Rhene facilis
Rhene facilis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Rhene. The spider, spotted in South Africa and Tanzania, is small with distinctive female and male forms. The female is light brown, with grey and red hints, and has a distinctive epigyne. The male is darker in colour, with an almost black carapace and a dark brown abdomen with a white patterns, and has a slightly curved embolus. The male was first described in 2000 and the female in 2013.
| Rhene facilis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Rhene |
| Species: | R. facilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhene facilis Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 | |
Taxonomy
Rhene facilis is a member of the genus Rhene, which is named after the Greek female name, shared by mythological figures.[1] The species name, facilis, means easy.[2] The male was first described in 2000 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith and the female by Wesołowska and Charles Haddad in 2013.[3]
Description
Rhene facilis is a small spider, typical of the genus.[2] The male is distinguished from other Rhene spiders by the distinctive white pattern, a combination of white hairy patches and a fine white stripe, on the abdomen, and a fine, slightly curved embolus. The male looks flattened, with a carapace that is very dark brown, almost black, measuring 1.9 millimetres (0.075 in) in length and a dark brown abdomen that is 2.2 millimetres (0.087 in) long.[4]
With slightly larger abdomen and smaller carapace, measuring 2.5 millimetres (0.098 in) and 1.6 millimetres (0.063 in) respectively, the female can be distinguished by the anterior arch on the epigyne and S-shaped copulatory openings. The spider is generally lighter in colour. The carapace is reddish-brown and the abdomen greyish-brown and more elongated than the male.[4]
Distribution
Rhene facilis has been found in South Africa and Tanzania.[3]
References
- Thorell, Tamerlan (1869). On European Spiders, Part 1: Review of the European Genera of Spiders, Preceded by Some Observations on Zoological Nomenclature. p. 37.
- Wesołowska, W.; Russell-Smith, A. (2000). "Jumping spiders from Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania (Araneae Salticidae)". Tropical Zoology. 13 (1): 93–94. doi:10.1080/03946975.2000.10531126.
- World Spider Catalog (2017). "Rhene facilis Wesolowska & A. Russell-Smith, 2000". World Spider Catalog. 18.0. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- Wesołowska, Wanda; Haddad, Charles R. (2013). "New data on the jumping spiders of South Africa (Araneae: Salticidae)". African Invertebrates. 54 (1): 223–224. doi:10.5733/afin.054.0111. Retrieved 21 August 2017.