Phintella elegans, Haddad & Wiśniewski & Wesołowska, 2024

Haddad, Charles Richard, Wiśniewski, Konrad & Wesołowska, Wanda, 2024, The jumping spiders of Mozambique (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 5560 (1), pp. 1-92 : 51

Phintella elegans sp. nov.

Fig. 35

Diagnosis. The female of this species has an epigyne similar to that in Oriental Phintella nilgirica Prószyński, 1992 but differs in having large accessory glands in the walls of the spermathecae. Male unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is Latin, meaning “elegant”, and refers to the form of the spider’s body.

Type material. Holotype: ♀, MOZAMBIQUE: Tete: leg. C.F. Roewer ( SMF 9723 ).

Description. Female: Measurements. Cephalothorax length 1.8, width 1.4, height 1.0. Abdomen length 3.0, width 1.9. Eye field length 0.8, anterior width 1.3, posterior width 1.2. General appearance as in Fig. 35A . Carapace brown, with lighter median streak on thoracic part, diminutive white scales on slopes. Eyes surrounded by black rings, some white hairs between anterior eyes. Mouthparts brown, with pale tips, sternum yellow in centre and brown marginally. Abdomen yellowish, with thin median greyish-beige strip and wider streaks laterally (Fig.), venter light yellow, with wide greyish-beige median streak and some patches on sides. Spinnerets grey. Legs yellow, their hairs light, spines brown. Epigyne as in Fig. 35B, C , two rounded copulatory openings with strongly sclerotized rims. Seminal ducts short, close to each other, spermathecae large, spherical, with large accessory glands in their walls ( Fig. 35D ).

Distribution. Only known from the Tete Province in Mozambique.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Phintella elegans sp. nov., holotype female. A. General appearance, dorsal view; B, C. Epigyne; D. Internal structure of epigyne.