Meleon raharizonina Logunov & Azarkina, 2008

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 : 177

Meleon raharizonina Logunov & Azarkina, 2008

Figs 37, 48– 51

Meleon raharizonina: Logunov & Azarkina 2008: 102–103 , figs 29–35.

Description:

Male. See Logunov & Azarkina (2008).

Female.

Measurements: Carapace: length 2.20, width 1.85, height at PLE 1.50. Ocular area: length 1.20, width anteriorly 1.00, width posteriorly 0.85. Diameter of AME 0.50. Abdomen: length 2.55, width 1.60. Clypeal height: 0.20. Cheliceral length: 0.55. Length of leg segments: I 2.10 + 0.85 + 1.75 + 1.80 + 0.80; II 1.80 + 0.85 + 1.90 + 1.50 + 0.65; III 1.55 + 0.70 + 1.55 + 1.55 + 0.60; IV 1.95 + 0.70 + 1.65 + 2.60 + 0.70.

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

Colouration ( Figs 37, 51): Carapace light yellow, with pale yellow ocular area and black around eyes. Sternum yellow. Clypeus light brown. Cheeks yellow, covered with white hairs. Abdomen: dorsum pale yellow, with a grey longitudinal stripe; sides and venter grey-yellow. Spinnerets brownish; book-lungs pale yellow. All legs brownish yellow, but femora I–III brown, femur IV with 2 brown apical spots. Palps pale yellow, but palpal tarsi brownish. Epigyne and spermthecae as in Figs 48–50.

Material examined: MADAGASCAR: 1 ♀ ( MRAC, 200.208 ), Tamatave [= Toamasina], Foulpointe [= Mahavelona] , ca 19 ° 36 'S: 48 ° 13 'E, forest on clay soil, sieved litter, xii. 1993, A. Pauly ; 1 ♂ ( MRAC, 177817 ), same locality, forest on clay soil, sieved litter, 11.xi. 1993, A. Pauly ; 1 ♀ ( MRAC, 177901 ), same locality, Asplenium -forest, xii. 1993, A. Pauly .

Comments: This species was recently described after a single male from Madagascar by Logunov and Azarkina (2008). In new samples taken from the NE part of Madagascar we have found both sexes together. The female of M. raharizonina is described here for the first time.

Both the male and female of M. raharizonina are most similar to those of M. madagascarensis ( Figs 40, 41, 42 –47, 53– 56). The male can easily be distinguished by the shape of massive tibial apophysis (Logunov & Azarkina 2008, figs 29–31). The female differs in having shorter inseminations ducts and transverse, slit-shaped copulation openings (vs V-shaped ones in M. madagascarensis ; cf. Figs 48 and 55).