Cyrba boveyi Lessert, 1933

Wesolowska, Wanda & Haddad, Charles R., 2009, Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of the Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa, African Invertebrates 50 (1), pp. 13-103 : 24-26

Cyrba boveyi Lessert, 1933

Figs 20–23, 238

Cyrba boveyi: Lessert 1933: 145 , fig. 63; Wanless 1984 a: 463, figs 11a–f.

See Wanless (1984 a) for descriptions of both sexes.

Redescription:

Male.

Measurements: Carapace length 2.3–2.4, width 1.4–1.5, height 0.8. Abdomen length 2.5–2.6, width 1.1–1.3. Eye field length 0.9–1.0, anterior width 1.3–1.5, posterior width 1.2–1.4.

General appearance in Fig. 238; medium-sized spider; whole body densely covered with short, bright reddish orange hairs. Carapace slightly elongate, moderately high in cephalic part and sloping gently posteriorly; eye field trapeziform, slightly wider anteriorly; some brown bristles in vicinity of eyes; fovea prominent; clypeus low, clothed in white hairs. Chelicerae light brown, pluridentate, promargin with three, retromargin with four teeth; endites orange with lighter inner margins, labium and sternum yellowish orange. Abdomen elongate, dorsum bright orange with scattered brown bristles, venter yellowish; spinnerets grey. Legs yellowish orange, only first pair with black tibiae and metatarsi; pedipalps with black cymbium. Palpal patella with blunt apophysis ( Figs 20–23); tibial apophysis with recurved row of long black scales; tegulum rounded, rather flat, with furrow near base of embolus and long process at prolateral edge ( Figs 20, 21).

Material examined: 3ơ Between Crocodile Farm and Main Camp, 26 ° 54.431'S: 32 ° 19.045'E, broadleaf woodland, under logs, 1.xii.2000 ( NCA 2008 /2025); 4ơ Between Main Camp and Vulture Restaurant, 26 ° 54.276'S: 32 ° 18.664'E, broadleaf woodland, under logs, 2.xii.2000 ( NCA 2009 /677) .

Distribution: Species known from Angola, Kenya and Mozambique; recorded for the first time from South Africa.

Habitat and biology: C. boveyi was a common ground-dwelling salticid in BW and was regularly found in silk retreats beneath logs and rocks, particularly in sunny areas. It was frequently found in the vicinity of colonies of large ants ( Camponotus and Streblognatha), and dense aggregations of spitting spiders ( Scytodes caffra Purcell, 1904 ) and violin spiders ( Loxosceles spinulosa Purcell, 1904 ). Several immature specimens were collected from A. xanthophloea bark low on the tree trunks.