Jotus L. Koch, 1881

Baehr, Barbara C., Schubert, Joseph & Harms, Danilo, 2019, The Brushed Jumping Spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Jotus L. Koch, 1881) from Eastern Australia, Evolutionary Systematics 3 (1), pp. 53-73 : 53

Genus Jotus L. Koch, 1881

Jotus L. Koch, 1881a: 1243. Type species: Jotus auripes L. Koch, 1881. Designated by monotypy.

Diagnosis.

The classification of Australian jumping spider genera is in flux and the original diagnosis by Koch is clearly outdated and mixes plesiomorphies with putative autapomorphies. Davies and Zabka (1989) diagnosed Jotus by male leg III <leg IV, presence of fringes on male leg I, and lack of stridulatory ridges on the back of the carapace. Jotus is similar to other genera in the " Saitis clade" of jumping spiders by having a relatively large male palpal bulb with a retrolateral sperm duct loop, a large retrobasal tegular lobe, a finger-like retolateral tibial apophysis, an anticlockwise coiled embolus, and a lamella on the tegular shoulder of the male palp ( Zhang and Maddison 2015). The males of Jotus differ from these genera by legs III & IV nearly the same length or legs III as long as IV, leg I raised in display, tarsus I usually white, tibia and metatarsus I often fringed with long setae that form a brush, and prosoma with a broad lateral band of white scales. The opisthosoma is medially dark but often has white lateral bands of setae ( Otto and Hill 2016). We agree with Otto and Hill (2016) that colour patterns (carapace with lateral stripes, opisthosoma with lateral bands) and presence of a brush of setae in males to lure females are the best characters to diagnose this genus in the field.

Included species.

Jotus auripes L. Koch, 1881; J. braccatus L. Koch, 1881, J. debilis L. Koch, 1881; J. frosti Peckham & Peckham, 1901; J. insulanus (Rainbow 1920), J. maculivertex Stand, 1911; J. minutus L. Koch 1881; J. ravus (Urquhart 1893); J. remus Otto & Hill, 2016.