Meleon guineensis (Berland & Millot, 1941)

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 : 171-173

Meleon guineensis (Berland & Millot, 1941)

Figs 28 –36, 38, 39

Linus guineensis: Berland & Millot 1941: 399 , fig. 92.

Meleon guineensis (Berland & Millot) : Roewer 1965: 14, fig. 12; Wijesinghe 1994: 59, figs 1 –3, 7.

Description:

Male ( MRAC, 225861).

Measurements: Carapace: length 2.75, width 2.13, height at PLE 1.58. Ocular area: length 1.38, width anteriorly 1.58, width posteriorly 1.35. Diameter of AME 0.54. Abdomen: length 2.93, width 1.73. Clypeal height: 0.18. Cheliceral length: 1.33. Length of leg segments: I 3.00+ 1.15 +3.00+ 2.55 +1.00; II 2.30 + 0.90 + 1.80 +2.00+ 0.85; III 2.40 + 0.75 + 1.55 +2.00+ 0.80; IV 2.55 + 0.83 +2.00+ 2.85 + 0.90.

Leg spination: I Fm d 0-1 - 3 pr 0- 0-1 - 1 rt 0- 0-1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d, pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2, Mt d 1 - 1 pr 2 - 0-1 - 1 - 1 ap rt 1 - 1 - 0-1 ap v 2 - 0-2 ap; II Fm d 0-1 - 1-3 pr 1 - 1 - 1 rt 0-1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d pr and pr 1 - 1 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 0-1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap v 2 - 0-2 ap; III Fm d 1 - 1 - 1-3, pr 0-1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2 - 2 ap, Mt d 0-1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1 - 1 ap v 2 - 0-2 ap; IV Fm d 0-1 - 1-3 pr 0-1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d pr and rt 1 - 0- 1 v 2 - 0-1 - 2 ap, Mt pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap v 0-1 - 1 ap.

Colouration: Carapace greyish yellow, with brown veins in thoracic region and patches of white scales. Black around eyes. Clypeus brownish yellow, without hair/scale cover. Sternum, maxillae, labium and chelicerae yellow, tinged brown. Entire abdomen yellow, with irregularly-shaped brownish patches (with no clear pattern). Book-lung covers and spinnerets yellow, tinged brown. Leg I light brown, with pale yellow tarsi; femora I ventrally and dorsally, and patellae and tibiae ventrally, with fringes of long black hairs. Legs II–IV yellow, with brownish patches and rings. Palps yellow, tinged brown. Palpal structure as in Figs 28–30.

Female ( MRAC, 225861).

Measurements: Carapace: length 2.40, width 2.00, height at PLE 1.30. Ocular area: length 1.38, width anteriorly 1.38, width posteriorly 1.25. Diameter of AME 0.48. Abdomen: length 2.80, width 1.75. Clypeal height: 0.18. Cheliceral length: 1.00. Length of leg segments: I 2.50 + 1.03 + 2.30 + 1.80 + 0.85; II 2.60 + 0.85 + 1.50 + 1.55 + 0.75; III 1.75 + 0.78 + 1.30 + 1.65 + 0.70; IV 2.30 + 0.78 + 1.80 + 2.50 + 0.80.

Leg spination: I Fm d 1 - 1-3 pr and rt 1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d, pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 2, Mt d 0-1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1 - 1 ap v 2 - 2 ap; II Fm d 1 - 1-3 pr and rt 0-1 - 1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d, pr and pr 1 - 1 v 2 - 2, Mt d 0-1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap v 2 - 0-2 ap; III Fm d 1 - 1-3 pr and rt 0- 0-1, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d, pr and rt 1 - 1 v 2 - 1-2 ap, Mt d 0-1 -0 pr and rt 1 - 1-2 ap v 2 - 0-1 ap; IV Fm d 1 - 1-3, Pt pr and rt 1, Tb d pr and rt 1 - 0- 1 v 2 - 1-2 ap, Mt pr and rt 1 - 1 - 1 ap v 2 - 0-2 ap. Colouration: As in male ( Figs 38, 39), but differs as follows: palps contrastingly pale yellow; tibiae IV ventrally-distally with fringes of black hairs. Epigyne and spermathecae as in Figs 31–36.

Material examined: D.R. CONGO: 3 ♂ 1 ♀ ( MRAC, 225861 ), Bas Congo, Mayombe, Luki Forest Reserve , ca 5 ° 37 'S: 13 °05'E, primary rainforest, fogging- 2, 7.x. 2006, De Bakker D. & Michiels J.P .; 1 ♂ ( MRAC, 220938 ), same locality, fogging- 1 bis, 5.xii. 2006, De Bakker D. & Michiels J.P .; 1 ♀ ( MRAC, 219978 ; det. earlier as M. solitaria ), same locality, beating along trail in primary rainforest, nr fogging sites 1 and 2, 5.xi. 2006, De Bakker D. & Michiels J.P .; 1 ♀ ( MRAC, 220952 ; det. earlier as M. solitaria ), same locality, fogging in primary rainforest, fogging-3, 10.xi. 2006, De Bakker D. & Michiels J.P .

Distribution: This species has been recorded from tropical West Africa: Guinea, Ivory Coast, Congo (Wijesinghe 1994; present data).

Comments: Wijesinghe (1994: 59) only provisionally matched the ♀ holotype of M. guineensis and the ♂ reported by Wanless (1984 a: 187–189) as Meleon solitaria . We have examined the sample containing both sexes, and therefore this sex association can be confirmed.