Phintella minor (Lessert, 1925) 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 : 78-80

Phintella minor (Lessert, 1925) stat. nov.

Fig. 45A–F

Telamonia aequipes minor Lessert, 1925a: 453 , figs 31–32.

Diagnosis

This species is related to Phintella aequipes . It can be distinguished by its abdominal pattern with two pairs of cream-coloured circular patches surrounded by dark rings. The tibial apophysis of the palp is slightly longer, without a swelling at its base (compare Fig. 45E with Fig. 45G ). The chelicera is not modified (very long in Ph. aequipes ) and the abdomen is shorter, more rounded.

Material examined

IVORY COAST • ♂; surroundings of Man ; 10 Nov. 1975; “forêt brousse, sur branches”; MNHN • 2 ♂♂; Man , road to Mt Tonkoui; 13 Nov. 1975; “forêt degradée, sur branches”; MNHN • 2 ♂♂; Lamto ; 21 Aug. 1975; “forêt galerie, lisière, sur branches”; MNHN .

Redescription

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.7–1.8,width 1.4–1.5, height 0.7–0.8.Eye field length 1.0–1.1,anterior and posterior width 1.3–1.4. Abdomen length 1.2–1.4, width 1.0–1.1. General appearance as in Fig. 45A.

CARAPACE. High, brown with black rings around eyes. Anterior eyes encircled by white scales, some scales on eye field laterally, especially in front of posterior lateral eyes. White patch on thoracic part and wide white band on posterior carapace slope. White vertical streaks on spider ‘face’ beginning below anterior lateral eyes ( Fig. 45B ). Mouthparts yellow. Chelicerae not modified, shorter than in congeners. Sternum light brown.

ABDOMEN. Rounded, yellowish beige with light streak along anterior edge and characteristic two pairs of light rounded patches framed by blackish rings Fig. 45A . Venter yellow with wide greyish band. Spinnerets yellow, their bases black.

LEGS. Yellow, only femora brownish. Leg hairs and spines brown.

PEDIPALP ( Fig. 45C–F ), Tibial apophysis slightly longer than in P. aequipes .

Female

Unknown.

Remarks

The morphological differences of P. aequipes minor from the nominal subspecies are so significant that we raise its rank.

Distribution

Only known from Ivory Coast.

Figures

Fig. 45. A–F. Phintella minor (Lessert, 1925) stat. nov., ♂ (MNHN). G–H. Phintella aequipes (Peckham & Peckham, 1903), ♂ (MNHN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Frontal view. C, E, G. Palpal organ, ventral view. D, F. Palpal organ, lateral view. H. Tibial apophysis, lateral view.