Rhene obscura

Like many in the genus, Rhene obscura resembles a beetle.^[5] It is a medium-sized spider with a body is divided into two main parts: a cephalothorax and an abdomen. The male's carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is typically 3.1 mm (0.12 in) in length, 2.3 mm (0.091 in) in width and 0.8 mm (0.031 in) in height.^[3] It is flat dark brown and covered in short brown hairs with an eye field shaped like a trapezium. The part of its face known as the clypeus is very low and brown. Its chelicerae are dark brown with a single tooth at the back and two at the front. The spider's remaining mouthparts, including its labium and maxillae are dark brown.^[6]

The female's abdomen is slightly larger than its carapace, measuring 3.3 mm (0.13 in) in length and 2.5 mm (0.098 in) in width.^[3] It is oval and has very obvious vestigial indentations on its surface. The top of its abdomen is dark brown and covered in short delicate hairs. The bottom of its abdomen is darker. It has brown spinnerets. The spider's legs are generally short, although the front legs are longer and broader than the others, which also feature a few orange segments. They have brown leg hairs.^[6]

Rhene obscura has distinctive copulatory organs. It has a large epigyne, the external visible part of its copulatory organs, that shows pronounced sclerotization. It has a shallow depression in the middle and copulatory openings that are hidden in sclerotized basket-like features. The spider's insemination ducts are particularly long and lead to relatively large spermathecae, or receptacles.^[3] Compared to the related Rhene formosa, there is a ridge in the middle of the central depression, larger spermathecae and copulatory openings that are further apart.^[7] The male has not been described.^[1]

Although Dendryphantine spiders a predominantly found in the Americas, Rhene spiders live in Africa and Eurasia.^[8] Rhene obscura is endemic to Yemen.^[1]

Wikispecies has information related to Rhene obscura.

• Maddison, Wayne P. (2015). "A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae)". The Journal of Arachnology. 43 (3): 231–292. doi:10.1636/arac-43-03-231-292. S2CID 85680279.
• Thorell, Tamerlan (1869). On European Spiders, Part 1: Review of the European Genera of Spiders, Preceded by Some Observations on Zoological Nomenclature. Uppsala: E. Berling. OCLC 769306868.
• Rollard, Christine; Wesołowska, Wanda (2002). "Jumping spiders (Arachnida, Araneae, Salticidae) from the Nimba Mountains in Guinea" (PDF). Zoosystema. 24 (2): 283–307. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5394616. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
• Wesołowska, Wanda; van Harten, Antonius (2007). "Additions to the knowledge of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of Yemen". Fauna of Arabia. 23: 189–269.
• Wiśniewski, Konrad (2020). "Over 40 years with jumping spiders: on the 70th birthday of Wanda Wesołowska". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 5–14. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.3. PMID 33756825. S2CID 232337200.