Rhene_pinguis

<i>Rhene pinguis</i>

Rhene pinguis

Species of spider

Rhene pinguis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Rhene that was identified in South Africa. The male was first described in 2009 and the female in 2018. The spider is flat and hairy, its swollen look giving rise to its species name. The female is slightly larger than the male, but neither have been seen with a cephalothorax longer than 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) and abdomen more than 2.0 millimetres (0.079 in) in length.

Quick Facts Rhene pinguis, Scientific classification ...

Taxonomy

Rhene pinguis is a member of the genus Rhene, which is named after the Greek female name, shared by mythological figures.[1] The species name, pinguis, means fat or thick, and relates to the swollen look of the spider.[2]

Description

The spider was first identified in 2009, with initially only the male described. The female was first described in 2018.[3] The spider is flat, hairy and brown in colour. The male is distinguished by its the wide vane at the tip of the embolus.[2] The female is similar to the related Rhene formosa, but differs in the design of its copulatory opening. The species are similar in size, the female being marginally larger. The cephalothorax has a length of 1.2 to 1.5 millimetres (0.047 to 0.059 in) and the abdomen is 1.4 to 2.0 millimetres (0.055 to 0.079 in) long.[4]

Distribution

Rhene pinguis has only been identified in South Africa.[3] It is restricted to the Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.[4]

See also

Drawings of Rhene pinguis

References

  1. [1]
    Thorell, Tamerlan (1869). On European Spiders, Part 1: Review of the European Genera of Spiders, Preceded by Some Observations on Zoological Nomenclature. p. 37.
  2. [2]
    Wesołowska, W.; Haddad, C. R. (2009). "Jumping Spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of the Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa". African Invertebrates. 50 (1): 78–79. doi:10.5733/afin.050.0102. S2CID 85322962. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  3. [3]
    World Spider Catalog (2023). "Rhene pinguis Wesolowska & Haddad, 2009". World Spider Catalog. 23.5. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  4. [4]
    Wesołowska, W.; Haddad, C.R. (2018). "Further additions to the jumping spider fauna of South Africa (Araneae: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici. 68 (4): 903.
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