Menemerus animatus
The related Menemerus semilimbatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Subfamily:	Salticinae
Genus:	Menemerus
Species:	M. animatus
Binomial name
Menemerus animatus O. P-Cambridge, 1876

Menemerus animatus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that lives across the Mediterranean Basin and into the Afrotropical realm. The species was first described in 1876 by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge based on an example from Egypt. It has subsequently been found living across many countries from Algeria to Greece and Senegal to Yemen. It prefers living in sandy environments. The spider is medium-sized, with a carapace that is between 2.1 and 2.9 millimetres (0.083 and 0.114 in) long and an abdomen that is between 2.2 and 4.7 millimetres (0.087 and 0.185 in) in length. The female is larger than the male. The carapace is dark brown with a characteristic triangular pattern. The abdomen is light with a narrow brown stripe down the middle. The spinnerets and legs are yellow. The spider is very similar to the related Menemerus davidi, differing in minor details like the presence of a white margin on underside of the carapace. Likewise, it can be distinguished from Menemerus semilimbatus by the long spines on its legs. Otherwise, it is hard to tell apart from other species in its genus without a study of its copulatory organs. The male has a short embolus that lacks the secondary conductor that often occurs in other species. The tibial apophysis is also straight. The female has distinctive fissured entrances to its insemination ducts and accessory glands that sit in front of the copulatory openings.

Taxonomy

Menemerus animatus is a species of jumping spider that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1876.^[1] He allocated the spider to the genus Menemerus. The genus was first described in 1868 by Eugène Simon and contains over 60 species.^[2] The species is named for a Latin word that can be translated animated or courageous. The genus name derives from two Greek words, meaning certainly and diurnal.^[3]

Genetic analysis has shown that the genus is related to the genera Helvetia and Phintella.^[4] The genus shares some characteristics with the genera Hypaeus and Pellenes.^[5] It is a member of the tribe Heliophaninae, renamed Chrysillini by Wayne Maddison in 2015.^[6] The tribe is ubiquitous across most of the continents of the world.^[4] It is allocated to the subclade Saltafresia in the clade Salticoida.^[7] In 2016, Prószyński created a group of genera named Menemerines after the genus.^[8] The vast majority of the species in Menemerines are members of the genus, with additional examples from Kima and Leptorchestes.^[9]

Description

Menemerus animatus is a medium-sized spider. It has a long broad cephalothorax and narrow oval abdomen.^[10] The male has a carapace that is between 2.1 and 2.8 mm (0.083 and 0.110 in) long and between 1.5 and 2.1 mm (0.059 and 0.083 in) wide. It is dark brown apart from a triangular patch that is made of white hairs. It is otherwise covered with greyish-white hair. It has a darker eye field. The spider has a short white hairs on irs clypeus. The chelicerae are brown while the labium and maxilae are light brown. The sternum is yellow. The abdomen is between 2.2 and 3.6 mm (0.087 and 0.142 in) long and between 1.4 and 1.9 mm (0.055 and 0.075 in) wide. It is light with a narrow brown stripe down the middle, covered in dense light hairs with a scattering of brown bristles and small silver patches. The underside is yellowish. It has yellow spinnerets and legs. The leg hairs and spines are brown. The pedipalps are brown with white hairs visible on the palpal femur.^[11] The embolus is short and slightly bends towards the palpal bulb. It lacks the secondary conductor common in other species in the genus. There Is a single small tibial apophysis.^[12] The examples found in Algeria differ from those found in Egypt by their much shorter, triangular tibial apophyses.^[13] Those from Saudi Arabia have a longer tibial apophysis and an embolus that ends with a gentle curve towards the tip of the cymbium.^[14]

The female is larger than the male. It has a carapace that is between 2.5 and 2.9 mm (0.098 and 0.114 in) in length and 1.9 and 2.1 mm (0.075 and 0.083 in) in width and an abdomen between 3.0 and 4.7 mm (0.12 and 0.19 in) in length and 2.1 and 3.2 mm (0.083 and 0.126 in) in width. ^[11] It is similar to the male, differing only superficially in the main. The carapace is hairy, with more light grey hairs visible. The white hairs on the clypeus are more noticeable. The spinnerets have a light brown margin but are otherwise yellow as they are on the male. The are brown ringlets on the some of the legs.^[15] The epigyne is relatively small and simple with the copulatory openings situated side by side in the middle.^[16] These have characteristic fissured entrances and some sclerotization but not as much as other species. The entrance bowls are wide. There are accessory glands in front of the copulatory openings.^[11]

Spiders of the Menemerus genus are difficult to distinguish.^[17] The species is particularly similar to the related Menemerus davidi. Externally, they are very hard to tell apart. This spider differs in having a white margin to the underside of the carapace and a more distinct triangular pattern on the topside, the denser hairs on the clypeus and the clearer abdominal pattern.^[18] It can be distinguished from Menemerus semilimbatus by the long spines on its legs.^[19] It is also superficically similar to Menemerus guttatus, Menemerus modestus and Menemerus soldani. Compared to these species is best identified by its copulatory organs. The male Menemerus animatus can be identified its single embolus. The female can be distinguished by its fissured entrance to the insemination ducts, the morphology of its internal organs, particularly the arrangement of the accessory glands, and the presence of its large entrance bowls.^[20] The male can be differentiated from Menemerus congoensis by its straight tibial apophysis.^[21] It can be distinguished from Menemerus rubicundus by the latter's larger, plate-shaped dorsal tibial apophysis.^[22]

Behaviour

Due to their good eyesight, Menemerus spiders are mostly diurnal hunters. They attack using a complex approach to their prey and are generally more proactive in comparison to web-spinning spiders.^[23] The spiders will eat a wide range of prey, including nectar.^[24] They undertake complex displays and dances during courtship.^[25] The males also undertake aggressive displays between themselves.^[26]

Distribution and habitat

Menemerus spiders are found throughout Africa and Asia, and have been identified as far as Latin America.^[27] Menemerus animatus is found across the Mediterranean Basin and into the Afrotropical realm.^[11] Initially, the spider was identified in North Africa. The holotype was found in Lower Egypt. Other examples were found in Giza in 1904 and Siwa Oasis in 1935.^[28]

The spider was soon found in other countries, extending the species distribution further. The species was discovered by Pickard-Cambridge in Israel based on a specimen found in 1833 and a further example was collected by George and Elizabeth Peckham in the Libyan desert.^[29] Other examples were discovered in southern Algeria. The first example seen in Europe was described by Simon in 1884 from specimens found in Greece.^[19] The spider was found near the Sobat River in Sudan in 1914.^[30] It was subsequently also found at Wadi Halfa in 1962 and near Khartoum in 1967. The first example found in Mali was discovered in Bandiagara in 1978 with others following from Goundam the following year. It has also been found in Nouakchott, Mauritania, in 1993.^[31] Examples have been found in Khulays, Saudi Arabia.^[32] It has also been identified in Iraq, Senegal, and Yemen. The first example to be identified in Turkey was found in Elazığ Province in 2022.^[33] Simon noted that the spider prefers to live in sandy areas.^[34] Some examples are found in gardens, such as those found in Timimoun, Algeria, in 1989.^[32]

References