Rhene punctatus
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| Rhene punctatus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Rhene |
| Species: | R. punctatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhene punctatus Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013 | |
Rhene punctatus is a species of jumping spider that lives in South Africa. A beetle-like member of the genus Rhene, the spider that is typically 3.9 mm (0.15 in) long. Its forward section, its top, or carapace, and its bottom, or sternum, are dark brown. Its rear section, or abdomen, is pale brown on top, marked with a pattern of dark spots, and dark brown underneath. Its front legs are black and the remainder are orange. The male's copulatory organs are similar to the related Rhene lingularis but has a longer projection on its palpal tibia, known as a palpal apophysis, and a membranous projection next to its embolus. The male of the species was first described in 2013. The female has not been described.
Rhene punctatus is a species of jumping spider, a member of the family Salticidae. The spider was first described by arachnologists Wanda Wesołowska and Charles Haddad in 2013.[1] They allocated it to the genus Rhene, which is named after the Greek female name shared by mythological figures.[2] The specific name is a Latin word for "point" and refers to its dotted pattern.[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]