Heliophanus (Heliophanus) sororius Wesołowska, 2003

Wesołowska, Wanda & Haddad, Charles R., 2014, An overview of the jumping spiders of Lesotho (Araneae: Salticidae), with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 55 (2), pp. 229-229 : 246-247

Heliophanus (Heliophanus) sororius Wesołowska, 2003

Fig. 33

Heliophanus sororius Wesołowska, 2003: 286 , figs 122–126.

Wesołowska (2003) described both sexes.

Diagnosis: This species is related to H. gladiator Wesołowska, 1986 from Kenya and Malawi, but the male can be recognised by the presence of an anterior lobe of the palpal bulb (compare fig. 122 in Wesołowska 2003 and fig. 434 in Wesołowska 1986).

Description:

Male.

Measurements: Cephalothorax: length 1.6, width 1.4, height 0.5. Eye field: length 0.6, anterior width 1.0, posterior width 1.1. Abdomen: length 1.5, width 1.2.

Small black spider; lateral margins of carapace with narrow lines composed of white hairs. Abdomen with narrow white band on anterior margin, extending to sides; three pairs of small round patches on dorsum and two pairs placed submarginally, all very poorly contrasted; venter dark. Legs dark brown. Palpal tibia with two narrow sharp retrolateral apophyses; bulb nearly oval, with simple short claw-like embolus placed distally; palpal femur with ventrally protruding bifid apophysis (Wesołowska 2003: figs 122–126).

Material examined: Quthing district: 1♂ Near Ha Thlaku village, 30°09'S 28°14'E, 2120 m, under rocks near Qhoali River , 14.xii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3076) .

Remark: This specimen differs from the holotype (which is uniformly dark) by the presence of a vague white pattern on the abdomen and light lateral lines on the carapace sides ( Fig. 33 ).

Distribution: Previously known only from the type locality in the eastern Free State Province of South Africa. Recorded here from a single locality in southern Lesotho ( Fig. 93 ).

Figures

Figs 26–33. Digital microscope photographs of the dorsal (26–31, 33) and dorsolateral (32) habitus of Heliophanus spp. from Lesotho: (26, 27) H. furvus sp. n., ♂ (26) and ♀ (27); (28, 29) H. maluti sp. n., ♂ (28) and ♀ (29); (30, 31) H. patellaris, ♂ (30) and ♀ (31); (32) H. proszynskii, ♂; (33) H. sororius, ♂.

Fig. 93. Distribution of Salticidae from Lesotho.