Aelurillus Tumidulus
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Aelurillus timidulus'' 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 is endemic to Ethiopia. It was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. Only the female has been described. It is a small spider with a
cephalothorax The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
long and rounded abdomen long. The body is black at the front, dark brown at the back of the high pear-shaped
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 ...
and greyish beige across the abdomen. It has a smaller
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. ...
than others in the genus, but the copulatory organs are otherwise similar to other ''Aelurillus'' spiders, having a central pocket and wings alongside the copulatory openings.


Taxonomy

''Aelurillus timidulus'' is a jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae, that was first described by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz in 2008. It is one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist Wesołowska. It was placed 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 ...
'', 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, ...
in 1885. The genus name derives from the Greek word for cat and the species name is derived from the Latin for bulging. The genus 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.


Description

Only the female has been described. It is a small spider; the
cephalothorax The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...
long and wide and abdomen is long and wide. The
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 shaped like a pear, high with a very steep slope from the middle to the back. It is black to the front, towards the eye field, and dark brown towards the back, covered with dense grey-white hairs. The abdomen is round and looks swollen. It is generally lighter, a greyish beige, and has short colourless hairs and bristles. The clypeus is low and dark. The chelicerae has one rear and two front teeth. The spinnerets are grey. The legs are yellow, brown and hairy. 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. ...
is very small with a notch along the back. The epigyne is smaller than others in the genus, which is a key distinguishing feature Otherwise, it is similar to other ''Aelurillus'' spiders in its features, including its a central pocket. There are small wings along the side of the copulatory openings that have slight sclerotization.


Distribution

The spider is endemic to Ethiopia. The species was first identified in the Awash National Park, based on a female holotype collected in 1988.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2300586 Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Salticidae Fauna of Ethiopia Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 2008 Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska