Diphya wesolowskae

Diphya wesolowskae was first described by Mikhail Omelko, Yuri Marusik and Robin Lyle in 2020.[1] The species is named after the Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska on her 70th birthday.[2][3] It was allocated to the genus Diphya, first described by Hercule Nicolet in 1849. The genus is a member of the subfamily Diphyainae in the family Tetragnathidae.[4] The family is monophyletic, although there is instability in the placement of the different genera and species.[5] By combining molecular analysis with morphological study, Fernando Alvarez-Padilla and Gustavo Hormiga concluded that the genus is sister to Chrysometa within a clade. They also suggest that the genus is monophyletic.[6]

The spider is small, with a typical total length of 2.8 mm (0.11 in). The carapace has a typical length of 1.61 mm (0.063 in) and width of 1.19 mm (0.047 in). It is dark brown to brown and with a faint yellow to brown stripe across the middle. Thin yellow lines grace the back end. The eye field is black. The abdomen is also brown or dark brown, with two dark spots visible on most examples. A few specimens have a pattern of spots and lines which are barely visible as their abdomen is generally lighter.[7] It is raised and of a more bulbous shape than the carapace.[8] The side of the abdomen is more grey and has thin yellow stripes. The greyish underside has yellow spots. The clypeus is yellow. The chelicerae are dark brown with three teeth forward and four to the back. The legs are generally brown and dark yellow, although some also have grey areas and some are yellow.[7] The palpal bulb has a pronounced long tibia, four times longer than it is wide, and a very short embolus. The embolic loop is also short.[9] The bulb has a very long, thin projection that extends beyond the cymbium, which is also pronounced.[10]

The female is slightly larger, typically 3.17 mm (0.125 in). The carapace is dark brown with a yellow-brown broad stripe across the middle. It is similar in length to the male but narrower, typically 1.17 mm (0.046 in) across. The eye field is dark brown rather than black. The abdomen is light brown and has a pattern of large black spots and stripes. The sides are similar to the male and the underside is a patternless grey. The clypeus is also dark brown. The chelicerae are a lighter brown than the male. The legs are dark brown and brown, and lack the yellow in the male. The epigyne has a plate that is longer than it is wide and a receptacle shaped like an elongated oval. It has no pockets.[11]

The species can be distinguished from the more widely distributed Diphya simoni by its pattern-less carapace. The shape of the copulatory organs help identify it from other members of the genus. Particularly, the length of the protrusions from the male palpal bulb clearly mark out the species against other examples found in South Africa.[7] Other features enable the spider to be compared to members of the genus from other countries. For example, like other African members of the genus, the species lack the tibial apophysis and copulatory ducts found in American examples. The epigyne is most similar to Diphya foordi, differing in having a thicker septal stem.[12]

Diphya wesolowskae is endemic to South Africa.[1] The holotype was found near Cathedral Peak in KwaZulu-Natal in 2005. The spider was also observed in other locations across the province and into Limpopo. Examples have been found in the Entabeni and ithala Game Reserves, and Lekgalameetse Provincial Park.[13] It is the second most common of its genus in South Africa after Diphya simoni, although restricted to the eastern side of the country.[12]

Diphya spiders, like other tetragnathids that build webs, prefers to live in areas that are rich with water.[14] Diphya wesolowskae thrives in a range of environments, including grassland, plantations and forests.[13]