Cosmophasis micarioides (L. Koch 1880 )

Hurni-Cranston, Tiziano & Hill, David E., 2021, Three new jumping spiders of the genus Cosmophasis from Wallacea (Araneae: Salticidae: Chrysillini), Peckhamia 228 (1), pp. 1-84 : 31

6. Cosmophasis micarioides (L. Koch 1880)

Figures 28-30 , Map ( Figure 1 ) #32

This colourful and sexually dimorphic species has been found from the tropical northeastern coast of Austalia to the Kei Islands and Papua ( Figure 1 ). Jackson (1986) described the agonistic and courtship display of males, and the cohabitation of males and females . The male courtship display includes elevation and rotation of the opisthosoma, with the legs extended to the sides in several characteristic positions. Otherwise little is known of the biology of these spiders.

Diagnosis. Males ( Figures 28 , 29 :1) resemble C. thalassina , but can be readily separated from that species by the presence of a black stripe extending down the side of the carapace below each ALE. Females ( Figures 29-30 ) have a more distinctive colour pattern. See Żabka & Waldock (2012) for a recent redescription of this species, including many illustrations of the genitalia.

Figures

Figure 1. Known occurrence of Cosmophasis species in Sunda, Sahul and adjacent oceanic islands. Better-known species are identified in the key at upper right. See Appendix 1 for identification of the other species, most know from a single locality, by number. The new species described here are from Ambon and the Banda Islands within the Wallacean region (small yellow rectangle near the center), shown in more detail in Figure 2. Localities are based on references cited in Appendix 1, as well as reliable photographs posted in iNaturalist and FLICKR. Note that some records of C. thalassina (52, generally found to the south) and C. umbratica (57, generally found to the north) are most likely confused, as separation of these species may not be possible. Background image courtesy of NASA/USGS/Landsat.

Figure 28 (continued on next page). Male Cosmophasis micarioides from Queensland. 1, Penultimate male with redorange bands across the dorsal carapace. 2-6, Adult male. Photographs (1-6) by Stephen Mudge, used with permission.

Figure 29. Cosmophasis micarioides from Queensland. 1, Mating pair. 2-4, Three different adult females. Photographs (1-4) by Stephen Mudge, used with permission.

Figure 30. Adult female Cosmophasis micarioides from Brisbane, Queensland. This represents the southernmost extent of the range of this species. Photographs (1-2) by tjeales, used under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license (tjeales 2019a, 2019b).