''Langelurillus namibicus'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

jumping spider 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 ...

in the

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 ...

Langelurillus ''Langelurillus'' is a spider genus (biology), genus of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). All the described species occur only in Africa. Species , the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: *''Langelurillus alboguttatus'' ...

'' that lives in Namibia and South Africa. The female was first described in 2011 by

Wanda Wesołowska Wanda Wesołowska (born 11 August 1950) is a Polish zoologist known for her work with jumping spiders. She has described more species of jumping spider than any contemporary writer, and is second only to Eugène Simon in the history of arachnolo ...

. The male has not been identified. The spider is small, with an

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

that is typically long and a

cephalothorax The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

long. It is similar to other related species, particularly '' Langelurillus cedarbergensis'', but can be distinguished by its closely-spaced copulatory openings and three-chambered receptacles.

Taxonomy

''Langelurillus namibicus'' is a

that was first described by the Polish

arachnologist Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, ticks, and mites. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly ...

in 2011. It was one of over 500

that she identified during her career, making her one of the most prolific amongst all

arachnologists Arachnology is the science, scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, Pseudoscorpionida, pseudoscorpions, Opiliones, harvestmen, Tick, ticks, and mites. Those who study spiders and other a ...

. She allocated it to the

'', which had been raised by Maciej Próchniewicz in 1994. However, its exact relationship is unknown as the male has not been described. The genus is related to '' Aelurillus'' and ''

Langona ''Langona'' is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). ''Langona'' species are similar to those of the genus ''Aelurillus''. In 2015, it was listed in the subtribe Aelurillina. The subtribe is allocated to the Tribe (biolog ...

'' but the spiders are generally smaller and, unlike these genera and '' Phlegra'', they lack the parallel stripes on the back of the body that is feature of the majority of these spiders. In 2015,

Wayne Maddison Wayne Paul Maddison (born 1958) is a Canadian evolutionary biologist, arachnologist, and biological illustrator. He is Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and a professor at the departments of zoology and botany at the University of British ...

placed the genus in the

subtribe Subtribe is a taxonomic category ranking which is below the rank of tribe and above genus. The standard suffix for a subtribe is -ina (in animals) or -inae (in plants). The first use of this word dates back to the late 19th century. An example of ...

Aelurillina, which also contained ''Aelurillus'', ''Langona'' and ''Phlegra'', in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Aelurillini, within the subclade Saltafresia in the

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

Salticoida. In 2016,

Jerzy Prószyński Jerzy Prószyński (born 1935 in Warsaw) is a Polish arachnologist specializing in systematics of jumping spiders (family Salticidae). He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, a long-term employee of the Siedlce University of Natural Sc ...

placed the same genera in a group named Aelurillines based on the shape of the spiders' copulatory organs.

Description

''Langelurillus namibicus'' is the largest species in the genus. The female has a

that has a typical length of and width of . The

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

is dark brown and moderately high with an almost black eye field. The clypeus is low and orange. The

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated ...

are light brown with a single tooth visible and the labium is generally brown. The

is typically long and wide and spherical in shape. It is brownish grey on top and light underneath. The

spinneret A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and ar ...

s are long and yellow. The short

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

s are brownish-orange and very spiny, with thin brown hairs. The spider has a small

epigyne The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species. ...

with a wide pocket. The seminal ducts are short and lead to receptables that consist of three highly sclerotized globular chambers. The male has not been described. It is the design of its copulatory organs that most distinguishes the spider from others in the genus. It most resembles '' Langelurillus cedarbergensis'' but differs in that the copulatory openings are closer together, the seminal ducts are longer and there are three receptacle chambers.

Distribution

Almost all, if not all, ''Langelurillus'' spiders live in sub-Saharan Africa. ''Langelurillus namibicus'' was first found in Namibia, after which the species is named. The first example was collected near Grabwaser in 1986. It has only been found in the south of the country. Subsequently, it was also identified near Kamiesberge in South Africa. The

species distribution Species distribution, or species dispersion, is the manner in which a biological taxon is spatially arranged. The geographic limits of a particular taxon's distribution is its range, often represented as shaded areas on a map. Patterns of distr ...

now includes both countries.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3226006 Spiders described in 2011 Spiders of Africa Spiders of South Africa Fauna of Namibia Salticidae Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska