Tusitala unica

The female Tusitala unica has a dark brown carapace, the hard upper part of its front section, that is typically 3.5 mm (0.14 in) in length and typically 2.6 mm (0.10 in) wide. It has a dense covering of brown hairs apart from its sides, which have white hairs on them that form stripes. The area near its eyes is black with brown bristles near the eyes themselves. The part of its face known as its clypeus is also brown. The underside of its carapace, known as its sternum, is lighter brown. Its mouthparts, including its labium and maxillae, are brown with light tips and its chelicerae have two teeth visible at the front and a double tooth at the back.^[5]

Behind its carapace, the spider has an abdomen, also typically measuring 3.5 mm in length but slightly narrower at 2.5 mm (0.10 in) wide. It is brownish-russet and has a yellowish pattern on its top. Underneath, it is darker. The spider also has yellowish-brown spinnerets that it uses to spin webs. Its legs are light brown and have brown hairs and spines. They have dark hairy rings on their femora Its epigyne, the external visible part of the female's copulatory organs, is trapezoidal and typical for the genus.^[5] Its internal structure Is complex. There are two copulatory openings that lead, via winding insemination ducts, to bean-like receptacles, or spermathecae. There are also large accessory glands.^[9] The male has not been described.^[2]

Tusitala spiders can be found across Africa.^[10] Tusitala unica is endemic to Tanzania.^[2] The holotype was found in Mkomazi National Park in 1996 on grassy tussocks near a water pool.^[5]

• Azarkina, Galina N.; Foord, Stefan H. (2015). "A review of three Tusitala (Araneae: Salticidae) species from southern Africa, with a new synonymy and description of a new species from Botswana". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 285–307. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0204.
• 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.
• Prószyński, Jerzy (2017). "Pragmatic classification of the World's Salticidae (Araneae)". Ecologica Montenegrina. 12: 1–133. doi:10.37828/em.2017.12.1.
• Wesołowska, Wanda; Russell-Smith, Anthony (2000). "Jumping spiders from Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania (Araneae Salticidae)". Tropical Zoology. 13 (1): 11–127. Bibcode:2000TrZoo..13...11W. doi:10.1080/03946975.2000.10531126.
• 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.