''Eburneana scharffi'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''

Eburneana ''Eburneana'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae ( jumping spiders). Like several other salticids, this genus mimicks ants. Description ''Eburneana'' are rather big ant-like spiders with a constricted cephalothorax. They are long. ...

'' that mimics ants. Found in Tanzania, the spider was first described in 2001. It is a large spider, particularly the male, with a

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 between long, and shares features to both species in its own genus and those in the family Pelleninae. The female has a distinctive pattern on its abdomen formed by white hairs. It is the type species of the genus.

Taxonomy

''Eburneana scharffi'' is a species of jumping spider that was first named by Wanda Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts in 2001. It is the type species of the genus ''

'', one of many of spiders that mimic ants. The genus is named for ''Litus Eburneum'', the Latin name for

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, the place where one of the members of the genus, ''

Eburneana magna ''Eburneana magna'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Eburneana'' that mimics ants. It is a large spider, as is emphasised by the species name, the Latin for big, with a body that can be up to in length, although only the female ha ...

'' was first found. The species is named in honour of Nikolaj Scharff, the curator of Arachnida at the Zoological Museum at the University in Copenhagen. It is one of over 500 species identified by Wesołowska. In 2015, the genus was added to the subclade Saltafresia in the clade

Salticoida Salticoida is an unranked clade of the jumping spider family Salticidae. It is the larger and more widespread of the two subdivisions of the "typical" jumping spiders (subfamily Salticinae), occurring effectively world-wide. Its sister clade is ...

based on the analysis of 8 genes. In 2017, it was added to the supergroup Hylloida by Jerzy Prószyński based on a description of this species.

Description

A large ant-like spider, ''Eburneana scharffi'' has a flat and slender body. The male is larger, with a dark brown

that looks extended and measures between long and between wide. The smaller female has a slightly smaller carapace that is long and between . The abdomen is also elongated and measures between in length and between in width. The female has a series of light patches on its abdomen made from short white hairs that form a distinguishing pattern. The carapace is covered with grey hairs. The spider is distinguished from other members of genus by the four nipple-like shapes on its spinneret. The male has a particularly long and slender embolus, while the pattern on the abdomen of the female makes it easy to tell apart. Compared to the male ''

Eburneana wandae ''Eburneana wandae'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Eburneana'' that mimics ants. It was named by Tamás Szűts after the Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska. The male of the species was first described in 2003, with the holot ...

'' specifically, the spider can be identified by the swollen tibia in the front leg and more robust chelicerae. It shares some similarities with other ant-mimicking jumping spiders, particularly the males that have front legs that are similar to members of the family Pelleninae.

Distribution

''Eburneana scharffi'' is the only member of the genus that is endemic to Tanzania. The holotype was found in the Usambara Mountains but the species has been found at a number of other locations around the country, including the Kazimzubwe Forest Reserve in the

Kisarawe District Kisarawe is one of the six districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the East by Dar es Salaam Region, to the north by the Kibaha District, to the east by the Mkuranga District, to the south by the Rufiji District and to the we ...

and the Namakut wa-Nyamuete Forest Reserve in the

Rufiji District Rufiji is one of the six districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Kisarawe and Mkuranga Districts, to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Kilwa District, Lindi Region and to the west by the Morog ...

. A juvenile member of the species was found in the

Mkomazi National Park Mkomazi National Park is located in northeastern Tanzania on the Kenyan border, in Kilimanjaro Region and Tanga Region. It was established as a game reserve in 1951 and upgraded to a national park in 2006. The park covers over , and is dominate ...

in 2000, only later recognised as an example of the species.

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2417682 Endemic fauna of Tanzania Salticidae Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 2001 Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska