Menemerus dubius Berland & Millot, 1941

Wesołowska, Wanda & Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2022, Jumping spiders from Ivory Coast collected by J. - C. Ledoux (Araneae, Salticidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 841 (1), pp. 1-143 : 56-57

Menemerus dubius Berland & Millot, 1941 revalidated

Fig. 34

Menemerus dubius Berland & Millot, 1941: 348 , fig. 51a–b.

Menemerus dubius – Wesołowska 1999: 344 (nom. dub.).

Diagnosis

This species is easily distinguished from congeners by its small size (at ca 3 mm, the smallest species in the genus) and striped abdominal pattern. The shape of the epigyne is characteristic, its posterior third part is elongated, V-shaped and with a deep notch.

Material examined

Lectotype (designated here) IVORY COAST • ♀; Lamto , Bandama Forest ; 30 Oct. 1975; “vieille souche”; MNHN.

Redescription

Male

Unknown.

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.4, width 0.9, height 0.2. Eye field length 0.7, anterior and posterior width 0.8. Abdomen length 1.7, width 1.0. General appearance as in Fig. 34A–B . Very small spider, body strongly flattened.

CARAPACE. Brown, eye field slightly darker, eyes with black rings. White hairs between anterior eyes and on posterior slope. Lateral slopes with three vertical streaks formed by white hairs. Mouthparts brownish, clypeus clothed in white hairs, sternum light brown.

ABDOMEN. Oval, variegated, greyish brown with small yellowish marks, long hairs at anterior edge. Three narrow stripes composed of white hairs on dorsum. Venter yellow tinged with grey. Spinnerets yellow.

LEGS. Yellow, first and second pairs with brown patellae basally and brown lines on tibiae and metatarsi prolaterally. Palps yellow with white hairs.

EPIGYNE. Strongly sclerotized, with two triangular lobes on its posterior margin and deep notch between them ( Fig. 34C–D ). Copulatory openings located in strongly sclerotized ‘cups’ hidden in rounded depressions, seminal ducts short, accompanied by accessory glands, spermathecae large, spherical ( Fig. 34E ).

Remarks

Since the original description of Menemerus dubius was quite cursory and the type specimens are lost, Wesołowska (1999) recognized this species as a nomen dubium. The recording of another specimen and identifying it as identical to the first allowed for its revalidation and redescription. The shape of the epigyne is identical to that shown in Berland & Millot (1941: fig. 51a). These authors also mentioned that the spider is small. We remove the name Menemerus dubius from nomina dubia. A lectotype of this species is designated to maintain the stability of the nomenclature.

Distribution

Originally described from Guinea, now recorded from Ivory Coast.

Figures

Fig. 34. Menemerus dubius Berland & Millot, 1941, lectotype, ♀ (MNHN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C–D. Epigyne. E. Internal structure of epigyne.