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''Mexcala formosa'' is a species of jumping spider in the genus ''
Mexcala ''Mexcala'' is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902. The name is probably derived from the Nahuatl ''mezcal''. Species it contains twenty-one species, found only in Africa, Yemen, and Iran: ...
'' that is endemic to Ethiopia. The spider was first defined in 2008 by Wanda Wesołowska and . It mimics ants, living alongside and preying upon them. Only the male has been described. It is a medium-sized spider, with 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 ...
typically long and an abdomen typically long. The
carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), 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 tor ...
is dark brown and the eye field black. The spider is similar to the related ''
Mexcala agilis ''Mexcala'' is a genus of Salticidae, jumping spiders that was first described by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902. The name is probably derived from the Nahuatl ''mezcal''. Species it contains twenty-one species, found only in Africa, Yemen ...
'' and ''
Mexcala elegans ''Mexcala elegans'' is a species of spiders in the jumping spider family, Salticidae. It is found in Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical loca ...
'', but can be distinguished by its thinner tibial apophysis and the white scales on its cymbium.


Taxonomy

''Mexcala formosa'' is a jumping spider that was first described by the Polish arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska and Beata Tomasiewicz in 2008. They allocated the species to the genus ''
Mexcala ''Mexcala'' is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902. The name is probably derived from the Nahuatl ''mezcal''. Species it contains twenty-one species, found only in Africa, Yemen, and Iran: ...
'', first raised by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902. The genus was a member of the tribe
Heliophaninae Chrysillini is a tribe of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. In Maddison's 2015 revision of the family, the subfamily Heliophaninae was reclassified as a junior synonym of Chrysillini. Genera * '' Afraflacilla'' * '' Augustaea'' * '' ...
alongside '' Pseudicius'' and '' Cosmophasis'', which was absorbed into
Chrysillini Chrysillini is a tribe of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. In Maddison's 2015 revision of the family, the subfamily Heliophaninae was reclassified as a junior synonym of Chrysillini. Genera * '' Afraflacilla'' * '' Augustaea'' * '' ...
by Wayne Maddison in 2015. The tribe is a member of the
clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
Saltafresia within the
subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Salticoida Salticoida is an unranked clade of the jumping spider family Salticidae. It is the larger and more widespread of the two subdivisions of the "typical" jumping spiders (subfamily Salticinae), occurring effectively world-wide. Its sister clade is ...
. A year later, 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 Scienc ...
allocated the genus to the Heliophanines group of genera, which was named after the genus ''
Heliophanus ''Heliophanus'' is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most of the almost 170 described species occur in Africa, with many others found in the Palearctic region from Europe to Japan. Species , the World Spider Catal ...
''. The genera share characteristics, including having a rather uniform, mainly dark appearance. The species is named after a Latin word meaning shaped like a well and refers to the spider's body shape.


Description

Like all ''Mexcala'' spiders, the species is slender and medium-sized. The male has 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 ...
with a typical length of and width . The spider has a dark brown pear-shaped
carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), 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 tor ...
with a dark line running along its edges. The black eye field has a scattering of brown bristles. It has a low, dark clypeus. The chelicerae are long with very short spike-like bristles. The remaining mouthparts and sternum are dark brown. The abdomen is brownish with an indistinct pattern of dark patches in the centre. It is typically long and wide. The underside is yellow with a tint of grey. The spinnerets are brownish. It has long thin brown
legs 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 ...
. The pedipalps are brown with a some white scales visible on the surface of the cymbium. It has a straight tibial apophysis, or spike, that has a wider base than other species. The palpal bulb is triangular in form with a large lobe to the back. The embolus is short and slightly bent. It is fixed to the
tegulum The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often desc ...
. The spider is similar to others in the genus. It is related to ''
Mexcala agilis ''Mexcala'' is a genus of Salticidae, jumping spiders that was first described by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902. The name is probably derived from the Nahuatl ''mezcal''. Species it contains twenty-one species, found only in Africa, Yemen ...
'' and ''
Mexcala elegans ''Mexcala elegans'' is a species of spiders in the jumping spider family, Salticidae. It is found in Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical loca ...
'', but can be distinguished by its thinner tibial apophysis and the white scales that can be seen on the cymbium. The female has not been described.


Behaviour

Like many jumping spiders, Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts noted that ''Mexcala'' spiders mimic ants, particularly members of the '' Camponotus'' genus. The spiders live amongst the species of ant that it mimics, and preys upon. Like other jumping spiders, it is mainly a diurnal hunter that uses its good eyesight to spot its prey. It attacks from the front and captures its prey behind the head. It uses visual displays during courtship and transmits vibratory signals through silk to communicate to other spiders.


Distribution

''Mexcala'' spiders can be found across Africa and the Arabian peninsula. ''Mexcala formosa'' is endemic to Ethiopia. The species was first discovered in the Awash National Park, the holotype being collected in 1988. The spider lives in grass and gravel.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2805517 Endemic fauna of Ethiopia Fauna of Ethiopia Salticidae Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska Spiders described in 2008 Spiders of Africa