| Parajotus refulgens | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Parajotus |
| Species: | P. refulgens |
| Binomial name | |
| Parajotus refulgens Wesołowska, 2000 | |
Parajotus refulgens is aspecies ofjumping spider that lives inAfrica. A member of thegenusParajotus, the species was firstdescribed based on aholotype fromZimbabwe andparatypes fromDemocratic Republic of Congo, but has been also seen inBotswana,Ivory Coast andNigeria, and is likely to be more widespread across the continent. The spider has a dark brown round forward section orcephalothorax that is between 1.6 and 2.1 mm (0.06 and 0.08 in) long and, behind that, a greyish or reddish-brown more ovoidabdomen that is between 1.5 and 2.7 mm (0.06 and 0.11 in) long, the female being smaller than the male. This distinctive coloration help distinguish the species from its relatives. The male also has characteristic long black scale-like hairs near the rearmost set of its large centraleyes. The male has long light brown or yellowlegs, the female's being yellowish-white with dark grey and greyish sections.
Parajotus refulgens is aspecies ofjumping spider, a member of thefamilySalticidae, that was firstdescribed by thearachnologistWanda Wesołowska in 2000.[2] It was one of over 500 species described by Wesołowska during her career, making her one of the most prolific in the field.[3] Theholotype is stored at theNatural History Museum of Zimbabwe inBulawayo. It has a name derived from the Latin wordrefulgens, which can be translated as'dazzling'.[4]
Wesołowska allocated the spider to thegenusParajotus, firstcircumscribed in 1903 byGeorge and Elizabeth Peckham. The genus only contains a few species.[5] Spiders in the genus resemble those in the genusJotus.[6] In 2015,Wayne Maddison listed the genus in thesubtribe Plexippina, which is part of thetribe Plexippini.[7] He considered this provisional as it is based on the shape of the spider's body and the presence of tufts near itseyes.[8] He allocated the tribe to thesubclade Simonida in theclade Saltafresia in thecladeSalticoida.[9] In 2017,Jerzy Prószyński allocated the genus to a group of genera that he called Hyllines.[10]
Parajotus refulgens is a small spider with distinctive physical features. The spider's body is divided into two main parts: a dark round forward section orcephalothorax and, to the rear of that, a lighter more ovoidabdomen.[11] Males of this species have a cephalothorax measuring between 1.6 and 2.1 mm (0.06 and 0.08 in) in length and between 1.2 and 1.8 mm (0.05 and 0.07 in) in width. Itscarapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is high mainly dark brown with a large eye field and a nearly black area around spider'seyes. A pattern of rounded spots, three larger ones towards the front, two smaller ones towards the rear and a larger patch on the eye field, are formed of white hairs. There are wide streaks formed of white hairs on the sides of the carapace. The spider has large main eyes, twice the diameter of those at the edges, with long brown bristles along the first row of eyes, small reddish scales near the front eyes and characteristic long black scale-like hairs near the rearmost central ones. The underside of the cephalothorax, orsternum, is yellow. The part of the spider's face known as theclypeus is moderately high and has a mat of white hairs.[12]
The male has long, light-brownchelicerae with two teeth at the front and one at the back. The remainder of its mouthparts, itslabium andmaxillae, are orange.[13] The male's abdomen is between 1.5 and 2.7 mm (0.06 and 0.11 in) in length and between 1.2 and 1.9 mm (0.05 and 0.07 in) in width. In some specimens, it looks bleached but is otherwise generally greyish or reddish-brown on top with a pattern of lighter streaks. There are a few long brown bristles along the front. The underside of its abdomen is lighter with traces of grey. Itsspinnerets, used for spinning webs, are yellowish. Its longlegs are either light brown or yellow with many brown spines and a covering of brown hairs. Its front pair of legs are longer than the others, although this varies between specimens.[12]
The male'scopulatory organs include a long palpal tibia that has a short spike, or tibialapophysis. At the end of the tibia is the spider'spalpal bulb, which consists of a small roundtegulum and, starting from the bottom and circling round the tegulum to project at an angle away towards the top, a thinembolus. The palpal bulb is protected by a bluntcymbium that is nearly twice its size.[11]
The female is generally smaller than the male, with a cephalothorax measuring between 1.6 and 1.9 mm (0.06 and 0.07 in) long and an abdomen measuring between 1.5 and 1.6 mm (0.06 and 0.06 in) long, both being between 1.2 and 1.3 mm (0.05 and 0.05 in) wide.[12] Its carapace is lower than the male.[14] It is similar in coloration to the male but lacks the black scales near the eyes and has a more contrasting pattern on its abdomen. Its legs are mainly yellowish-white and have grey spots and sections that are dark grey and greyish. The first pair of legs are less distinctly long and there are fewer spines. Itsepigyne, the visible external part of its copulatory organs, shows slight signs ofsclerotization and has large shallow depression and two central pockets.[15] The copulatory organs open into two long seminal ducts that curve to irregularly-shapedspermathecae, or receptacles. Small accessoryglands are also present.[11] Females found in Ivory Coast have seminal ducts that are more bent than those in spiders found in Zimbabwe.[16]
The spider is most easily distinguished from the relatedParajotus cinereus by its coloration.[5] Its copulatory organs are also different, the female having longer seminal ducts and the male a circular rather than oval tegulum.[17] Compared to the similarParajotus obscurofemoratus, it is the presence of dark scales near the male spider's eyes, as well as its coloration, that most easily identifies the species.[4]
Parajotus spiders are only found in Africa.[5]Parajotus refulgens has been found inBotswana,Democratic Republic of Congo,Ivory Coast,Nigeria andZimbabwe.[2] It is likely that it is even more widespread across the continent.[18] The male holotype was found at Nyamepi in Zimbabwe in 1984. Previously, in 1981, both male and female specimens had been collected nearKolwezi in what was then Zaire and later became the Democratic Republic of Congo.[4] Otherparatypes have been found nearLake Chivero in Zimbabwe and in theOkavango Delta in Botswana.[19] The first example to be discovered in Nigeria was seen inBorgu Game Reserve,Kwara State.[20] In Ivory Coast, it has been seen in many sites across the Lamto in the Bandama Forest.[21] It is one of the most abundant species of jumping spider in Lamto.[22]
The spider lives in a wide range of environments. It has mainly been seen living on branches of trees and on bushes in forests.[22] A minority were found amongst the base of grasses and insavanna.[21] It had also been found in debris by the side of rivers and occasionally living on granite boulders.[19][23]
