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{{Short description|Species of spider}}
{{Speciesbox
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| image = Mexcala quadrimaculata 1666646.jpg
| image_caption = A related species, ''[[Mexcala quadrimaculata]]''
| taxon = Mexcala signata
| taxon = Mexcala signata
| authority = [[Wanda Wesołowska|Wesołowska]], 2009
| authority = [[Wanda Wesołowska|Wesołowska]], 2009
}}
}}


'''''Mexcala signata''''' is a [[species]] of [[jumping spider]] in the [[genus]] ''[[Mexcala]]'' that lives in Kenya and Tanzania. The spider was first defined in 2009 by [[Wanda Wesołowska]], one of over 500 that the [[Arachnology|arachnologist]] described during her career. It [[Ant mimicry|mimics ants]] and [[Mutillidae|ant-like wasps]], living alongside and preying upon them. Only the female has been identified. The spider is medium-sized, with a dark [[carapace]] typically {{convert|3.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and a black [[Opisthosoma|abdomen]] typically {{convert|3.3|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. The abdomen has a distinctive pattern with a white stripe to the front, dark shape in the middle and orange marks on the sides, after which it is named. It can be most distinguished from other spiders in its genus by its short seminal ducts.
'''''Mexcala signata''''' is a [[jumping spider]] species in the genus ''[[Mexcala]]'' that lives in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]].<ref name=genus>{{cite journal|last=Wesołowska|first=W.|year=2009|title=A revision of the spider genus ''Mexcala'' Peckham and Peckham, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=Genus|volume=20|number=1|pages=149–186|url=http://www.biol.uni.wroc.pl/cassidae/Wesolowska_Mexcala.pdf}}</ref><ref name=wsc>{{cite web|author=World Spider Catalog|year=2017|title=''Mexcala signata'' Wesolowska, 2009|website=World Spider Catalog|publisher=Natural History Museum|place=Bern|url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/30848|version=18.0|accessdate=9 June 2017}}</ref> It was first described by [[Wanda Wesołowska]] in 2009.<ref name=wsc/> The species name is Latin for ''signed'', referring to the presence of bright marks on the abdomen.<ref name=genus/>

==Taxonomy==
''Mexcala signata'' is a [[jumping spider]] that was first described by the Polish [[Arachnology|arachnologist]] [[Wanda Wesołowska]] in 2009, one of over 500 [[species]] she identified during her career.<ref name=wsc>{{cite web|author=World Spider Catalog|year=2017|title=''Mexcala signata'' Wesolowska, 2009|website=World Spider Catalog|publisher=Natural History Museum|place=Bern|url= https://wsc.nmbe.ch/species/30848/Mexcala_signata|version=18.0|accessdate=9 June 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Wiśniewski|2020|page=6}} She allocated the species to the [[genus]] ''[[Mexcala]]'', first raised by [[George and Elizabeth Peckham]] in 1902 as part of a thorough revision of the genus.{{sfn|Wiśniewski|2020|page=6}}{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=149}} The genus was a member of the [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]] [[Heliophaninae]] alongside ''[[Pseudicius]]'' and ''[[Cosmophasis]]'', which was absorbed into [[Chrysillini]] by [[Wayne Maddison]] in 2015.{{sfn|Maddison|Bodner|Needham|2008|page=57}}{{sfn|Maddison|2015|page=252}} The tribe is a member of the [[clade]] Saltafresia within the [[subfamily]] [[Salticoida]].{{sfn|Maddison|2015|page=278}} A year later, in 2016, [[Jerzy Prószyński]] allocated the genus to the Heliophanines group of genera, which was named after the genus ''[[Heliophanus]]''. The genera share characteristics, including having a rather uniform, mainly dark appearance.{{sfn|Prószyński|2017|page=29}} The species itself has a name that is derived from the [[Latin]] word for signed and relates to the pattern on the spider's abdomen.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=178}}

==Description==
Like all ''Mexcala'' spiders, the species is slender and medium-sized.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=152}} The female has a dark [[carapace]] covered in delicate light hairs that is typically {{convert|3.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. There are bristles near the [[Spider vision|eyes]]. The shiny black hairy [[Opisthosoma|abdomen]] is typically {{convert|3.8|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, with a pattern with a thin white line in the middle, a dull dark fillet in the middle and two orange marks on the sides. The underside is black with two white lines. It has yellowish-grey [[spinneret]]s and dark yellow [[Arthropod leg|legs]]. The [[pedipalp]]s are also yellow, with a dark line on the outside. The [[epigyne]] is plain with indistinct copulatory openings placed horizontally with [[Sclerotization|sclerotized]] edges that lead to short seminal ducts and bean-shaped receptacles. The relatively short seminal ducts help distinguish the species from others in the genus.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|pages=178–179}} The male has not been described.<ref name=wsc/>

==Behaviour==
Like many jumping spiders, Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts noted that ''Mexcala'' spiders [[Ant mimicry|mimic ants]].{{sfn|Wesołowska|Szűts|2001|page=523}} The species lives amongst various different species of ant and [[Mutillidae|ant-like wasps]] that it mimics, and preys upon.{{sfn|Pekár|Petráková Dušátková|Haddad|2020|page=6}} Like other jumping spiders, it is a mainly [[Diurnality|diurnal]] hunter that uses its good eyesight to spot its prey.{{sfn|Richman|Jackson|1992|page=33}} It attacks from the front and captures its prey behind the head.{{sfn|Pekár|Petráková Dušátková|Haddad|2020|page=5}} The chelicerae have short thick spines on them which may be used for digging holes to act as underground hiding places.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=153}} It uses visual displays during courtship and transmits vibratory signals through silk to communicate to other spiders.{{sfn|Richman|Jackson|1992|page=34}}

==Distribution==
''Mexcala'' spiders can be found across Africa and the Arabian peninsula.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=153}} ''Mexcala signata'' lives in both Kenya and Tanzania.<ref name=wsc/> The female [[holotype]] was found near [[Nairobi]], Kenya, in 2006. The first example found in Tanzania was discovered in [[Lake Manyara National Park]] in 1957.{{sfn|Wesołowska|2009|page=177}}


==References==
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal | last=Maddison | first=Wayne P. |title=A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) | journal=The Journal of Arachnology | year= 2015 | volume=43 | number=3 | pages=231–292 | doi=10.1636/arac-43-03-231-292|s2cid=85680279 | author-link=Wayne Maddison}}
*{{cite journal | last1=Maddison | first1=Wayne P. | last2=Bodner| first2=Melissa R. | last3=Needham | first3=Karen M. | year=2008 | title=Salticid spider phylogeny revisited, with the discovery of a large Australasian clade (Araneae: Salticidae) | journal=Zootaxa | volume=1893| pages=49–64 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.1893.1.3}}
*{{cite journal | last1=Pekár | first1=Stano | last2=Petráková Dušátková | first2=Lenka | last3=Haddad | first3=Charles R. | year=2020 | title=No ontogenetic shift in the realised trophic niche but in Batesian mimicry in an ant-eating spider | journal=Scientific Reports | volume=10 | number=1250 | doi=10.1038/s41598-020-58281-3 | url= https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-58281-3| doi-access=free | pmc=6985134 }}
*{{cite journal | last=Prószyński | first=Jerzy | year=2017 | title=Pragmatic classification of the World's Salticidae (Araneae) | journal=Ecologica Montenegrina | volume=12 | pages=1–133 | doi=10.37828/em.2017.12.1 | author-link=Jerzy Prószyński| doi-access=free}}
*{{cite journal | last1=Richman | first1=David B. | last2=Jackson | first2=Robert R. | title=A review of the ethology of jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) | journal= Bulletin of the British Arachnology Society | year=1992 | volume=9 | number=2 | pages=33–37}}
*{{cite journal | last1=Wesołowska | first1=Wanda | last2=Szűts | first2=Tamás | year=2001 | title=A New Genus of Ant-Like Jumping Spiders from Africa (Araneae: Salticidae) | journal=Annales Zoologici | volume=51 | number=4 | pages=523–528 | author-link1=Wanda Wesołowska}}
*{{cite journal | last=Wesołowska | first=Wanda | year=2009 | title=A revision of the spider genus ''Mexcala'' Peckham and Peckham, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae) | journal=Genus | volume=20 | number=1 | pages=149–186 | url= https://archive.org/details/genus-0867-1710-20-149}}
*{{cite journal | last=Wiśniewski | first=Konrad | title=Over 40 years with jumping spiders: on the 70th birthday of Wanda Wesołowska | journal=Zootaxa | volume=4899 | number=1 | year=2020 | pages=5–14 | doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.3 | pmid=33756825 | s2cid=232337200}}
{{refend}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q2622923}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2622923}}


[[Category:Salticidae]]
[[Category:Salticidae]]
[[Category:Fauna of Kenya]]
[[Category:Arthropods of Kenya]]
[[Category:Fauna of Tanzania]]
[[Category:Arthropods of Tanzania]]
⚫
[[Category:Spiders of Africa]]
[[Category:Spiders described in 2009]]
[[Category:Spiders described in 2009]]
⚫
[[Category:Spiders of Africa]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Wanda Wesołowska]]


{{Salticidae-stub}}

Latest revision as of 18:27, 19 October 2024

Mexcala signata
A related species, Mexcala quadrimaculata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Salticinae
Genus: Mexcala
Species:
M. signata
Binomial name
Mexcala signata

Mexcala signata is a species of jumping spider in the genus Mexcala that lives in Kenya and Tanzania. The spider was first defined in 2009 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 that the arachnologist described during her career. It mimics ants and ant-like wasps, living alongside and preying upon them. Only the female has been identified. The spider is medium-sized, with a dark carapace typically 3.2 mm (0.13 in) long and a black abdomen typically 3.3 mm (0.13 in) long. The abdomen has a distinctive pattern with a white stripe to the front, dark shape in the middle and orange marks on the sides, after which it is named. It can be most distinguished from other spiders in its genus by its short seminal ducts.

Taxonomy

[edit]

Mexcala signata is a jumping spider that was first described by the Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska in 2009, one of over 500 species she identified during her career.[1][2] She allocated the species to the genus Mexcala, first raised by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902 as part of a thorough revision of the genus.[2][3] The genus was a member of the tribe Heliophaninae alongside Pseudicius and Cosmophasis, which was absorbed into Chrysillini by Wayne Maddison in 2015.[4][5] The tribe is a member of the clade Saltafresia within the subfamily Salticoida.[6] A year later, in 2016, Jerzy Prószyński allocated the genus to the Heliophanines group of genera, which was named after the genus Heliophanus. The genera share characteristics, including having a rather uniform, mainly dark appearance.[7] The species itself has a name that is derived from the Latin word for signed and relates to the pattern on the spider's abdomen.[8]

Description

[edit]

Like all Mexcala spiders, the species is slender and medium-sized.[9] The female has a dark carapace covered in delicate light hairs that is typically 3.2 mm (0.13 in) long. There are bristles near the eyes. The shiny black hairy abdomen is typically 3.8 mm (0.15 in) long, with a pattern with a thin white line in the middle, a dull dark fillet in the middle and two orange marks on the sides. The underside is black with two white lines. It has yellowish-grey spinnerets and dark yellow legs. The pedipalps are also yellow, with a dark line on the outside. The epigyne is plain with indistinct copulatory openings placed horizontally with sclerotized edges that lead to short seminal ducts and bean-shaped receptacles. The relatively short seminal ducts help distinguish the species from others in the genus.[10] The male has not been described.[1]

Behaviour

[edit]

Like many jumping spiders, Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts noted that Mexcala spiders mimic ants.[11] The species lives amongst various different species of ant and ant-like wasps that it mimics, and preys upon.[12] Like other jumping spiders, it is a mainly diurnal hunter that uses its good eyesight to spot its prey.[13] It attacks from the front and captures its prey behind the head.[14] The chelicerae have short thick spines on them which may be used for digging holes to act as underground hiding places.[15] It uses visual displays during courtship and transmits vibratory signals through silk to communicate to other spiders.[16]

Distribution

[edit]

Mexcala spiders can be found across Africa and the Arabian peninsula.[15] Mexcala signata lives in both Kenya and Tanzania.[1] The female holotype was found near Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. The first example found in Tanzania was discovered in Lake Manyara National Park in 1957.[17]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c World Spider Catalog (2017). "Mexcala signata Wesolowska, 2009". World Spider Catalog. 18.0. Bern: Natural History Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Wiśniewski 2020, p. 6.
  3. ^ Wesołowska 2009, p. 149.
  4. ^ Maddison, Bodner & Needham 2008, p. 57.
  5. ^ Maddison 2015, p. 252.
  6. ^ Maddison 2015, p. 278.
  7. ^ Prószyński 2017, p. 29.
  8. ^ Wesołowska 2009, p. 178.
  9. ^ Wesołowska 2009, p. 152.
  10. ^ Wesołowska 2009, pp. 178–179.
  11. ^ Wesołowska & Szűts 2001, p. 523.
  12. ^ Pekár, Petráková Dušátková & Haddad 2020, p. 6.
  13. ^ Richman & Jackson 1992, p. 33.
  14. ^ Pekár, Petráková Dušátková & Haddad 2020, p. 5.
  15. ^ a b Wesołowska 2009, p. 153.
  16. ^ Richman & Jackson 1992, p. 34.
  17. ^ Wesołowska 2009, p. 177.

Bibliography

[edit]
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