A new monotypic genus Foordus gen. nov. with Foordus stefani sp. nov. as the type species is described. A short discussion on other Salticidae with disjunctive distributions is provided.

Afrotropics, description, KwaZulu-Natal, new species

Euophryines is one of the largest groups among jumping spiders (Salticidae), reported from all continents other than Antarctica (Zhang and Maddison 2015). Currently, 6 genera and 50 species are known from South Africa (Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. 2023). Four genera among these are confined to Southern Africa (sensu Dippenaar-Schoeman and Jocqué 1997), with most species recorded from South Africa.

The tribe Euophryini of the Afrotropical Region was revised ten years ago, with two new genera and thirty three new species described (Wesołowska et al. 2014). The largest genus is Thyenula Simon, 1902 with 20 species followed by Euophrys C.L. Koch, 1834 (16 species). Two genera, Rumburak Wesołowska, Azarkina & Russell-Smith, 2014 (7 species) and the monotypic Yimbulunga Wesołowska, Azarkina & Russell-Smith, 2014, are found only in South Africa. Chinophrys Zhang & Maddison, 2012 is the only other genus with only one species known from South Africa, most species of which are distributed in China (WSC 2024). Yet, it is most likely that many species or even genera still remain undescribed.

In this paper I report another monotypic new genus of tiny euophryine, Foordus gen. nov. from South Africa.

The specimens used in this study are shared between the following collections (curator names are in parentheses):

ISEA Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia (G.N. Azarkina)

MMUM Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, United Kingdom (D. Arzuza Buelvas)

NCA National Collection of Arachnida, Pretoria, South Africa (A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman, P. Marais)

SMF Senckenberg Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (P. Jäger)

TMSA Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa (T. Bird)

ZISP Zoological Institute RAS, St Petersburg, Russia (D.V. Logunov)

Specimens were studied in 70% ethanol and a description of their colouration refers to that of preserved specimens. The epigyne was detached and macerated in 10% KOH overnight. After photos were taken and drawings were made, dissected parts were stored in microvials with the specimens. All drawings were made with the aid of a reticular eyepiece attached to a MBS–10 stereomicroscope. Photographs of preserved specimens were taken with a Canon EOS 550D camera attached to a Zeiss Stemi–2000 stereomicroscope. Stacked images were combined using Helicon Focus. The drawings were edited in Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw.

The abbreviations used in the text are as follows:

AME anterior median eyes;

Ap apical;

BH basal haematodocha;

C cymbium;

D dorsal;

DH distal haematodocha;

E embolus;

Fm femur;

Mt metatarsus;

Pr prolateral;

Rt retrolateral;

SR salticid radix;

Tg tegulum;

Ti tibia;

V ventral.

The sequence of leg segments in measurement data is as follows: femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus (total). All measurements are in millimeters (mm). Leg setation follows Ono (1988). Terminology follows Zhang and Maddison (2015) and Azarkina and Haddad (2020). The distribution map was produced using the online mapping software SimpleMappr (Shorthouse 2010).

Family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841

Subfamily Salticinae Blackwall, 1841

Tribe Euophryini Simon, 1901

 Foordus gen. nov.

https://zoobank.org/5BD45DF7-9EB3-4C21-9245-AE51BBF03366

Type species

Foordus stefani sp. nov., designated here.

Diagnosis

The genus Foordus gen. nov. is most similar to the South-Asian genus Cytaea Keyserling, 1882 in having a retrolateral outgrowth of the tegulum near the embolic coil apically (cf. Figs 1–3 and Trębicki et al. 2021: figs 5E, 8E) but differs from Cytaea in an embolic division that has an outgrowth at the base which is absent in Cytaeae alburna Keyserling, 1882 (cf Figs 1, 3 and Trębicki et al. 2021: figs 5D–G). Females differ in having a wider epigynal septum (Fig. 7) while Cytaea has a thin median guide (Fig. 7 and Trębicki et al. 2021: figs 5A–B). Moreover, all members of the genus Cytaea are larger in size and have fissidentate chelicerae while Foordus gen. nov. has unidentate chelicerae.

Figures 1–9. 

Foordus stefani gen. and sp. nov.: Male holotype (1–6) and female paratype (7–9) 1 male palp, prolateral 2 same, ventral 3 same, retrolateral 4 expanded male palp, ventral 5 same, ventro-basal 6 same, apical 7 epigyne, ventral 8 epigyne, dorsal 9 Diagrammatic course of the insemination ducts. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Etymology

The new genus is a patronym in honour of the late Prof. Stefan Hendrik Foord. Gender masculine.

Definition

Tiny spiders with body length from 2.05 mm in male to 2.40 mm in female. Sexes similar in general body shape, males have a shiny scutum that covers the dorsal side of the abdomen (Figs 10, 12). Carapace rather low, with very low clypeus. Chelicerae unidentate, with two teeth promarginally and one tooth retromarginally. Legs subequal in size and length. Leg formula: I–IV/III/II in males and IV/I/III/II in female. Female palp of general form, without either macrosetae or an apical claw. Male palp: cymbium more or less round, of usual euophryine form. Tibia short, with a small ventral bump, retrolateral tibial apophysis bent ventrally at almost 90° (Fig. 3). Embolic division forms a round coil prolatero-ventrally, with salticid radix placed prolaterally (Figs 1, 2). Embolic coil has triangular outgrowth at the base, forming a single circle (Figs 1, 3, 4). Tegulum and salticid radix separated from each other by the basal haematodocha, embolic coil separated from salticid radix by the distal haematodocha (Figs 4–6). Female copulatory organs: Median septum narrow, with two round windows with wings on outer rim and openings to copulatory ducts close to its anterior end, supported by stiffeners. Vulva with long copulatory ducts and tube-shaped spermathecae, fertilization ducts located in the middle part near septum.

Composition

Monotypic genus, Foordus stefani gen. and sp. nov.

Distribution

Known only from the type location (KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa).

 Foordus stefani sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/9AD094F4-36D4-4A56-B6DF-403C782AAD80

Figs 1–9, 10–17, 18

Type material

Holotype. South Africa • ♂; KwaZulu-Natal Province; Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve; 28.0833°S, 32.0667°E; 18 Nov. 1992; S. Endrödy-Younga leg.; TMSA 25041.

Paratypes. South Africa • 2♂; same with Holotype; TMSA 22228 • 1♂; same; TMSA 22218 • 1♂1♀; same; TMSA 22209 • 2♂; same but 18 Nov. 1992; TMSA 22240 • 1♂; same; ISEA 001.9106 • 1♂; same; NCA 2024/18 • 1♂; same; MMUE G7709.1 • 1♂; same; SMF • 1♂; same; ZISP ARA_ARA_0000822.

Diagnosis

Same with generic.

Description

Male. Total length 2.05. Carapace 1.05 long, 0.78 wide. Abdomen 1.00 long, 0.65 wide. Ocular area 0.45 long, 0.70 wide anteriorly, 0.70 wide posteriorly. Cheliceral length 0.35. Clypeal height 0.05. Height at PLE 0.45. Diameter of AME 0.25. Length of leg segments: I 0.55 + 0.35 + 0.40 + 0.30 + 0.25 (1.85). II 0.45 + 0.30 + 0.28 + 0.20 + 0.25 (1.48). III 0.45 + 0.25 + 0.30 +0.30 + 0.25 (1.55). IV 0.55 + 0.30 + 0.35 + 0.35 + 0.30 (1.85). Leg setation: I: Fm d 0-1-1, Ti v-pr 0-1-1 ap, v-rt 1-1-1 ap, Mt v 2-2 ap. II: Fm d 0-1-1, Ti v-pr 1-1-0, Mt v 2-2 ap. III: Fm d 0-1-1, pr & rt 0-1-0, v-pr 0-1-1 ap, Mt pr & rt 0-1 ap, v 0-2 ap. IV: Fm d 0-1-1, Ti v-pr 0-0-1 ap, Mt pr 0-0-1, v 0-2 ap. Colouration (in alcohol, Figs 10–13). Carapace brown, with dark brown eye field and dark brown rings around eyes. Clypeus brown. Chelicerae light-brown, pale apically. Sternum yellow-brown. Abdomen with dark brown shiny scutum that covers the entire abdomen dorsally. Venter brown. Book lung covers yellow-brown. Spinnerets brown posteriorly, yellow anteriorly. All legs yellow. Femora of all legs dark brown pro- and retrolaterally, remaining dark brown distally. Palps dark brown, cymbium yellow, covered with short white setae. Male palps as in Figs 1–6: similar to generic description.

Figures 10–17. 

Foordus stefani gen. and sp. nov.: Male holotype (10–13) and female paratype (14–17) 10 male habitus, dorsal 11 same, ventral 12 same, same, lateral 13 same, frontal 14 female habitus, frontal 15 same, dorsal 16 same, ventral 17 same, lateral. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Female. Total length 2.10. Carapace 1.10 long, 0.75 wide. Abdomen 1.30 long, 0.85 wide. Ocular area 0.45 long, 0.75 wide anteriorly, 0.73 wide posteriorly. Cheliceral length 0.30. Clypeal height 0.05. Height at PLE 0.40. Diameter of AME 0.25. Length of leg segments: I 0.55 + 0.30 + 0.35 + 0.25 + 0.25 (1.70). II 0.45 + 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.20 + 0.25 (1.40). III 0.45 + 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.30 + 0.25 (1.50). IV 0.55 + 0.25 + 0.40 + 0.35 + 0.30 (1.85). Leg setation: I: Ti v-pr 0-1-1 ap, v-rt 1-1-1 ap, Mt v 2-2 ap. II: Ti v-pr 1-1-0, Mt v 2-2 ap. III: Ti pr & rt 0-1-0, v-pr 0-0-1 ap, Mt pr & rt 0-1 ap, v 0-2 ap. IV: Ti rt 0-1-0, v-pr 0-0-1 ap, Mt rl 0-0-1, v-pr 0-1 ap. Colouration (in alcohol, Figs 14–17). Carapace brown, with dark brown eye field and black rings around eyes. Thoracic part with yellow-brown longitudinal band medially. Clypeus brown. Chelicerae yellow-brown. Sternum brownish-yellow. Labium and endites brownish-yellow, pale apically. Abdomen grey-brown dorsally, with two thin yellow longitudinal bands medially. Venter pale-yellow. Spinnerets and book-lung covers pale yellow. All legs and palps dark yellow, tinged with brown. Epigyne and vulva as in Figs 7–9, similar to generic description.

Figure 18. 

Distribution of the genus Foordus gen. nov.

Etymology

The new species is named after the South African arachnologist, the late Prof. Stefan Hendrik Foord, for his contribution to African arachnology.

The new genus Foordus gen. nov. is similar to Cytaea, distributed from India to Australia and Samoa to the East and South (WSC 2024). A few genera are known with a distribution in the Afrotropics and South-East Asia. They include Chinophrys with one species in South Africa and the rest of the species in SE Asia and Orsima Simon, 1901 with one species in West Africa and two species in SE Asia. Previously some species that have a similar distribution (Afrotropics and SE Asia) were carefully reexamined and found to belong to different genera. For example, two species of Afromarengo Benjamin, 2004 were first described in Marengo Wanless, 1978 and later moved to Afromarengo that occurs only in the Afrotropics (Wanless 1978; Benjamin 2004). Likewise, Ballagascar insularis G.W. Peckham & E.G. Peckham, 1885 and Wandawe benjamini (Wesołowska and Haddad 2013) were originally placed in Colaxes Simon, 1900 (Wesołowska 2019 and Wesołowska and Haddad 2013) and later moved to other genera (Azarkina and Haddad 2020).

With Foordus stefani gen. and sp. nov. the number of euophryines from South Africa is raised to 7 genera and 51 species in total. Two of the genera are monotypic, Foordus gen. nov. (with F. stefani sp. nov.) and Yimbulunga (with Y. foordi Wesołowska, Azarkina & Russell-Smith, 2014). Thus, among these seven genera, five genera are only found in the Afrotropics, while two genera, Chinophrys and Euophrys, are found outside of Afrotropics. The genus Euophrys is most likely polyphyletic and some of the African members will in future be moved to other, undescribed genera.

Despite a considerable similarity with Cytaea, I decided to describe a new genus of euophryine jumping spider, Foordus gen. nov. until further material is found and a full detailed diagnosis for the genus Cytaea is provided (it seems that the genus Cytaea is polyphyletic). Molecular methods may help to resolve this issue in the future.

The curators of the Ditsong Museum (Audrey Ndaba and Tharina Bird) are thanked for loaning the material at their disposal for this study. Robyn Lyle (Pretoria, South Africa) is thanked for assistance in obtaining material from the Ditsong Museum. I wish to thank Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, Robin Lyle and Petro Marais for providing facilities during my stay in Pretoria. Dmitri Logunov is thanked for short discussion on the generic status. Special thanks go to Anthony Russell-Smith (United Kingdom) for editing the English of the final draft. This paper would not have been possible without Charles Haddad’s help and a grant from the National Research Foundation of South Africa in the Competitive Program for Rated Researchers (#95569). Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, G.B. Edwards (USA) and anonymous referee are thanked for their critical comments that improved the paper.