Menemerus tropicus

The female is larger than the male. It has a cephalothorax that is between 2.0 and 2.1 mm (0.08 and 0.08 in) long and 1.5 and 1.6 mm (0.06 and 0.06 in) wide and an abdomen that is between 2.4 and 2.9 mm (0.09 and 0.11 in) long and 1.8 and 2.2 mm (0.07 and 0.09 in) wide. It is generally similar to the male but clothed with dark hairs rather than grey and brown hairs. The carapace is lighter but the abdomen is darker. The abdomen also has a distinctive pattern with a yellowish streak down the middle that, in some examples, is complemented by two lines of yellow patches. The underside is dark grey. The chelicerae are brown like the male but female labium and maxilae have pale yellow chewing margins that do not exist on the other sex. The spinnerets are dark. The legs and pedipalps are yellow with brown patches. The spider's epigyne has a large central depression, sometimes partially plugged by wax, and a notch on the very rear. The copulatory ducts lead to narrow insemination ducts, with long accessory glands leading to the end of the ducts, and small spherical spermathecae.^[12]

Spiders of the Menemerus genus are difficult to distinguish.^[14] The copulatory organs enable the species to be identified. The female is similar to the related Menemerus paradoxus, but has a narrower pocket in its epigyne and smaller spermathecae. The male has similarities to Menemerus meridionalis but differs in having a larger retrolateral apophysis.^[15]

Behaviour

Like many jumping spiders, Menemerus spiders do not spin webs to capture prey.^[16] Instead, they are mainly diurnal hunters that use their good eyesight to spot their prey.^[17] The spiders transmit vibratory signals through silk to communicate to other spiders and use visual displays during courtship.^[18] The males will undertake a zigzag dance and quiver their pedipalps before the female.^[19] They form groups in loose association with each other.^[20] They are hesitant attacking other spiders but the males undertake aggressive displays between themselves.^[21][22] They are also known to embrace, usually holding on for between 1 and 5 seconds.^[23]

Distribution and habitat

Menemerus spiders are found throughout Africa and Asia, and have been identified as far as Latin America.^[24] Menemerus tropicus is found in Kenya and Uganda.^[1] The male holotype was found at Mbita Point, Kenya, on the side of Lake Victoria at an altitude of 1,150 m (3,770 ft) above sea level in 2001.^[15] It has subsequently been found in Homa Bay and Nakuru.^[25] The first examples to be found in Uganda were discovered in 1996 in Entebbe, also on the lake. Others have subsequently found in the same area.^[15]

The species lives in mangrove savanna near freshwater. It seems to particularly thrive amongst trees of the Combretaceae family.^[12] The spider lives in large nest complexes that contain many different species.^[12] Sometimes, the spiders will create webs that stretch between different plants to create very large complexes.^[20] Each spider has its own nest within the complex, generally spaced between 5 and 15 mm (0.20 and 0.59 in), but also occasionally touching.^[26]

References

Citations

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