Rhene pinguis is a species of jumping spider in the genusRhene that was identified in South Africa. The male was first described in 2009 and the female in 2018. The spider is flat and hairy, its swollen look giving rise to its specific name. The female is slightly larger than the male, but neither have been seen with a cephalothorax longer than 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) and abdomen more than 2.0 millimetres (0.079 in) in length.
Taxonomy
Rhene pinguis is a member of the genusRhene, which is named after the Greek female name, shared by mythological figures.[1] The specific name "pinguis", means fat or thick, and relates to the swollen look of the spider.[2]
Description
The spider was first identified in 2009, with initially only the male described. The female was first described in 2018.[3] The spider is flat, hairy and brown in colour. The male is distinguished by its the wide vane at the tip of the embolus.[2] The female is similar to the related Rhene formosa, but differs in the design of its copulatory openings. The species are similar in size, the female being marginally larger. The cephalothorax has a length of 1.2 to 1.5 millimetres (0.047 to 0.059 in) and the abdomen is 1.4 to 2.0 millimetres (0.055 to 0.079 in) long.[4]
^Thorell, Tamerlan (1869). On European Spiders, Part 1: Review of the European Genera of Spiders, Preceded by Some Observations on Zoological Nomenclature. p. 37.
^ abWesołowska, W.; Haddad, C.R. (2018). "Further additions to the jumping spider fauna of South Africa (Araneae: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici. 68 (4): 903.
