Species of spider
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Stenaelurillus brandbergensis, synonym Mashonarus brandbergensis, is a species of jumping spider in the genus "Stenaelurillus" that lives in Namibia. It was first described in 2006 by Wanda Wesołowska and placed in the genus "Mashonarus" but was moved to its current genus in 2018. The spider is medium-sized and black, with a cephalothorax between in length and an abdomen between long. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by having two broad white stripes that mark both the abdomen and carapace. The epigyne in the female also has shorter insemination ducts than the otherwise similar, though larger, "Stenaelurillus guttatus".
Taxonomy.
"Mashonarus brandbergensis" is a species of jumping spider that was first described by Wanda Wesołowska in 2006. It is one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist. It was initially placed in the genus "Mashonarus", which had been created by Wesołowska and Meg S. Cumming in 2002. The genus name was derived from Mashonaland, the area where it was first found. The spiders in the genus were medium-sized, between in length, and were differentiated by their sexual organs. At the time, the species was seen as very similar to "Stenaelurillus", particularly in the structure of the epigyne and the shield-like shape of and patterns on the abdomen.
The species was moved to "Stenaelurillus" by Dmitri Logunov and Galina N. Azarkina in 2018. "Stenaelurillus" had been first raised by Eugène Simon in 1885. The genus name relates to the genus name "Aelurillus", which itself derives from the Greek word for cat, with the addition of a Greek stem meaning narrow. In 2017, it was grouped with nine other genera of jumping spiders under the name Aelurillines. It has been placed in the subtribe Aelurillina in the tribe Aelurillini in the clade Saltafresia. The species name is derived from the place where it was first found, the Brandberg Mountain.
Description.
The spider is medium-sized and generally similar to "Stenaelurillus guttatus" although smaller. The male has a cephalothorax that measures between in length and between in width. The pear-shaped carapace is black with white edges. The abdomen is oval, black and hairy, between long and wide. Both the abdomen and carapace have two wide stripes that go from front to back made of white hairs. Sometimes these are broken into three bands. This most distinguishes the species from "Stenaelurillus guttatus" and other members of the genus in Africa. Only "Stenaelurillus marusiki", found in Iran, has a similar design. The eye field is black and is surrounded by long bristles. The spinnerets are long and yellow, and the legs are light brown. The pedipalps are small, dark brown or black with some small white hairs. The palpal bulb is elongated and the embolus is thin and hidden with only the tip visible.
The female is similar to the male in shape but slightly larger. It has an cephalothorax long and wide and an abdomen that is between long and wide. The colouring is similar. The epigyne is small with lateral copulatory openings and very short insemination ducts. Apart from the striped pattern, it is the very short insemination ducts that most distinguish the species from "Stenaelurillus guttatus".
Distribution.
The species was first identified in the area around the Brandberg Mountain in Namibia. It is endemic to the country.
References.
Citations.
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