Taxonomy

Chalcolecta has three species in the Oriental and Australian Regions, only one of which, Chalcolecta prensitans, is found in Australia (and New Guinea). The genus, closely related to Dionius and Ohilimia, was revised by Gardzinska and Żabka in 2005.  Further information on the genus and described species can be found in Richardson and Żabka (2017) and Whyte and Anderson (2017).

Description

Chalcolecta spp. are medium-sized spiders ranging in body length from 5 to 8 mm, with a low, rounded or rectangular cephalothorax and an elongate abdomen. The posterior eyes are on tubercles. The chelicerae have a single, bicuspid retromarginal tooth (fissident) in the female and a single, shouldered tooth in the male (unident/fissident) with two teeth on the promargin. The first pair of legs is strongly built, very long, with long, strong spines on the tibia and metatarsus. These legs are held in a mantis-like manner. The remaining legs are long and slender.

The male has a slender embolus arising on the proximal pro-lateral side of the tegulum with only a short section showing beyond the tegulum’s distal margin. The short, relatively-thick retro-lateral tibial apophysis has a blunt end.  

The female has two epigynal atria. The insemination ducts are long and thin, arise on the anterior edges of the atria and move posteriorly to join the anterior edges of the round spermathecae adjacent to the epigastric fold.

Biology

Nothing is known of the biology of the species.

Distribution

Chalcolecta prensitans is found in New Guinea and on Cape York, Queensland. Other species are found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

References

Davies, V.T. & Żabka, M. 1989, Illustrated keys to the genera of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 27, 189-266.

Gardzińska, J. &. Żabka, M. 2005. A revision of the spider genus Chalcolecta Simon, 1884 (Araneae: Salticidae). Annales Zoologici (Warsaw) 55, 437-448.

Richardson, B.J. & Żabka, M. 2017. Salticidae. Arachnida: Araneomorphae. Canberra, Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, at https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/SALTICIDAE.

Whyte, R. and Anderson, G. 2017. A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia. CSIRO Publishing: Clayton.

* The information sheet should be interpreted in the context of the associated diagrams and photographs. Diagrams explaining anatomical terms can be found in the ‘Salticidae’ pictures at the beginning of the list of genera.