Jotus, L. Koch, 1881

Otto, Jürgen C. & Hill, David E., 2016, Males of a new species of Jotus from Australia wave a paddle-shaped lure to solicit nearby females (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini), Peckhamia 133 (1), pp. 1-39 : 1-7

Review of Jotus

Presently eight species are recognized in the euophryine genus Jotus L. Koch 1881 ( Table 1; Figures 1-3 ), ( WSC 2015).

The type species for this genus, J. auripes , was originally described from Sydney but has recently been found at other locations in New South Wales and Victoria. The male J. auripes has a distinctive appearance, with many long, iridescent setae on the pedipalps and bright red-orange setae covering the anterior femora of legs I and II ( Figure 1 : 1; Figure 2 ; Otto & Hill 2012a, 2012b). The male pedipalp of this species appears in a number of published figures (L. Koch 1881; Żabka 1987; Davies & Żabka 1989; Otto & Hill 2012a, 2012b) but, apart from the presence of long iridescent setae, this is similar to the male pedipalp of other Jotus . Zhang & Maddison (2013, 2015) depicted a specimen that they identified as J. auripes , but in our opinion this represents another, yet undescribed species of Jotus ( Figure 1 : 10-11).

The original drawings of male and female J. braccatus ( Figure 1 : 2-3; L. Koch 1881) are semi-schematic, but Żabka (1987) more recently redescribed the male and female genitalia of this species from the types and these are similar to those of J. auripes . We thus consider this spider to be correctly assigned. No individuals other than the type specimens are known to us. Jotus frosti , described by the Peckhams (1901) from a male collected in Victoria and carefully drawn by Emerton ( Figure 1 : 5), has a male pedipalp that agrees with that of Jotus , and a distinct white band across the pedipalps. Recently two male J. frosti were photographed at Kelly Hill Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island ( Figure 3 ). As figured by Bryant (1935; Figure 1 : 9) the pedipalp of the male J. ravus could also represent a Jotus . The status of the other species placed in this genus, all based on sketchy descriptions of a few specimens collected long ago, is less certain. The original illustration of Jotus minutus does seem to depict a species that is similar to other species in this genus with respect to the pattern on the carapace and opisthosoma, and the leg morphology. However, the male pedipalp in Z (of minutus Jotus their descriptions is associate. maculivertex this ̀ 뻐 圀  䤯㫁 ᜼ ၺ 럜 ಑ 䖎譖毒阄 隄荈觇錇㲱憋䦊㘯  ㈚ 죀 뎥찒 퇕 眾 逥 覼 漾 ཿ ೟  ⻦ ⋎ ꆑ 㩉垓? 彎翔 릇뀊뉚 넠 쮖얩 ␿ 딨 늑 ᐇ 㿪ﯠ㜟邟臭殡瑳 륔 ⌋ 럇뷃 전 腇㜦犱 蠴阤㩂 㿪ﯠ㬟暽 馥 荱憵䕤噧 ≋ ӹ  椽 痢丞ҏ ܀ ⋾ ⌙  䟽 풉 둆   푈얂 ⍩ 䟹 ࢍ  埛 ত ⻉ ⑷ 樭 턛 緰 脴 즅 ₽ 慜bka’s(1987) redescription of J. minutus differs from other Jotus . Based on their limited descriptions, there is no reason to associate J. debilis , J. insulanus and J. maculivertex with this genus.

Jotus are common spiders and we believe that there are many similar, undescribed species in southern Australia ( Figures 4-6 ).

Żabka (1987) lumped Jotus and a number of Maratus species ( Maratus Karsch 1878 ) into the genus Lycidas Karsch 1878 , but Davies & Żabka subsequently (1989) reinstated Jotus . Recently, Zhang & Maddison (2013, 2015) suggested that the genus name Saitis might be applied to a number of predominantly Australasian genera, including Jotus , that have been placed within a ' Saitis clade' based on DNA sequencing (Figure 7). This clade may date back to the end-of-Eocene separation of Antarctica from Australia (ca. 33Ma, Hill 2009). Further studies of the relationships of spiders in this group are needed, but it is our view that there are many characters that can be used collectively to distinguish Jotus from the other members of this clade ( Table 2).

25ma 20ma 15ma 10ma 5ma

Figure 7. Estimated time line for divergence of genera in the Saitis clade, based on DNA sequencing and names used by Zhang & Maddison (2013). * Jotus sp. misidentified as J. auripes .

character Jotus other euophryines in the Saitis clade relative length of legs III and IV nearly the same length or IV is slightly legs III much longer, usually ornamented and raised in male legs III and IV longer; usually no specialization of legs III; legs III courtship display, and their extension serves as the primary usually not used in male courtship display; both legs source of power for each jump by Saitis and Maratus extended to power jumps ornamentation and legs I raised in display; usually tarsi are white; often legs I usually like legs II, without ornamentation and not display of legs I by fringe of long dark setae under tibia, anterior of femur I raised in display of Saitis and Maratus ; long, thin, and fringed males and sometimes femur II brightly coloured or shiny in male Prostheclina (Richardson & Żabka 2007)

setation of broad lateral (not marginal) band of white scales on in Maratus often covered with bright scales and often with carapace of male each side; mostly dark above or with mixed setae; white series of longitudinal stripes across the eye region; narrow median thoracic tract wide or may bifurcate toward the marginal band but not lateral bands rear opisthosoma of boldly and simply marked: dark medially with wide varies in Saitis; Maratus males have a dorsal plate or scute male white to off-white lateral bands; opisthosoma without that is usually brightly ornamented with pigmented and dorsal plate and not raised during courtship display iridescent scales and waved when elevated; the opisthosoma often has long lateral fringes or flaps that represent lateral margins of the dorsal plate embolus of proportionately smaller but heavy ring or spiral spiral larger usually with two apices, not always distinct pedipalp terminating in 2-3 distinct apices ( Maratus ), much larger ( S. barbipes ), or small with a single distinct apex ( Prostheclina )

epigynum of anterior spermathecae relatively large, rounded, visible fossae mostly clear without anterior spermathecae ( Maratus ), female in fossae or with anterior spermathecae that are narrower and tubular

(Protheclina), or like Jotus (Saitis)

Figures

Figure 1 (continued on next page). 1-6, Drawings that accompanied the original descriptions of five Jotus species.

Figure 2. Adult male Jotus auripes from Sydney. As viewed from above this type species for the genus Jotus is quite unremarkable and typical of males of this genus. From the front, however, the long iridescent setae of the pedipalps and the bright red-orange setae that cover the femora of legs I and II are distinctive. The female J. auripes is known but has not been formally described (Otto & Hill 2012a, 2012b).

Figure 3. Adult Jotus frosti males photographed on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, by Jürgen C. Otto (28 OCT 2015). This impressive species is readily identified by the transverse band of white setae across the front of each pedipalp, the dark iridescent anterior femur I (2), and the combination of long black setae above and long white setae below each femur I.

Figure 4. Undescribed Jotus male (1-4) and a Jotus (conspecific?) female (5-6) photographed at Barrington Tops National Park, New South Wales, by Jürgen C. Otto (1 NOV 2015). This male has a prominent black brush beneath tibia I, but no special ornamentaion of the pedipalps. The pattern of scales on the carapace and opisthosoma is close to that of J. frosti and J. remus.

Figure 5. A different undescribed Jotus male from Barrington Tops National Park. The difference between this male and the one shown in Figure 4 may be in part due to wear, but this male is much darker without evident banding of the legs, and without white setae on metatarsus I. Differences between Jotus species may be quite subtle.

Figure 6. Undescribed male Jotus found near Denmark in Western Australia. This species has a distinct middorsal stripe on the opisthosoma, dark fringes under the femur, tibia, and metatarsus of legs I, and widely separated white stripes on the posterodorsal carapace. In most respects it is quite similar to the Jotus species that have been described from southeastern Australia.