Prostheclina Keyserling, 1882

Richardson, Barry J. & Zabka, Marek, 2007, A Revision of the Australian Jumping Spider Genus Prostheclina Keyserling, 1892 (Araneae: Salticidae), Records of the Australian Museum 59 (1), pp. 79-96 : 82

Prostheclina Keyserling, 1882

Prostheclina Keyserling, 1882: 1368 .

Saitis Simon (part), 1901: 558.

Prostheclina Davies & Zabka, 1989: 238 .

Type species. Prostheclina pallida Keyserling 1882 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Unidentate spiders with the left embolus curved anticlockwise through 270° and combined with the conductor, leg 4 longer than leg 3, sparse to thick fringing on at least the metatarsus of leg 1 of the male, distinct ventral lip anterior to spinnerets in male ( Fig. 6F ), female fossae clearly separated with pear-shaped spermathecae at least partially below the fossae. It can be separated from Saitis sensu stricto, which is not found in Australia, by the absence of colored fringing on leg 3 of the male.

Description. Medium sized spiders, adult body length (3–7 mm). Colour varying from vanilla to dark brown, males usually darker than females, variously sized and shaped, carapace high steeply sloped from behind PLE to posterior margin, fovea short and just behind PLE, ALE set at an angle to AME, PME relatively small and about halfway between ALE and PLE, ALEW equal to PLEW, EFL 50% of CL, chelicerae medium size and vertical with single, retromarginal tooth and either two closely aligned or a fissident promarginal tooth, labium subtriangular, sternum oval in shape, width 70% of length, abdomen ovoid, spinnerets subequal in length, legs of medium length, leg 4 longer than leg 3, in the male, the left embolus curved anticlockwise through 270° and combined with the conductor, proximal tegular lobe, leg 1 more strongly developed than in the female, sparse to thick fringing on at least the metatarsus of leg 1, distinct ventral lip anterior to spinnerets ( Fig. 6F ), in the female, the fossae clearly separated with pear-shaped spermathecae at least partially below the fossae.

Biology. Animals are found on foliage in tropical and temperate rainforests and in wet eucalypt forest as well as in drier and grassier areas. They are frequently collected on ferns and in disturbed or artificial habitats (e.g., amenity plantings of shrubs). The distinctive colouring, markings and fringing on L1 and face, combined with limited differences in the copulatory organs, leads to the conclusion that visual cues are important in species recognition.

Distribution. The genus is restricted to Australia and is found, or predicted to be found, in the wetter parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Though Keyserling reports specimens from Cape York, the furthest north specimen in collections is from the Windsor Tableland. The inland edge of distributions roughly follows the 600 mm rainfall line.

Figures

Fig. 6. Morphology of Prostheclina amplior. (A) male, dorsal view; (B) female, dorsal view; (C) male left palp, ventral view; (D) female copulatory organs, external view; (E) female copulatory organs, internal anatomy of the same specimen; (F) posterior section of male abdomen showing ventral lip, ventral view.