Sphericula, Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2022

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 : 107

Genus Sphericula gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BE4B82A0-CC6A-4637-AD7C-DCCA92141078

Type species

Sphericula globulifera gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology

The generic name is derived from the Latin word ‘ sphera ’, meaning ‘ball’, and refers to the habitus of the type species. Gender feminine.

Diagnosis and affinities

A very small spider, approximately 1.5 mm length. Both the carapace and abdomen are very convex, almost spherical. The structure of the female genitalia is similar to that of the genus Tanzania Koçak & Kemal, 2008 ( Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2000) and some Euophrys spp. , but the form of the body is different. Both Tanzania and Euophrys C.L. Koch, 1834 have an almost flat carapace gently sloping backwards, while in Sphericula gen. nov. the carapace is very high and highest at the posterior row of eyes, abruptly sloping just behind the eye field. The abdomen in Sphericula is also high, its width is equal to its length, whereas the members of the other two genera have the abdomen oval and not convex. The epigyne is relatively large, and the seminal ducts seen through the integument are short and wide versus thin in the other genera. The general colour of Sphericula is pale.

The relationships of Sphericula gen. nov. are unclear and demand an examination of the male.