Asemonea stella Wanless, 1980

Wesolowska, Wanda & Haddad, Charles R., 2009, Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of the Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa, African Invertebrates 50 (1), pp. 13-103 : 21

Asemonea stella Wanless, 1980

Figs 12, 13

Asemonea stella: Wanless 1980: 237 , figs 16a–f, 28; Wesolowska & Russell-Smith 2000: 16, figs 14–17;

Szüts 2000: 63, figs 1–6.

See Wanless (1980) for description of male and Wesolowska & Russell-Smith (2000) for description of female.

Redescription:

Female.

Measurements: Carapace length 1.4, width 0.9, height 0.7. Abdomen length 2.0, width 1.2. Eye field length 0.5, anterior width 0.8, posterior width 0.6.

General appearance as in Fig. 12; small, light coloured spider. Carapace pear-shaped, eyes typical for Lyssomaninae , in four rows, situated on high tubercles; posterior median eyes relatively large; fovea sulciform; colouration of carapace creamy (light green in living individuals), two parallel black lines on thoracic part, eyes (except anterior median ones) surrounded by black rings. Mouthparts and sternum pale; chelicerae with five very small teeth on promargin and four on retromargin.Abdomen whitish with blackish pattern, characteristic star-shaped patch on centre of dorsum ( Fig. 12); venter light; spinnerets white. Legs long and thin, last pair longest (with very long metatarsus), black spots on basis and tips of tibiae of all legs, also on metatarsi I and II; spines numerous, long, pale. Whole body covered with fine pale hairs. Epigyne with small depression posteriorly ( Fig. 13).

Material examined: 1^Eastern shore of Shokwe Pan, 26 ° 52.516'S: 32 ° 12.407'E, semi-aquatic vegetation, 4.xii.2000 ( NCA 2008 /2021) .

Distribution: Known from Kenya and Tanzania, also reported from Queensland in Australia. Recorded for the first time in South Africa.

Habitat and biology: This species was collected from broad-leaved woody plants, where its pale green colouration is cryptic.