Sidusa, Peckham & Peckham, 1895

Prószyński, Jerzy, 2017, Pragmatic classification of the World's Salticidae (Araneae), Ecologica Montenegrina 12, pp. 1-133 : 76-77

Sidusa , Cobanus and Wallaba

Palp of Cobanus extensus (Peckham & Peckham, 1896, type species of that genus ( Fig. 38M), differs strikingly from Sidusa gratiosa type species of Sidusa ( Fig. 38N) and from Wallaba metallica Mello-Leitão, 1940 type species of Wallaba Mello-Leitão, 1940 ( Fig. 38O) which excludes possibility of synonymizing these genera. Zhang & Maddison, (2015: 19, f. 151-152) shows entirely different palp captioned as Sidusa cf. extensa . (" cf. extensa " = “confronting extensa ” - in taxonomic descriptions meaning "close to" or "comparable" but not "identical with"), unfortunately they did not say how they come to the "cf." identification. Have they compared it with type specimen of that species? Therefore evidence derived from their drawing must be disregarded. It is true that the only existing diagnostic drawings Figs 38 M- 38O are of insufficient quality, but it was duty of the above mentioned authors to provide better documentation for their proposed changes in the nomenclature. But other species of Cobanus , illustrated by Peckhams and F. O. Pickard-Cambridge do not confirm alleged synonymies either (see copies of their drawings in http://www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/q10-Cob.html or in original papers). As for Wallaba metallica Mello-Leitão, 1940 , type species of that genus, Zhang & Maddison (2015: 19) claim that the type specimen was examined but fail to produce any documentation, the only graphic documentation existing is that shown on Fig. 38O. Therefore:

Sidusa extensa (Peckham & Peckham, 1896) = Cobanus extensus (Peckham & Peckham, 1896) (type

species of the genus Cobanus ) (previous combination reinstated, due to striking palp differences in

their respective type species - compare Figs 38M and 38N).

Sidusa Peckham & Peckham, 1895 (in part) = Cobanus F. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (previous

genus name reinstated, due to striking palp differences in the respective type species - compare Figs

38N and 38M).

Sidusa Peckham & Peckham, 1895 (in part) = Wallaba Mello-Leitão, 1940 (previous genus name

reinstated, due to striking palp differences in the respective type species - compare Figs 38N and

38O).