Taxonomy

Mopsolodes has one Australian species, Mopsolodes australensis. The genus is part of a clade related to Astia (Maddison et al 2008). It is most closely related to Sandalodes and Mopsus (Żabka, 1991, Maddison 2015). Further information on the genus and described species can be found in Żabka (1991) Richardson and Żabka (2017) and Whyte and Anderson (2017).

Description

Mopsolodes is a medium-sized and strongly-built spider, body length 6 to 9 mm. The very high carapace, when viewed from above, is rounded, widest behind the posterior lateral eyes. The abdomen is elongate and heart-shaped. The chelicerae have a single retromarginal tooth (unident) and one promarginal tooth. The legs are long, first legs longest.

The male palps are roughly rectangular, a little longer than wide and without a proximal lobe. The embolus is long, slender, arising on the dorso-lateral edge of the tegulum and passing across the distal edge.  A well-developed, short retro-lateral tibial apophysis suddenly narrows to a sharp point.

The female has a single epigynal atrium with weakly-sclerotised edges. The laterally-facing copulatory openings are inside the posterior edges of the atrium. Thin insemination ducts first travel medio-anteriorly to about the middle of the atrium, then posteriorly to enter proximal edges of the spermathecae close to the posterior edge of the atrium. The large, highly convoluted spermathecae lie under the postero-lateral parts of the atria.

Biology

Mopsolodes australensis has been collected on foliage including grass in forest. It is an active daytime hunter with a strong leap.

Distribution

Mopsolodes is found in tropical Australia from the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia to Brisbane, Queensland.

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.

Maddison, W.P. 2015. A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Arachnology 43, 231-292.

Richardson, B.J. & Żabka , M. 2016. Salticidae. Arachnida: Araneomorphae. Canberra, Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, at https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/SALTICIDAE.

Żabka, M. 1991. Salticidae (Arachnida: Araneae) of Oriental, Australian and Pacific Regions, VII. Mopsolodes, Abracacdabrella and Pseudosynagelides — new genera from Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 30, 621-644.

Whyte, R. & 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.