Hyllus leucomelas ( Lucas, 1858 )

Wesołowska, Wanda & Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2022, Jumping spiders from Ivory Coast collected by J. - C. Ledoux (Araneae, Salticidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 841 (1), pp. 1-143 : 34-35

Hyllus leucomelas ( Lucas, 1858)

Fig. 20

Salticus leucomelas Lucas, 1858: 391 , pl. 13 fig. 5.

Hyllus leucomelas – Simon 1887: 262. — Lessert 1927: 451, fig. 28. — Berland & Millot 1941: 336, fig. 40. — Wesołowska 2008: 329, figs 37–42.

Diagnosis

The female has a characteristic form of the epigyne with two deep cavities located on either side of the central depression.

Material examined

IVORY COAST • 1 ♀; Lamto; 24 Dec. 1975; “buissons au soleil au bord de Bandama”; MNHN .

Description

Male

See Wesołowska (2008).

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 4.4, width 3.7, height 1.8. Eye field length 1.9, anterior and posterior width 2.7. Abdomen length 5.9, width 4.0. General appearance as in Fig. 20A . Large spider, ca 10 mm in length.

CARAPACE. Dark brown, eye field black with sparse white hairs. Many white hairs on carapace form bands along lateral margins and large patches on thoracic part laterally ( Fig. 20A ). Tufts of long brown bristles form ‘horns’ near eyes of second row. Two thin white lines below anterior lateral eyes. Mouthparts and sternum brown.

ABDOMEN. Greyish brown with light band on anterior margin extending along sides and white pattern composed of irregular median streak running into chevrons posteriorly, pair of small round spots at spinnerets ( Fig. 20A ). Venter and spinnerets dark.

LEGS. Black, bearing long black and white hairs.

EPIGYNE. With central depression surrounded by heavily sclerotized collar. Two deep ‘hollows’ on sides ( Fig. 20B–C ). Internal structure simple, seminal ducts short, running almost transverse towards centrally placed spermarthecae ( Fig. 20D ).

Remarks

Lucas (1858) described a male of this species. The first description of the female was given by Simon (1887), but without an illustration, so it cannot be recognized. The location of both sexes together in the Ugandan collection of the Museum of Natural History in London allowed us to identify this female.

Distribution

Gabon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Congo.

Figures

Fig. 20. Hyllus leucomelas (Lucas, 1858), ♀ (MNHN). A. Habitus. B–C. Epigyne. D. Internal structure of epigyne.