouri'' are: History The coastal site of Zem ...
in 1984, El Harrach in 1985,
Reghaïa Reghaïa is a municipality in Algiers Province, Algeria. It is located in Rouïba district and is the most populated municipality of the district. Geography It is located in the northern part of the plain of Mitidja, with sandy beaches along th ...
in 1988 and
Taghit Taghit ( ar, ﺗﺎﻏﻴﺖ) is a town and commune in Taghit District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. The town is an oasis watered by the underground Oued Zousfana, which runs along beside the dunes of the Grand Erg Occidental. According ...
in 1989. The spider has been found in Tunisia, first noted in
Aïn Draham Aïn Draham ( ') is a city in northwestern Tunisia in the Jendouba Governorate, situated 25 kilometers south of Tabarka near the border with Algeria. Historically a military outpost, summer resort and souq, today it is a regional economic hub. ...
by Eugène Simon in 1885. It has been identified in Jendouba,
Nabeul Nabeul (; ar, نابل ,Tamazight: ⵏⴰⴱⴻⵍ), is a coastal town located in northeastern Tunisia, on the south coast of the Cape Bon peninsula and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on both sides. It is the first seaside resort in Tunisia. ...
and Tunis. 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''. In 2013, Liviu Moscaliuc found the first example in Morocco, near
Sidi Kaouki Sidi Kaouki is a small town located 25 km south of Essaouira. It is a rural commune in Essaouira Province of the Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz region of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost ...
. 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 ''Oxalis pes-caprae'' (African wood-sorrel, Bermuda buttercup, Bermuda sorrel, buttercup oxalis, Cape sorrel, English weed, goat's-foot, sourgrass, soursob or soursop; ) is a species of heterostyly, tristylous yellow-flowering plant in the wood ...
'', in areas of shrubs like ''
Cistus salviifolius ''Cistus salviifolius'', common names sage-leaved rock-rose, salvia cistus or Gallipoli rose, is a shrub of the family Cistaceae. Etymology The genus name ''Cistus'' derives from the Ancient Greek words ''κίσθος'' (''kisthos'') meaning bas ...
'', near to pools found in
dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
s, in palm groves and within plantations of cedar trees.


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* * * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2255476 Fauna of Algeria Fauna of Morocco Fauna of Tunisia Salticidae Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 1846 Taxa named by Hippolyte Lucas