Evarcha zougoussi
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| Evarcha zougoussi | |
|---|---|
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| Female adult from Ivory Coast | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Evarcha |
| Species: | E. zougoussi |
| Binomial name | |
| Evarcha zougoussi Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2022 | |
Evarcha zougoussi is a species of jumping spider that lives in Ivory Coast. A member of the genus Evarcha, the species was first described in 2022 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. It is a comparatively large spider, with an oval cephalothorax measuring between 2.7 and 3.3 mm (0.11 and 0.13 in) long and an ovoid abdomen between 3 and 3.5 mm (0.12 and 0.14 in) long. It has a pattern of a light streak down its carapace, the top of its cephalothorax, and a series of spots on its abdomen. In comparison, the spider's sternum, or underside of the cephalothorax, is a plain yellow. Its legs are generally light brown. Although only the female has been identified, it is clear that the spider's copulatory organs are distinctive, including the existence of a deep pocket in its epigyne and its bean-shaped spermathecae.
Evarcha zougoussi is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae, that was first described by the arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith in 2022.[1] It was one of over 500 species identified by Wesołowska during her career, making her one of the most prolific in the field.[2] Despite reservations, mainly due to the unusually large size of the spider, they allocated it to the genus Evarcha rather than Hyllus.[3] The species is named for the place where it was first found.[4]
First circumscribed by Eugène Simon in 1902, Evarcha is one of the largest genera of jumping spiders, with members found on four continents.[5] In 1976, Jerzy Prószyński placed the genus in the subfamily Pelleninae, along with the genera Bianor and Pellenes.[6] In Wayne Maddison's 2015 study of spider phylogenetic classification, the genus Evarcha was moved to the subtribe Plexippina.[7] This is a member of the tribe Plexippini, in the subclade Simonida in the clade Saltafresia.[8] It is closer to the genera Hyllus and Plexippus.[9] Analysis of protein-coding genes showed it was particularly related to Telamonia.[10] In the following year, Prószyński added the genus to a group of genera named Evarchines, named after the genus, along with Hasarinella and Nigorella based on similarities in the spiders' copulatory organs.[11] In 2018, Prószyński attempted to split the genus, but this has proved controversial and has not been universally accepted.[12]