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{{Short description|Species of jumping spider}}
'''''Pachyballus miniscutulus''''' is a [[species]] of [[jumping spider]] in the [[genus]] ''[[Pachyballus]]'' that lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa. It was first [[Species description|described]] in 2020 by [[Wanda Wesołowska]], Galina Azarkina and Konrad Wiśniewski. A very small spider, it has a [[cephalothorax]] that is ranges from 1 to 1.3 mm long and an [[Opisthosoma|abdomen]] that is between 1.7 and 1.9 mm long. The spider is generally dark brown on top. The bottom of its celphalothorax is yellowish-brown and its abdomen is grey-brown and has a distinctive [[Scute|scutum]]. This scutum is recalled in the species name, which means "small shield". The spider has a dark brown [[Clypeus (arthropod anatomy)|clypeus]] and yellowish-brown [[spinneret]]s. Apart from the sputum, the spider can be identified by its [[Spider_anatomy#Reproductive_system|copulatory organs]]. The male has a [[palpal bulb]] that has bulges that extend below its [[Cymbium (spider anatomy)|cymbium]] and the female has a heart-shaped [[epigyne]] that contains a spade-like or circular section.
{{Speciesbox
| image = Pachyballus miniscutulus (10.3897-zookeys.944.49921) Figures 58–61.jpg
| image_caption =
| genus = Pachyballus
| species = miniscutulus
| authority =[[Wanda Wesołowska|Wesołowska]], Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020
}}

'''''Pachyballus miniscutulus''''' is a [[species]] of [[jumping spider]] in the [[genus]] ''[[Pachyballus]]'' that lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa. It was first [[Species description|described]] in 2020 by [[Wanda Wesołowska]], Galina Azarkina and Konrad Wiśniewski. A very small spider, it has a [[cephalothorax]] that is ranges from 1 to 1.3 mm long and an [[Opisthosoma|abdomen]] that is between 1.7 and 1.9 mm long. The spider is generally dark brown on top. The bottom of its celphalothorax is yellowish-brown and its abdomen is grey-brown and has a distinctive [[Scute|scutum]]. This scutum is recalled in the species name, which means "small shield". The spider has a dark brown [[Clypeus (arthropod anatomy)|clypeus]] and yellowish-brown [[spinneret]]s. Apart from the sputum, the spider can be identified by its [[Spider_anatomy#Reproductive_system|copulatory organs]]. The male has a [[palpal bulb]] that has bulges that extend below its [[Cymbium (spider anatomy)|cymbium]] and the female has a heart-shaped [[epigyne]] that contains a spade-like or circular section and longer insemination ducts than ''[[Pachyballus mombasensis]]''.


==Taxonomy and etymology==
==Taxonomy and etymology==
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The female has a smaller cephalothorax than the male, measuring between {{convert|1|and|1.1|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length and between 1.1 and {{convert|1.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} in width, while its abdomen is larger, between {{convert|1.8|and|1.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|1.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} and 1.8 mm in width.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=66}} It is similar externally to the male, apart from its yellow legs and pedipalps.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=67}} As with the male, it has distinctive copulatory organs. The female spider's [[epigyne]], or externally visible copulatory organ, is heart-shaped and has a semi-circular depression that contains a spade-like or circular section. The two copulatory openings lead to insemination ducts that wind their way to relatively small receptacles, or [[spermatheca]]e.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=68}}
The female has a smaller cephalothorax than the male, measuring between {{convert|1|and|1.1|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length and between 1.1 and {{convert|1.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} in width, while its abdomen is larger, between {{convert|1.8|and|1.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|1.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} and 1.8 mm in width.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=66}} It is similar externally to the male, apart from its yellow legs and pedipalps.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=67}} As with the male, it has distinctive copulatory organs. The female spider's [[epigyne]], or externally visible copulatory organ, is heart-shaped and has a semi-circular depression that contains a spade-like or circular section. The two copulatory openings lead to insemination ducts that wind their way to relatively small receptacles, or [[spermatheca]]e.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=68}}


The species is distinguished from others in the genus by the small scutum at the base of its abdomen. This is also proportionately wider than related spiders, two or three times more, and equal to the distance between the spinnerets. It can also be identified by its copulatory organs. Although externally, the female is similar to ''[[Pachyballus mombasensis]]'', its insemination ducts are longer.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=66}}
The species is distinguished from others in the genus by the small scutum at the base of its abdomen. This is also proportionately wider than related spiders, two or three times more, and equal to the distance between the spinnerets. It can also be identified by its copulatory organs. Although externally, the female is similar to ''[[Pachyballus mombasensis]]'', particularly the shape of its epigyne, its insemination ducts are longer.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=66}}


==Distribution and habitat==
==Distribution and habitat==
''Pachyballus'' spiders generally live in Africa and have been found in Yemen.{{sfn|Wesołowska|van Harten|1994|page=83}} ''Pachyballus miniscutulus'' lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa.<ref name=wsc/> The [[holotype]] was found in the [[Free State National Botanical Garden]] in 2012.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=65}} Other examples have been found in the areas and also in [[Ithala Game Reserve]] in [[KwaZulu-Natal]].{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|pages=66, 95}} The first example to be be seen in Ivory Coast was found in 1976 but not identified until 2022.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Russell-Smith|2022|page=70}}
''Pachyballus'' spiders generally live in Africa and have been found in Yemen.{{sfn|Wesołowska|van Harten|1994|page=83}} ''Pachyballus miniscutulus'' lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa.<ref name=wsc/> The [[holotype]] was found in the [[Free State National Botanical Garden]] in 2012.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=65}} Other examples have been found in the area and also in [[Ithala Game Reserve]] in [[KwaZulu-Natal]].{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|pages=66, 95}} The first example to be be seen in Ivory Coast was found in 1976 but was not identified until 2022.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Russell-Smith|2022|page=70}} The spider lives in vegetation near to streams and in open [[grassland]]. Specimens have been found in the [[plant litter]] found under ''[[Searsia lancea]]'' and at the base of grassy tussocks.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Azarkina|Wiśniewski|2020|page=66}}


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 22:06, 7 September 2024

Pachyballus miniscutulus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Salticinae
Genus: Pachyballus
Species:
P. miniscutulus
Binomial name
Pachyballus miniscutulus
Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020

Pachyballus miniscutulus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Pachyballus that lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa. It was first described in 2020 by Wanda Wesołowska, Galina Azarkina and Konrad Wiśniewski. A very small spider, it has a cephalothorax that is ranges from 1 to 1.3 mm long and an abdomen that is between 1.7 and 1.9 mm long. The spider is generally dark brown on top. The bottom of its celphalothorax is yellowish-brown and its abdomen is grey-brown and has a distinctive scutum. This scutum is recalled in the species name, which means "small shield". The spider has a dark brown clypeus and yellowish-brown spinnerets. Apart from the sputum, the spider can be identified by its copulatory organs. The male has a palpal bulb that has bulges that extend below its cymbium and the female has a heart-shaped epigyne that contains a spade-like or circular section and longer insemination ducts than Pachyballus mombasensis.

Taxonomy and etymology

Pachyballus miniscutulus is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae, that was first described by the arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska, Galina Azarkina and Konrad Wiśniewski in 2020.[1] It is one of over 500 different species identified by Wesołowska in her career.[2] It has a species name that is made of two Latin words that can be translated "small" and "shield".[3] They allocated the spider to the genus Pachyballus, first circumscribed in 1900 by Eugène Simon.[4]

When he first established the genus, Simon assigned Pachyballus to the Balleae group alongside the related genus Peplometus.[4] In their 2003 phylogenetic analysis, Wayne Maddison and Marshall Hedin noted that the genus is closely related to Mantisatta, despite the large physiological differences between them, and the similarity of those spiders with a group of genera they termed Marpissoida.[5] In 2004, Suresh Benjamin tentatively included in the genus, along with Ballus, in his subfamily Ballinae.[6] In 2007, Wesołowska and Anthony van Harten noted the similarity of the genus with Planiemen.[7] In 2015, Maddison listed the genus within the tribe Ballini, derived from Simon's original name, but attributed to an earlier author, Nathan Banks from 1892.[8] He allocated the tribe to the clade Marpissoida in the clade Salticoida.[9] In 2016, Jerzy Prószyński added the genus to a group of genera termed Ballines, which contains many of the same genera, including Ballus, Peplometus and Planiemen.[10] It is likely that the ballines diverged from the wider Marpissoida clade between 20 and 25 million years ago, although Daniela Andriamalala estimated the family to be 3.99 million years old.[11]

Description

Pachyballus miniscutulus is a wide-bodied spider that resembles a beetle.[8] It is very small and can be overlooked, with specimens being identified as immature examples of other species.[12] The spider's body is divided into two main parts: a round cephalothorax and a larger, wider and heart-shaped abdomen.[13] The male has a cephalothorax that measures typically 1.3 mm (0.05 in) in length and 1.25 mm (0.05 in) in width. The carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is dark brown with black rings around its eyes. The sternum, the underside of the cephalothorax, is yellowish-brown. The main parts of its mouthparts, including its labium and maxillae, are also yellowish-brown but the spider's chelicerae are dark brown. Its clypeus and cheeks are also dark brown, but they also have a covering of sparse white hairs.[3]

The spider's abdomen is larger than the cephalothorax, measuring typically 1.7 mm (0.07 in) in length and width. It is dark brown on top and brownish-grey underneath. There is also a small noticeable scutum on the underside that typically covers a fifth of the total length of the abdomen. This small scutum is the source of the spider's name. The spider has yellow book lung covers and yellowish-brown spinnerets. The spider's first pair of legs while the remainder are a lighter brown. All have brown leg hairs.[3]

Pachyballus miniscutulus has distinctive copulatory organs. It has brown pedipalps with yellow tips.[13] The cymbium is semi-cylindrical in shape and has a noticeable notch near the top on the inside. Beneath this, it is attached to the palpal bulb, which is very bulbous and extends below the cymbium. The bulb has a long embolus extending from its top that wraps around the bulb in a wide coil and projects from this out to the side. The palpal tibia has a single small curved spike, or tibial apophysis, projecting upwards.[14]

The female has a smaller cephalothorax than the male, measuring between 1 and 1.1 mm (0.039 and 0.043 in) in length and between 1.1 and 1.2 mm (0.047 in) in width, while its abdomen is larger, between 1.8 and 1.9 mm (0.071 and 0.075 in) in length and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) and 1.8 mm in width.[3] It is similar externally to the male, apart from its yellow legs and pedipalps.[13] As with the male, it has distinctive copulatory organs. The female spider's epigyne, or externally visible copulatory organ, is heart-shaped and has a semi-circular depression that contains a spade-like or circular section. The two copulatory openings lead to insemination ducts that wind their way to relatively small receptacles, or spermathecae.[14]

The species is distinguished from others in the genus by the small scutum at the base of its abdomen. This is also proportionately wider than related spiders, two or three times more, and equal to the distance between the spinnerets. It can also be identified by its copulatory organs. Although externally, the female is similar to Pachyballus mombasensis, particularly the shape of its epigyne, its insemination ducts are longer.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Pachyballus spiders generally live in Africa and have been found in Yemen.[15] Pachyballus miniscutulus lives in Ivory Coast and South Africa.[1] The holotype was found in the Free State National Botanical Garden in 2012.[16] Other examples have been found in the area and also in Ithala Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.[17] The first example to be be seen in Ivory Coast was found in 1976 but was not identified until 2022.[18] The spider lives in vegetation near to streams and in open grassland. Specimens have been found in the plant litter found under Searsia lancea and at the base of grassy tussocks.[3]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b World Spider Catalog (2021). "Pachyballus miniscutulus Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski, 2020". World Spider Catalog. 24.5. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. ^ Wiśniewski 2020, p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, p. 66.
  4. ^ a b Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, p. 48.
  5. ^ Maddison & Hedin 2003, p. 539.
  6. ^ Benjamin 2004, p. 11.
  7. ^ Wesołowska & van Harten 2007, p. 244.
  8. ^ a b Maddison 2015, p. 244.
  9. ^ Maddison 2015, p. 277.
  10. ^ Prószyński 2017, p. 88.
  11. ^ Bodner & Maddison 2012, p. 226.
  12. ^ Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2022, p. 71.
  13. ^ a b c Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, p. 67.
  14. ^ a b Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, p. 68.
  15. ^ Wesołowska & van Harten 1994, p. 83.
  16. ^ Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, p. 65.
  17. ^ Wesołowska, Azarkina & Wiśniewski 2020, pp. 66, 95.
  18. ^ Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2022, p. 70.

Bibliography