Meleon madagascarensis (Wanless, 1978)

Azarkina, Galina N. & Logunov, Dmitri V., 2010, New data on the jumping spiders of the subfamily Spartaeinae (Araneae: Salticidae) from Africa, African Invertebrates 51 (1), pp. 163-182 : 173-176

Meleon madagascarensis (Wanless, 1978)

Figs 40, 41, 42 –47, 53– 56

Portia madagascarensis: Wanless 1978: 114–116 , figs 16 A–D.

Portia oreophila Wanless, 1978: 116 , figs 17 A–D.

Meleon madagascarensis (Wanless) : Wijesinghe 1994: 57.

Description:

Male (holotype of Portia madagascarensis ).

Measurements: Carapace: length 2.45, width 1.90, height at PLE 1.50. Ocular area: length 1.20, width anteriorly 1.65, width posteriorly 1.45. Diameter of AME 0.50. Abdomen: length 2.60, width 1.60. Clypeal height: 0.10. Cheliceral length: 0.95. Length of leg segments: I 2.40 + 0.90 + 2.45 + 2.45; II 2.20 + 0.90 + 1.95 + 2.05 + 0.75; III 1.90 + 0.75 + 1.45 + 1.90 + 0.75; IV 2.40 + 0.90 +2.00+ 3.05 + 0.75.

Leg spination: I Fm d 0-1 - 1 - 1 pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d 1 - 0-1 - 1 pr and rt 1 - 0-1 -0 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 0- 0-1 - 1 -0 pr 0-1 - 0-1 - 1 rt 0-1 - 0-1 - 1 v 1 -0- 0-2 apl; II Fm d 0-1 - 1 - 1 pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d 1 - 0-1 - 1, pr and rt 1 - 0-1 -0, v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 0- 0-1 - 1 -0, pr 1 - 0-1 - 2 ap, rt 1 - 1-2 ap, v 2 - 0-1 ap; III Fm d 0-1 - 1 - 1, pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 -0- 0-1, pr and rt 1 - 0-1, v 2 - 2 - 2 ap; Mt d 0- 0-1 -0-0, pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap, v 2 - 0-2 ap; IV Fm d 1 - 1 - 1, pr 0- 0-1 - 0-1 - 1, rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb d 1 - 0-1 pr 1 - 0-1 rt 1 - 0-1 - 1 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 2 - 2 -0 pr 0-1 - 2 ap rt 0- 0-2 ap v 1 - 1 - 1 - 0-2 ap.

Colouration ( Fig. 40): Carapace brown, covered with white hairs, with white ocular area and black around eyes. Clypeus pale yellow, covered with white hairs and bristles. Chelicerae brown-yellow. Sternum yellow. Abdomen yellow, but dorsum with a small dark patch in middle part.All legs yellow, but tibiae and metatarsi I and II brown. Palpal structure as in Figs 42–45.

Female (holotype of Portia oreophila ).

Measurements: Carapace: length 2.40, width 1.90, height at PLE 1.50. Ocular area: length 1.20, width anteriorly 1.65, width posteriorly 1.45. Diameter of AME 0.50. Abdomen: length 2.65, width 1.75. Clypeal height: 0.10. Cheliceral length: 1.00. Length of leg segments: I 2.20 + 0.90 + 1.70 + 1.85 + 0.90; II 1.90 + 0.75 + 1.70 + 1.70 + 0.75; III 2.00+ 0.75 + 1.50 + 1.65 + 0.80; IV 2.25 + 0.75 +2.00+ 2.90 + 0.80.

Leg spination: I Fm d 1 - 1 - 1 pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Ti d pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2 -0, Mt d 0- 0-1 - 1 -0-0, pr 1 - 0-1, rt 1 - 1 - 1 ap, v 2 - 0-2 -0; II Fm d 1 - 1 - 1 pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d 1 - 0-1 - 1 pr and rt 1 - 0-1 -0 v 2 - 2 - 1 ap, Mt d 0- 0-1 - 1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1 - 1 ap, v 2 - 0-1 - 1 ap; III Fm d 1 - 1 - 1 pr and rt 0- 0-1 - 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d 1 - 0-1 pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap, v 0-2 - 0-2 ap; IV Fm d 1 - 1 - 1 pr 0-1 - 0-1 - 1 rt 0-0-0- 0-1, Pt pr and rt 1 Tb d 1 - 0-1 pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 2 - 2 -0-0 pr 0- 0-1 - 2 ap rt 0-0- 0-2 ap v 0-2 -0- 0-2 ap.

Colouration: As in the male ( Fig. 41), but tibiae I ventrally with dense fringes of brown hairs. Epigyne and spermathecae as in Figs 54–56.

Type material examined: Portia madagascarensis holotype (♂; MRAC, 142917 ), MADAGASCAR: Mt Ambohisanga , 15 ° 31 'S: 49 °06'E, i. 1951, A. Pierrard. Portia oreophila holotype (♀; MRAC, 200208 ) same locality, i. 1961, A. Pierrard .

Comments: To date, the species is known from the type specimens and from Madagascar only. It was Wijesinghe (1994) who matched the male of Portia madagascarensis with the female of P. oreophila and thereby provided the current conception of the species. The species is redescribed here on the basis of the type specimens.