Rhondes atypicus
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| Rhondes atypicus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Rhondes |
| Species: | R. atypicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhondes atypicus Patoleta, 2016 | |
Rhondes atypicus is an endemic species of jumping spider in the genus Rhondes that lives in New Caledonia. First described in 2016 by Barbara Patoleta, the species has been found on both Grande Terre and Isle of Pines, living in rainforests. It is small and slender, with a wide brown hairy cephalothorax and thinner abdomen. The abdominal markings differ between the male and female, which gives rise to the species name. The male has light and dark patches on its abdomen, and has a longer and thicker embolus than other species in the genus. The female, which is larger, has a striped abdominal pattern, which distinguishes the species from the similar Rhondes flexibilis.
Rhondes atypicus was first identified in 2016 by Barbara Patoleta.[1] The species was named after the way that the patterns on the abdomen differ between the male and the female.[2] The genus Rhondes was raised in 1901 by Eugène Simon endemic species of jumping spiders in New Caledonia.[3] It has been placed in the tribe Viciriini in the clade Astioida.[4] Genetic analysis confirms that it is related to other species found only on the island, including Trite ignipilosa, and not as closely related to the genus Heliophanus and other members of the Chrysillini tribe as was originally suggested by Simon.[5][6] The fact that the species on the island are both closely related to each other and genetically distinct from those found off the island is used as evidence of the evolution taking place after the breakup of Gondwana.[7]