Afraflacilla-grayorum-whyte-A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia

''Afraflacilla'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of the

spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

family

Salticidae Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family (biology), family Salticidae. , this family contained over 600 species description, described genus, genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spide ...

(jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

(including the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

) and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. This genus was for a time included in the genus ''

Pseudicius ''Pseudicius'' is a genus of the jumping spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1885. The name is combined of Greek ''pseudo'' "false" and the salticid genus name ''Icius''. The small genus '' Wesolowskana'' (formerly known as ''Luxuria'') sh ...

'', and the boundaries between both genera are disputed. In 2016 Jerzy Prószyński erected the genus ''Psenuc'' for some borderline species. The name ''Afraflacilla'' is combined from

, where most earlier described species were found, and ''Flacilla'' Simon, 1901, an obsolete salticid genus now called ''

Flacillula ''Flacillula'' is a spider genus (biology), genus of the jumping spider family, Salticidae, with five described species that occur in the Southeast Asian region. It is closely related to the genus ''Afraflacilla''. They look flattish, with a lon ...

'' Strand, 1932. This genus name is in turn derived from

Aelia Flaccilla Aelia Flavia Flaccilla (died 386), better known simply as Aelia Flacilla or Flacilla, was a Roman empress and first wife of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. She was of Hispanian Roman descent. During her marriage to Theodosius, she gave birth t ...

, wife of Roman Emperor

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

. ''Afraflacilla'', ''

'', ''

Festucula ''Festucula'' is a genus of Salticidae, jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon, Eugène Louis Simon in 1901. Species it contains ten species, found only in Africa and Israel: *''Festucula australis'' Lawrence, 1927 – Democra ...

'' and ''

Marchena ''Marchena'' is a genus of jumping spiders only found in the United States. Its only described species, ''M. minuta'', dwells on the barks of conifers along the west coast, especially California, Washington and Nevada.Maddison, Wayne. 1995. ...

'' are close relatives and form a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group. Afraflacilla species have tubercles and bristles (on the sides of the carapace near the eyes and on their legs) which they rub together to make sounds used in courtship and possibly defence. The line of small tubercles (sharp knobs) under the eyes on the side of the carapace are usually visible to the naked eye.

''Afraflacilla'' in Australia

''Afraflacilla'' species in Australia include ''A. grayorum, A. gunbar'', ''A.'' ''huntorum'', ''A.'' ''milledgei'', ''A.'' ''stridulator'', ''A.'' ''vestjensi'' and ''A.'' ''yeni''. In Australia they occupy tree trunks in deserts, savanna woodland and in open

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...

forests from south west Western Australia to Cape York Queensland, mostly in warmer regions. There are many undescribed Australian species. ''Afraflacilla grayorum'' Grays' stridulating jumping spider, found in northern Australian deserts, was named in honour of Michael and Greta Gray. The male palpal organ of many Australian ''Afraflacilla'' species has a large, circling embolus (inseminating sclerite) and retro-lateral tibial apophysis (side spike). Some undescribed Australian ''Afraflacilla'' species have greatly enlarged segments of the first pair of legs, and sometimes massive spurs coming from underneath the tibia and metatarsus (third and second last leg segments). Enlarged leg-one segments are also a feature of ''

'', a genus widespread outside Australia.

Species

Afraflacilla-palps-whyte-A-Field-Guide-to-Spiders-of-Australia

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepted the following species: * ''

Afraflacilla adavathurensis ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Sampathkumar & Caleb, 2023 –

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* ''

Afraflacilla albopunctata ''Afraflacilla albopunctata'' is a species of jumping spiders in the genus '' Afraflacilla'' that lives in Ivory Coast. The spider is small, with a cephalothorax that is typically long and an abdomen typically long. Its carapace is brown with ...

'' Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2022 –

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

* ''

Afraflacilla altera ''Afraflacilla altera'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Afraflacilla'' that lives in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The spider was first described in 2000 by Wanda Wesołowska and originally allocated to the genus '' Pseudicius''. I ...

'' (Wesołowska, 2000) –

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

* ''

Afraflacilla antineae ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' (Denis, 1954) –

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

* '' Afraflacilla arabica'' Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 –

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

* ''

Afraflacilla asorotica ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' (Simon, 1890) –

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, Yemen * '' Afraflacilla ballarini'' Cao & Li, 2016 –

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

* ''

Afraflacilla bamakoi ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Berland & Millot, 1941 –

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

* ''

Afraflacilla banni ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Prajapati, Tatu & Kamboj, 2021 – India * ''

Afraflacilla berlandi ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Denis, 1955 –

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

* '' Afraflacilla bipunctata'' (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1903) – South Africa * ''

Afraflacilla braunsi ''Afraflacilla braunsi'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''Afraflacilla''. First found in South Africa, the spider was subsequently observed living in Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, although it is lik ...

'' (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1903) – South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

* '' Afraflacilla datuntata'' (Logunov & Zamanpoore, 2005) – Afghanistan * '' Afraflacilla elegans'' (Wesołowska & Cumming, 2008) - Zimbabwe, South Africa * '' Afraflacilla epiblemoides'' (Chyzer, 1891) – Central,

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

* '' Afraflacilla eximia'' (Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000) –

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

* ''

Afraflacilla fayda The Fayda Jumper or ''Afraflacilla fayda'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Afraflacilla'' that lives in the United Arab Emirates. The spider was first described in 2010 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. The spider is s ...

'' (Wesołowska & van Harten, 2010) – United Arab Emirates * '' Afraflacilla flavipes'' (Caporiacco, 1935) – Turkmenistan,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

* '' Afraflacilla goaensis'' Gawas & Tripathi, 2024 – India * ''

Afraflacilla grayorum ''Afraflacilla grayorum'', (Grays' jumping spider) a stridulating jumping spider is a species of spider in the family Salticidae. It was first described in 1993 by Marek Zabka. It is found in outback The Outback is a remote, vast, spar ...

'' Żabka, 1993 –

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

* '' Afraflacilla gunbar'' Żabka & Gray, 2002 –

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

* '' Afraflacilla histrionica'' (Simon, 1902) – South Africa * ''

Afraflacilla huntorum ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Żabka, 1993 – Western Australia,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

* '' Afraflacilla imitator'' (Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013) – South Africa * ''

Afraflacilla javanica ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' (Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2012) –

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

* '' Afraflacilla karinae'' (Haddad & Wesołowska, 2011) – South Africa * '' Afraflacilla kerala'' Babu, Tripathi & Caleb, 2023 – India * '' Afraflacilla kraussi'' (Marples, 1964) – Marshall Is., Cook Is.,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

* '' Afraflacilla kurichiadensis'' Sudhin, Nafin & Sudhikumar, 2022 – India * '' Afraflacilla miajlarensis'' Tripathi, Jangid, Prajapati & Siliwal, 2022 – India * '' Afraflacilla mikhailovi'' (Prószyński, 2000) – Israel * ''

Afraflacilla mushrif ''Afraflacilla mushrif'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Afraflacilla'' that lives in the United Arab Emirates. The spider was first described in 2010 by Wanda Wesołowska and Antonius van Harten. It is small, with a cephalothora ...

'' (Wesołowska & van Harten, 2010) – Israel * '' Afraflacilla philippinensis'' (Prószyński, 1992) –

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

* '' Afraflacilla refulgens'' (Wesołowska & Cumming, 2008) – Zimbabwe * '' Afraflacilla reiskindi'' (Prószyński, 1992) –

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

* '' Afraflacilla risbeci'' Berland & Millot, 1941 –

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

* '' Afraflacilla roberti'' (Wesołowska, 2011) –

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

* '' Afraflacilla scenica'' Denis, 1955 –

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

* '' Afraflacilla similis'' Berland & Millot, 1941 – Senegal * '' Afraflacilla spiniger'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) – Egypt to

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

* ''

Afraflacilla stridulator ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Żabka, 1993 – Western Australia * ''

Afraflacilla tamaricis ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' (Simon, 1885) –

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen * '' Afraflacilla tarajalis'' Miñano & Tamajón, 2017 –

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

* ''

Afraflacilla venustula ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' (Wesołowska & Haddad, 2009) – South Africa * '' Afraflacilla vestjensi'' Żabka, 1993 –

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

* '' Afraflacilla wadis'' (Prószyński, 1989) – Saudi Arabia, Israel, Yemen * ''

Afraflacilla yeni ''Afraflacilla'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most species are distributed in Eastern to Northern Africa (including the Middle East) and Australia, with two species (''A. epiblemoides and A. tarajalis'') found in ...

'' Żabka, 1993 – Victoria * ''

Afraflacilla zuluensis ''Afraflacilla zuluensis'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus '' Afraflacilla'' that lives in South Africa. The spider was first described in 2013 by Charles Haddad and Wanda Wesołowska. Originally allocated to the genus '' Pseudiciu ...

'' (Haddad & Wesołowska, 2013) – South Africa

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q117705 Salticidae Salticidae genera Taxa named by Lucien Berland Spiders of Africa Spiders of Asia Spiders of Australia