Tusitala Peckham & Peckham, 1902

Azarkina, Galina N. & Foord, Stefan H., 2015, A review of three Tusitala (Araneae: Salticidae) species from southern Africa, with a new synonymy and description of a new species from Botswana, African Invertebrates 56 (2), pp. 285-308 : 286-287

Genus Tusitala Peckham & Peckham, 1902

Type species: Tusitala barbata Peckham & Peckham, 1902 , by original designation.

Diagnosis: Males of Tusitala species have long setae on the promargin of the chelicerae that form a distinct dome ( Fig. 1 , arrowed). Females have long spirally coiled insemination ducts and receptacles composed of two parts – a spherical part, clearly visible through the epigynal tegument ( Fig. 5 , arrowed) and a vermiform section, only visible in the spermathecae ( Fig. 4 , arrowed).

Short description: Small- to medium-sized spiders, total length 4–7 mm, with sexual dimorphism. Males have long first legs, large chelicerae with promarginal process(es) near the fang base – small in T. barbata ( Fig. 2 , arrowed), T. discibulba Caporiacco, 1941 (see PrÓszyŃski 1987: fig. 115), T. hirsuta and T. yemenica (see WesoŁowska & van Harten 2007: fig. 201), and long in T. ansieae sp. n. ( Fig. 3 , arrowed) and T. lyrata (see WesoŁowska & Tomasiewicz 2003: figs 5–12); T. lutzi Lessert, 1927 has a long process on the exterior rim of the chelicera ( WesoŁowska 2012: fig. 57). Both sexes, but males in particular, vary considerably in size ( Figs 43–45 ). The length of the male palpal femora and chelicerae varies in T. barbata and T. hirsuta , from short to very long ( Figs 48–50 ), while the structure of the copulatory organs are invariant ( Figs 79–81 ). The structure of the epigyne in T. barbata and T. hirsuta varies considerably ( Figs 37–42 , 61–67 ).

Composition: Tusitala includes the following ten species: T. ansieae sp. n. (♂ ♀); T. barbata Peckham & Peckham, 1902 (♂ ♀); T. discibulba Caporiacco, 1941 (♂); T. guineensis Berland & Millot, 1941 (♀); T. hirsuta Peckham & Peckham, 1902 (♂ ♀); T. lutzi Lessert, 1927 (♂ ♀); T. lyrata ( Simon, 1903) (♂ ♀); T. proxima WesoŁowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 (♀); T. unica WesoŁowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 (♀); T. yemenica WesoŁowska & van Harten, 1994 (♂ ♀).

Distribution: Continental Afrotropical Region and Yemen ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

Figs 1–5. Tusitala spp.: (1) male carapace, fronto-lateral view; (2) male chelicera, apical view; (3) ditto; (4) spermathecae; (5) epigyne.

Figs 43–54. Tusitala barbata, general appearance:(43–45) male, dorsal view; (46) ditto, lateral view; (47) ditto, ventralview;(48–50) male palp,ventral view;(51) male “face”,frontal-lateral view;(52) ditto, frontal view; (53) chelicerae, posterior view; (54) ditto, anterior view. Scale bars: (43–52) = 1 mm; (53, 54) = 0.5 mm.

Figs 79–83.Tusitala hirsuta, general appearance:(79–81) male palp, ventral view; (82) chelicera, posterior view; (83) ditto, anterior view. Scale bars: (79–81) = 1 mm; (82, 83) = 0.5 mm.

Figs 37–42. Tusitala barbata: (37–42) epigynes, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figs 59–71. Tusitala hirsuta: (59) male palp, ventral view; (60) ditto, retrolateral view; (61–67) epigyne, ventral view; (68, 69) spermathecae, dorsal view; (70, 71) diagram of insemination ducts. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 13. Distribution map of all Tusitala species.