Menemerus magnificus
A spider of the Menemerus' genus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Subfamily:	Salticinae
Genus:	Menemerus
Species:	M. magnificus
Binomial name
Menemerus magnificus Wesołowska, 1999

Menemerus magnificus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives in Cameroon. The species was first described in 1999 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 descriptions she wrote during her lifetime. The spider is small, with a carapace that is typically 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) long and an abdomen that is 1.8 millimetres (0.071 in) long. The carapace is generally a uniform dark brown while the abdomen has two rows of patches on the back. Otherwise, it is its copulatory organs that most distinguish the species from others in the genus. The male has a distinctive dorsal tibia that includes horns-like appendages and lobes.

Taxonomy

Menemerus magnificus is a species of jumping spider that was first described by Wanda Wesołowska in 1999.^[1] It was one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist during her career, ensuring her reputation as one of the most prolific in the field.^[2] She allocated the spider to the genus Menemerus.^[3] The genus was first described in 1868 by Eugène Simon and contains over 60 species.^[4] The genus name derives from two Greek words, meaning certainly and diurnal.^[5]

Genetic analysis has shown that Menemerus is related to the genera Helvetia and Phintella.^[6] The genus shares some characteristics, including having narrow, oval, fixed embolus, with the genera Hypaeus and Pellenes.^[7] Previously placed in the tribe Heliophaninae, the tribe was reconstituted as Chrysillini by Wayne Maddison in 2015.^[8] The tribe is ubiquitous across most continents of the world.^[6] It is allocated to the subclade Saltafresia in the clade Salticoida.^[9] In 2016, Prószyński created a group of genera named Menemerines after the genus.^[10] The vast majority of the species in Menemerines are members of the genus, with additional examples from Kima and Leptorchestes.^[11] The species name is derived from the Latin word for magnificent.^[12]

Description

Menemerus magnificus is a rather small spider. The male has a brown carapace that is typically 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) long and 1.3 millimetres (0.051 in) wide. It has a black eye field. The spider has dark brown chelicerae. The spider's abdomen is typically 1.8 mm (0.071 in) long and 1.3 millimetres (0.051 in) wide.^[12] The abdomen is greyish-brown with two rows of translucent patches on the top and light underneath. It is covered with a large number of dark brown hairs. The labium, maxilae and sternum are brown. The spinnerets are beige and the legs are yellow with brown hairs and spines. The legs are covered in brown and white hairs, and have brown spines. The spider's copulatory organs are distinctive. The pedipalp is brown and has a short and wide embolus with an opposing conductor of a similar size and a tibia that includes two large horn-like appendages and various lobes.^[13] The female has not been described.^[1]

Spiders of the Menemerus genus are difficult to distinguish from each other.^[14] It is the copulatory organs that enable the different species to be identified. The shape of the tibial apophyses, or appendages, are distinctive. The species is similar to Menemerus mirabilis but has a longer embolus.^[15]

Distribution

Menemerus magnificus is endemic to Cameroon.^[1] The holotype was found in 1956 in the Cameroon mountains at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.^[12] It is only known from that area of the country.^[13]

References