Pachyballus Simon, 1900

Wesolowska, Wanda, Azarkina, Galina N. & Wisniewski, Konrad, 2020, A revision of Pachyballus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus Simon, 1900 (Araneae, Salticidae, Ballini) with descriptions of new species, ZooKeys 944, pp. 47-98 : 47

Pachyballus Simon, 1900

Pachyballus Simon 1900: 399; 1901: 486.

Type species.

Pachyballus transversus Simon, 1900.

Diagnosis.

Pachyballus is closely related to Peplometus . From the latter genus it can easily be separated by the rounded abdomen (elongated in Peplometus ), by the form of leg I in males (not modified) and by the absence of the leaf-like setae on tibia I.

Description.

Small to medium-sized spiders (ca. 3.0-5.0 mm length), with very flat body, covered with tough highly sclerotised integument. Body colouration in the majority of species dark brown or black with metallic lustre, only legs (especially in females) lighter. Carapace rounded, its width usually slightly larger than the length, eye field clearly trapezoid. Posterior part of carapace covered with abdomen. Chelicerae with three (exceptionally two) teeth on promargin and two to four teeth on retromargin, basally fused together. Abdomen short and wide, heart-shaped or rounded, its length to width ratio is 0.8-1.1, clearly wider than carapace, with straight anterior border. Abdominal dorsum totally covered with strongly sclerotised scutum, its edges sloping so that the abdomen has shape of a shallow bowl. Venter with a narrow scutum along anterior margin, its lobes extending laterally as lobes. A second, trapezoid scutum in posterior part, numerous very small sclerotised bumps on both sides of abdomen (Fig. 1 ). Legs short, first pair slightly bigger in males, with enlarged femora. Tibia I not modified, setae on its ventral side not so dense as in Peplometus . Tarsus of the female palp usually black. Male palp with oval bulb, embolus spirally coiled around its tip (Fig. 3 ). Tibial apophysis thin and straight. Epigyne with large semi-circular depression (atrium), usually divided by epigynal septum, copulatory ducts usually long, forming a spiral in their initial parts and with several complex loops distally.

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Some morphological characters of Pachyballus and Peplometus 1 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Gabon), male, ventral abdominal scuta 2 Pach. ornatus (specimen from Tanzania), female, ventral abdominal scuta 3 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Congo), embolus 4 Pepl. biscutellatus (specimen from Ivory Coast), palpal organ in ventral view 5 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Zimbabwe), epigyne with broken embolus in copulatory opening 6 Pach. castaneus, pitted integument of abdomen.