Mexcala fizi
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| Mexcala fizi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A related species, Mexcala quadrimaculata | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Mexcala |
| Species: | M. fizi |
| Binomial name | |
| Mexcala fizi Wesołowska, 2009 | |
Mexcala fizi is a species of jumping spider in the genus Mexcala that lives in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. The spider was first defined in 2009 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 that the arachnologist described during her career. It mimics ants and ant-like wasps, living alongside and preying upon them. The spider is medium-sized, with a dark browncarapace between 2.7 and 2.9 mm (0.11 and 0.11 in) long and a brown abdomen between 3.1 and 3.4 mm (0.12 and 0.13 in) long. The female has not been described.
Mexcala fizi is a jumping spider that was first described by the Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska in 2009, one of over 500 species she identified during her career.[1][2] She allocated the species to the genus Mexcala, first raised by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902 as part of a thorough revision of the genus.[2][3] The genus was a member of the tribe Heliophaninae alongside Pseudicius and Cosmophasis, which was absorbed into Chrysillini by Wayne Maddison in 2015.[4][5] The tribe is a member of the clade Saltafresia within the subfamily Salticoida.[6] A year later, in 2016, Jerzy Prószyński allocated the genus to the Heliophanines group of genera, which was named after the genus Heliophanus. The genera share characteristics, including having a rather uniform, mainly dark appearance.[7] The species itself has a name that is derived from Fizi, the name of the town 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) away from the place where the first example was collected.[8]
Description
Like all Mexcala spiders, the species is slender and medium-sized.[9] The female has a dark brown hairy carapace that ranges from 2.7 to 2.9 mm (0.11 to 0.11 in) long. The chelicerae has a serrated front edge and a single tooth. The labium, maxilla and sternum are light brown. The abdomen is between 3.1 and 3.4 mm (0.12 and 0.13 in) long and brown with a pattern of three black bands in the middle. The spider has long thin legs and brown pedipalps.[8] The palpal bulb is convex and the tibial apophysis is short.[10] The embolus is fixed to the tegulum.[5] The female has not been described.[1]