Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965

Wiśniewski, Konrad & Wesołowska, Wanda, 2024, Jumping spiders (Salticidae) of Uganda - revised list, new species and distributional data, European Journal of Taxonomy 952, pp. 1-171 : 74-77

Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965

Figs 48–49

Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965: 53 , fig. 52.

Myrmarachne mussungue Wanless, 1978a: 42 , fig. 19d–e, g–j, syn. nov.

Myrmarachne evidens – Wanless 1978a: 42, figs 20a, h–i, 21d, f, i, 22a, d.

Diagnosis

The species is similar to Myrmarachne hesperia ( Simon, 1887) from West Africa. The male can be distinguished by the tibial apophysis, which has a narrow flange (in lateral view), whereas the flange in M. hesperia is wide – compare Fig. 49C with Wesołowska & Edwards (2012: fig. 74); in addition, M. evidens lacks the ventral scutum on the abdomen, which is present in other species. The female may be recognized by comparatively longer copulatory ducts than M. hesperia (cf. Fig. 49E with fig. 76 in Wesołowska & Edwards 2012).

Material examined

UGANDA • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Entebbe ; bush; 1200 m a.s.l.; 26 Feb. 1938; A. Holm leg.; MEU • 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Entebbe, Botanical Gardens ; 2 Apr. 1995; D. Penney leg.; NHM • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 15 Apr. 1995; NHM • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; Jul. 1994; NHM • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 2 Jul. 1988; A. Russell-Smith leg.; MRAC 236 108 • 1 ♂; Jinja; 0°29′ N, 33°8′ E; Jan. 1996; FSCA • 1 ♂; Jinja, Bujagali Falls ; Aug. 1994; NHM • 1 ♂; Kampala, Namulonge Research Station ; 0°34′ N, 34°50′ E; harvested maize field; 4 Oct 1997; A. Russell-Smith leg.; MRAC 236 127 • 2 ♂♂; Mpigi distr.; Jul. 2001; FSCA • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; Jan. 1996; FSCA .

Redescription

Male

General appearance as in Fig. 48A–B , body slender.

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.9–2.5, width 1.1, height 1.0. Eye field length 1.0–1.1, anterior width 1.0, posterior width 1.1. Abdomen length 2.2–2.6, width 0.8–1.0.

CARAPACE. Elongate with constriction at the mid-point, dark brown to black, eye field pitted, white hairs between anterior eyes and in fissure, faint transparent hairs on thoracic part. Chelicerae very long, dark brown, fang with short apophysis, seven long and four short (at base) teeth on promargin distributed full length of chelicera, 6–10 tiny teeth on retromargin ( Figs 48C , 49A ). Sternum, labium and endites brown.

ABDOMEN. Elongated, dirty yellowish with two dark brown dorsal scuta ( Fig. 48A ). Long thin colourless hairs on abdomen. Spinnerets grey.

LEGS. Dark yellow with brown femora, metatarsus I dark.

PALPS. Brown. Palpal organ as in Figs 48D–E , 49B–C , tibial apophysis sinusoid, with narrow flange (in lateral view), bulb rounded, embolus thin, encircles the bulb twice.

Female

General appearance as in Fig. 48F–H . Similar to male, slightly paler.

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 2.4–2.5, width 1.1, height 0.8–0.9. Eye field length 1.0–1.1, anterior and posterior width 1.1. Abdomen length 2.8–3.2, width 1.2–1.3.

CARAPACE. Brown, eyes with black rings. Chelicera with seven small teeth on both margins.

ABDOMEN. Without scuta, yellowish, grey anteriorly, with brown wide streak at two thirds of its length. Venter with broad median grey streak. Spinnerets grey.

LEGS. First and second pair yellow, only metatarsus I brown. Leg III and IV with dark brown femora and tibiae, other segments yellowish. Leg IV longest.

EPIGYNE. With two triangular depressions and pair of very small pockets placed far from posterior epigynal border ( Figs 48J , 49D ). Internal structure as in Figs 48K , 49E , inlet parts of copulatory ducts very weakly sclerotized, copulatory ducts long, form three loops.

Synonymisation

The two species of Myrmarachne were originally described from a single sex, viz. M. evidens ♂ and M. mussungue ♀. The studied samples contain both sexes together, which suggests that these species names should be synonymized.

Distribution

Previously known from Congo ( M. evidens ) and Angola ( M. mussungue ), this is the first record of the species in Uganda.

Figures

Fig. 48. Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965. A–E. ♂ (MEU). A. General appearance, dorsal view. B. General appearance, lateral view. C. Chelicerae, ventral view. D. Palpal organ, ventral view. E. Palpal organ, lateral view. F–K. ♀ (MEU). F. General appearance, dorsal view. G. General appearance, lateral view. H. General appearance, ventral view. J. Epigyne. K. Internal structure of epigyne.

Fig. 49. Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965. A–C. ♂ (MEU). A. Chelicera. B. Palpal organ, ventral view. C. Palpal organ, lateral view. D–E. ♀ (MEU). D. Epigyne. E. Internal structure of epigyne.