Brettus adonis Simon 1900

Ahmed, Javed, Khalap, Rajashree, Hill, David E., N., Sumukha J. & Mohan, Krishna, 2017, First record of Brettus cingulatus from India, with a review of Brettus in South and Southeast Asia (Araneae: Salticidae: Spartaeinae), Peckhamia 151 (1), pp. 1-13 : 3

Brettus adonis Simon 1900

♀ [1] Brettus adonis Simon 1900 (Ins. Taprobane: Galle!)

Portia adonis Simon 1901

Brettus adonis Wanless 1979 ( Sri Lanka, Galle)

♂ [1] Brettus adonis Wanless 1979 ( Sri Lanka, Galle; found in container with ♀ type specimen)

♂ ♀ Brettus adonis Jackson & Hallas 1986 ( Sri Lanka)

♀ [2] Brettus adonis Jackson 2000 (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)

♂ ♀ [2] Brettus adonis Cerveira, Jackson & Guseinov 2003 (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)

B. adonis is known only from Sri Lanka and can be identified by the bifurcated RTA of the male pedipalp and extension of the curved posterior margin of the female epigynum toward the rear of the epigastric groove. Males and females are similar in colouration. The male has a light orange carapace with a yelloworange eye region. The clypeus is fringed with short white setae, and the chelicerae are yellow with a proximal band of white setae. The opisthosoma is lightly mottled. Legs I are orange with some black, with and orange-brown fringe on the venter and dorsum of the tibia, the venter of the patella, and the distal venter of the femur. Legs II-III are pale yellow. The female has an orange ("reddish-yellow") carapace with a cover of yellow hairs and scarlet hairs (may be faded) in the anterior eye region. Low setae may comprise a wide marginal band around the carapace. The clypeus bears thin white hairs, or reddish hairs near the midline. The opisthosoma is pale yellow and grey toward the rear (or pale clay with yellowish setae according to Simon). Legs I have ventral fringes running from the patella to the tibia, comprised of long white setae, but no dorsal fringes (may be faded; according to Simon fringes are dark chestnut brown under the tibia I and brown under the femur I). The pedipalps are yellow-white.

This species has been reared in captivity, and there are three published research papers dealing with its behaviour (Jackson & Hallas 1986; Jackson 2000; Cerveira et al. 2003), including one b/w photograph of a female (Jackson & Hallas 1986, Figure 2 ). The appearance of living animals needs to be documented.

Figures

Figure 2. Left pedipalp of male B. cingulatus from Nagaon, Alibaug District, Maharashtra (new