Phintella africana
{{Short description|Species of spider}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Phintella.versicolor.male.png
| image_caption = The related male Phintella versicolor
| taxon = Phintella africana
| authority = Wesołowska & Tomasiewicz, 2008
}}
Phintella africana is a species of jumping spider in the genus Phintella that lives in Ethiopia. The female of the species was first described in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider, which is named after the continent where it was found, is small and brown, with a mottled brown and yellow abdomen {{convert|2.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. It lives in grasslands.
Taxonomy
Phintella africana is a jumping spider that was first identified in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz. The spider was named after Africa, the continent in which it was first found.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Tomasiewicz|2008|page=37}} It is one of over 500 species identified by Wesołowska during her career.{{sfn|Wiśniewski|2020|page=6}} It was allocated to the genus Phintella, first raised in 1906 by Embrik Strand and W. Bösenberg. The genus name derives from the genus Phintia, which it resembles.{{sfn|Bösenberg|Strand|1906|page=333}} The genus Phintia was itself renamed Phintodes, which was subsequently absorbed into Tylogonus.{{sfn|Cameron|Wijesinghe|1993|page=16}} There are similarities between spiders within genus Phintella and those in Chira, Chrysilla, Euophrys, Icius, Jotus and Telamonia.{{sfn|Prószyński|1983|page=43}} Genetic analysis confirms that it is related to the genera Helvetia and Menemerus and is classified in the tribe Chrysillini.{{sfn|Maddison|Hedin|2003|page=541}}{{sfn|Maddison|2015|page=231}}
Description
The spider was described based on a specimen found by Anthony Russell-Smith between 1982 and 1988.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Tomasiewicz|2008|page=3}} Only the female has so far been described.{{cite web|author=World Spider Catalog|year=2017|title=Phintella africana Wesolowska & Tomasiewicz, 2008|website=World Spider Catalog|publisher=Natural History Museum|place=Bern|url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/31904|version=18.0|accessdate=3 April 2017}} The species differs from other members of the genus by the fact that the copulatory openings are at the rear edge of the epigyne. Otherwise, it is typical of the genus. The spider has a brown carapace with black rings around its eyes. The clypeus is similarly brown. The abdomen is oval and mottled yellow and brown, and is {{convert|2.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. The cephalothorax is smaller, measuring {{convert|1.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length. The epigyne is rounded and has a single pocket.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Tomasiewicz|2008|page=37}}
Distribution
The spider has been found in the Sidamo Province of Ethiopia, in grasslands.{{sfn|Wesołowska|Tomasiewicz|2008|page=37}}
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|30em}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Bösenberg|first1=W.|last2=Strand|first2=Embrik|year=1906|title=Japanische Spinnen|trans-title=Japanese Spiders|journal=Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft|volume=30|pages=93–422}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Cameron|first1=H. D.|last2=Wijesinghe|first2=D. P.|year=1993|title=Simon's Keys to the Salticid Groups|journal=Peckhamia|volume=3|number=1|pages=1–26}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Maddison|first1=Wayne P.|first2=Marshal C.|last2=Hedin|title=Jumping spider phylogeny (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=Invertebrate Systematics|volume=17|number=4|year=2003|page=529–549}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Maddison|first1=Wayne P.|title=A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=The Journal of Arachnology|year= 2015|volume=43|number=3|pages=231–292|doi=10.1636/arac-43-03-231-292|s2cid=85680279 }}
- {{cite journal|last=Prószyński|first=Jerzy|year=1983|title=Position of genus Phintella (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=Acta Arachnologica|volume=31|number=2|pages=43–48}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Wesołowska|first1=Wanda|last2=Tomasiewicz|first2=B.|year=2008|title=New species and records of Ethiopian jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae)|journal=Journal of Afrotropical Zoology|volume=4|pages=3–59}}
- {{cite journal|last=Wiśniewski|first=Konrad|title=Over 40 years with jumping spiders: on the 70th birthday of Wanda Wesołowska|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4899|number=1|year=2020|pages=5–14|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.3}}
{{refend}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3445273}}
Category:Endemic fauna of Ethiopia