A revision of Afrotropical Asceua (Araneae, Zodariidae), anteating spiders with puzzling distributions
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Authors
Jocqué, R.
Henrard, A.
Discipline
Biological sciences
Subject
Natural heritage Collections
Audience
Scientific
Date
2024Metadata
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The Afrotropical representatives of the zodariid spider genus Asceua Thorell, 1889 are revised. Apart from the known species A. radiosa Jocqué, 1986 (Comoros, Mayotte) and A. lejeunei Jocqué, 1991 (DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria), six new species are recognized and described: A. arborivaga sp. nov. (♀, Guinea), A. foordi sp. nov., (♂♀, DR Congo, Guinea, South Africa), A. incensa sp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. luki sp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. palustris sp. nov. (♀, DR Congo) and A. ventrofigurata sp. nov. (♂♀, Tanzania). A key to the species is provided. Some of the species have a very large distribution, which is unusual in the Zodariidae. The phenomenon is probably linked to the canopy dwelling behaviour, which appears common in the genus but unique for this spider family.
Citation
Jocqué, R.; Henrard, A. (2024). A revision of Afrotropical Asceua (Araneae, Zodariidae), anteating spiders with puzzling distributions. , African Invertebrates, Vol. 65(2); Part of: Gedenkschrift for Prof. Stefan H. Foord, 161-198, ISSN: 2305-2562, DOI: 10.3897/AfrInvertebr.65.138029.Identifiers
issn: 2305-2562
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng