Rhene kenyaensis
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| Rhene kenyaensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Rhene |
| Species: | R. kenyaensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhene kenyaensis Wesołowska & Dawidowicz, 2014 | |
Rhene kenyaensis is a species of jumping spider that lives in the hills near the Kenyan coast. A beetle-like member of the genus Rhene, the spider has a forward section, or cephalothorax, that is typically 1.6 mm (0.06 in) long and, behind that, an abdomen that is typically 1.6 mm (0.06 in) long. The top of its cephalothorax, its carapace is dark brown with a large eye field. The bottom of the cephalothorax, or sternum, is light brown. The top of the abdomen has a brown scutum and is marked with a pattern of white spots. Its legs are mainly light brown, apart from the dark brown front pair. Its copulatory organs are similar to other members of the genus, except for the shape of the male's embolus, which has a distinctive long twist. The species was first described in 2014.
Rhene kenyaensis is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae. The spider was first described by arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska and Angelika Dawidowicz in 2014.[1] They allocated it to the genus Rhene, which is named after the Greek female name shared by mythological figures.[2] The specific name refers to the place where it is typically found.[3]
First circumscribed in 1869 by Tamerlan Thorell, the genus Rhene is a part of the subtribe Dendryphantina in the tribe Dendryphantini.[4][5] Wayne Maddison allocated the tribe to the subclade Simonida in the clade Saltafresia in the clade Salticoida.[6] It is related to the genera Dendryphantes and Macaroeris. The genus is also similar to Homalattus.[7] In 2017, Jerzy Prószyński designated it a member of a group of genera named Dendryphantines after the genus Dendryphantes.[8] He also wrote that it is similar to the genera that are related to Simaetha, a group he named Simaethines, particularly in the shape of spider's body.[9] The genus is known for its good eyesight and its high level of spatial awareness, which is likely to show that it is recent in evolutionary terms.[10]
In 2021, Dmitri Logunov said that the species, alongside its relative Rhene biguttata, may be a member of the genus Rhenefictus. The generic name is a combination of the Latin word fictus, which means 'fales' with the genus name Rhene, alluding to the similarity between the genera. The difference lies in the structure of the male copulatory organs.[11] The World Spider Catalog lists the species in the genus Rhene.[1]