? Pellenes (Pelmutus) geniculatus (Simon, 1868)

Figs 71, 87–92

Attus geniculatus Simon, 1868: 49 .

Pellenes geniculatus: Simon 1876: 97; Logunov et al. 1999: 126, figs 5, 131–153; Metzner 1999: 128, fig. 94; Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2000: 79, figs 210–213; Wesołowska & van Harten 2007: 239, figs 139–144; Wesołowska & Tomasiewicz 2008: 37; Wesołowska & van Harten 2010: 43, pls 13–16, figs 44–51; Haddad & Wesołowska 2011: 95, figs 108, 109, 123–126.

Salticus simoni Pickard-Cambridge, 1872: 329 .

Pellenes simoni: ProszyŃski 2003: 119: figs 463–468, 487, 488, 492–494, 498–500.

Wesołowska and Van Harten (2007) described both sexes. General appearance of male shown in Fig. 71; genitalic morphology in Figs 87–92.

Material examined: Maseru district: 1♀ Bushman’s Pass, Near Ha Ralitseko, 29°26'S 27°52'E, 2435 m, under rocks, montane grassland, 9.iii.2003 (NCA 2013 /3097) ; 1♀ Mohale Dam, Islands, 29°25'S 28°06'E, 2060 m, 4.iii.2003 (NCA 2013 /3098) ; 1♀ Same locality, 15.xii.2003 (NCA 2013 /3099). Quthing district : 1♀ Ha Lazaro, 30°18'S 28°08'E, 2355 m, under rocks on hillside, 12.xi.2003 (NCA 2013 /3100) ; 1♂ 1♀ Near Ha Liphapang village, 30°27'S 28°00'E, 1660 m, under rocks near Sebapela River, 15.xi.2003 (NCA 2013 /3101) ; 2♂ 2♀ Near Ha Thlaku village, 30°10'S 28°14'E, 2100 m, under rocks near Qhoali River, 14.xi.2003 (NCA 2013 /3102). Thaba-Tseka district : 1♀ Mokhoabong Pass, 29°31'S 28°20'E, 2880 m, under rocks, 9.iii.2003 (NCA 2013 /3103) .

Distribution: A species widely distributed in the Palaearctic Region and Afrotropical Region, having been recorded from Yemen, Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa. Widespread in southern and central Lesotho (Fig. 93).

Remarks: The determination of these specimens as P. geniculatus is based on the occurrence of the species in southern and eastern Africa, including the adjacent Grassland Biome of South Africa (Haddad & Wesołowska 2011). However, the division of the embolus is not identical to that of Palaearctic specimens (Logunov pers. comm.), and a molecular study of different populations of the species may be necessary to clarify their conspecificity and biogeographical relationships.