''Neaetha catula'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''

Neaetha ''Neaetha'' is a genus of Salticidae, jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon, Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. Species it contains thirteen species, found only in Asia, Europe, and Africa: *''Neaetha absheronica'' Logunov & Gusein ...

'' that lives in East and Southern Africa. The male was first described in 1886 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, ...

and the female by Ludovico di Caporiacco in 1949. First discovered in Zanzibar, examples have also been identified in Kenya. The spider is small, long, with a generally black

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 ...

and abdomen, although the abdomen has a pattern of spots towards the rear and a thin line that divides it in two. The species can be distinguished from others in the genus by the lack of central pocket in the female's

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. ...

. This feature led Dmitri Logunov to consider whether the spider belongs to the genus.

Taxonomy

''Neaetha catula'' was first described by

in 1886. It was allocated to the genus ''

'', which itself had been first raised by Simon in 1884. The genus is named for two Greek words, néos, which means new, and théa, which can be translated aspect. The species was considered of uncertain taxonomic status by Dmitri Logunov in 2009. The species in the genus are hard to distinguish, leading to Barbara Patoleta and Marek Żabka suggesting that to understand the relationships between the different species requires the study of genes rather than physical attributes. A

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

study undertaken by Wayne Maddison and Marshall Hedin identified that the genus is most closely related 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 phylogenetic] similarities with ''

Carrhotus ''Carrhotus'' is a genus of Salticidae, jumping spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1891. The name is derived from the Greek Κάῤῥωτος. Species it contains thirty-three species, found in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Bra ...

'' and ''

Hasarius ''Hasarius'' is a spider genus of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). ''H. neocaledonicus'' was removed from ''Hasarius'' in 2008 and put in its own genus, ''Rhondes''. Species * ''Hasarius adansoni'' (Audouin, 1826) – Cosmopolitan * '' ...

'', amongst other genera of jumping spiders. The genus was placed in the subtribe Harmochirina in the tribe Plexippini by 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. The subtribe is divided into harmochirines and pellenines, and the genus is allocated to the latter group, which is characterised by living on open sunny ground.

Description

The spider is short, measuring in length. It has a black

that is thinner in the middle. The

cephalon Cephalon, Inc. was an American biopharmaceutical company co-founded in 1987 by pharmacologist Frank Baldino, Jr., neuroscientist Michael Lewis, and organic chemist James C. Kauer—all three former scientists with the DuPont Company. Baldino s ...

is yellow and covered in scales. Scales can also be found at the edges of 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 ...

, particularly around the thorax. A central line crosses the carapace, and another crosses the abdomen, dividing it into a plain black area towards the front and a more rearward area that has a pattern of spots. The chelicerae are also black. The legs are more colourful, although also mainly black. The pedipalps are yellow. The male has a bulbous palpal bulb and a long embolus. The females of the genus are generally hard to distinguish. In this species, the female has an

that does not have the central pocket that is common to other members of the genus, which has led to doubts about whether it belongs to the genus.

Distribution and habitat

The spider was first observed in Zanzibar. It was subsequently also found near

Mackinnon Road Mackinnon Road is a town in Kwale County, Kenya, with a population of around 8000 in 1999, located between Mombasa and Voi. Just a few kilometers from Taru. History In World War II a Fleet Air Arm airfield was established at Mackinnon Road aft ...

, Kenya. The

species distribution Species distribution —or species dispersion — is the manner in which a biological taxon is spatially arranged. The geographic limits of a particular taxon's distribution is its range, often represented as shaded areas on a map. Patterns of ...

extends to East and Southern Africa.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2610367 Fauna of Kenya Fauna of Tanzania Spiders described in 1886 Spiders of Africa Salticidae Taxa named by Eugène Simon