''Attulus saltator'' (formerly ''Sitticus saltator'') is a species of jumping spider, from the Sitticinae subfamily. It was first described by Frederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1868 and has a Palearctic distribution, including Great Britain.

Description

Females have a body length of up to about , males being slightly smaller at around . 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 black with a lighter marking in the midline, the abdomen brownish with lighter markings. The fourth pair of legs are longer than in species of the closely related genus ''Sitticus''. Identification is based on the precise structure of the female

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. ...

and the male palpal bulb.

Taxonomy

The species was first described, as ''Attus saltator'', by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1868. In 1871, he moved it 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 ...

''. It has also been placed in the genus ''

Sitticus ''Attulus'' is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1889. The name is a diminutive form of a common prefix for salticid genera, '. Taxonomy In 1889, Eugène Simon separated the genus ''Attulus'' from the ...

'', the placement used by most (but not all) arachnologists until 2017, when

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 ...

split the genus ''Sitticus'', creating five new genera, as well as transferring some species, including ''S. saltator'', to the genus ''

Attulus ''Attulus'' is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1889. The name is a diminutive form of a common prefix for salticid genera, '. Taxonomy In 1889, Eugène Simon separated the genus ''Attulus'' from the ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Attulus saltator'' is found from western Europe through to south-western Siberia. In England and Wales, it is mainly found in sandy places such as sand

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. Elsewhere in northern Europe, it is widespread, but uncommon.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1764900 Sitticini Spiders of Europe Spiders described in 1868