Zygoballus
Encyclopedia
Zygoballus is a genus of jumping spider
s found in North
and South America
.
based on the type species
Zygoballus rufipes
. The name derives from a combination of the Greek word zygon, meaning "yoke", and the genus name Ballus
.
The genus Messua, based on the type species Messua desidiosa, was synonymized with Zygoballus by Eugène Simon
in 1903. Simon argued that Messua desidiosa was a transitional species which differed "much less from typical Zygoballus than would seem to be indicated by [the Peckham's] description." This synonomy was reversed by Wayne Maddison in 1996, and Messua restored as a valid genus.
The genus Amerotritte, based on the type species Amerotritte lineata
, was synonymized with Zygoballus in 1980 by María Elena Galiano
. Galiano stated that the holotype
of Amerotritte lineata was actually a very young Zygoballus specimen.
Zygoballus is currently classified in the subfamily Dendryphantinae
of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Many species exhibit wide variation in color, size, and markings.
, ranging from Argentina
to Canada
. Three species from India
were originally placed in Zygoballus, but have been reassigned to other genera.
. Several other species are known only from single specimens. In addition to the species listed below, a recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that Rhetenor texanus may also belong in Zygoballus.
Jumping spider
The jumping spider family contains more than 500 described genera and about 5,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders with about 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among invertebrates and use it in courtship, hunting and navigation...
s found in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Taxonomy and history
The genus was first described in 1885 by American arachnologists George and Elizabeth PeckhamGeorge and Elizabeth Peckham
George Williams Peckham and Elizabeth Maria Gifford Peckham were early American teachers, taxonomists, ethologists, arachnologists, and entomologists, specializing in animal behavior and in the study of jumping spiders and wasps.-Lives and careers:George Peckham was born in Albany,...
based on the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
Zygoballus rufipes
Zygoballus rufipes
Zygoballus rufipes, commonly called the hammerjawed jumper, is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the United States, Canada, and Central America. Adult females are 4.3 to 6 mm in body length, while males are 3 to 4 mm.-Taxonomy:...
. The name derives from a combination of the Greek word zygon, meaning "yoke", and the genus name Ballus
Ballus
Ballus is a spider genus of the Salticidae family .-Description:Ballus are typically small, squat spiders. The carapace is broad oval, almost as wide as long, flat on top with the sides and back almost vertical, and a rugose surface. The shield-shaped abdomen is broadly truncated at the front...
.
The genus Messua, based on the type species Messua desidiosa, was synonymized with Zygoballus by Eugène Simon
Eugène Simon
Eugène Simon was a French arachnologist. His many taxonomic contributions include categorizing and naming many spiders, as well as creating genera such as Anelosimus, Psellocoptus and Phlogius....
in 1903. Simon argued that Messua desidiosa was a transitional species which differed "much less from typical Zygoballus than would seem to be indicated by [the Peckham's] description." This synonomy was reversed by Wayne Maddison in 1996, and Messua restored as a valid genus.
The genus Amerotritte, based on the type species Amerotritte lineata
Zygoballus lineatus
Zygoballus lineatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in Argentina. It is known only from a single female specimen collected in Tigre, Buenos Aires.-Taxonomy:...
, was synonymized with Zygoballus in 1980 by María Elena Galiano
María Elena Galiano
María Elena Galiano was an Argentinian arachnologist. She was one of the leading taxonomists of neotropical jumping spiders. Galiano worked at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires. She died in an accident on October 30, 2000...
. Galiano stated that the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
of Amerotritte lineata was actually a very young Zygoballus specimen.
Zygoballus is currently classified in the subfamily Dendryphantinae
Dendryphantinae
The Dendryphantinae are a subfamily of jumping spiders that occur mainly in the New World. The females generally show paired spots on the abdomen, and the males often have enlarged chelicerae...
of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Description
Spiders of the genus Zygoballus share a strong resemblance in appearance. The cephalothorax is high and roughly square when viewed from above. It is widest at the posterior eyes, with the ocular quadrangle occupying approximately three-fifths of the cephalothorax. The cephalothorax slopes steeply behind the posterior eyes and the sides of the cephalothorax are nearly vertical. The labium is as long or longer than it is wide. The anterior (first) pair of legs are the largest, with three pairs of spines on the ventral surface of the tibia. Males have obliquely oriented chelicerae with long fangs.Many species exhibit wide variation in color, size, and markings.
Distribution
Zygoballus is a genus from the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, ranging from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Three species from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
were originally placed in Zygoballus, but have been reassigned to other genera.
Species
As of 2010, twenty recognized species are classified in the genus Zygoballus. One species, Z. quaternus, was previously recognized (prior to 2008), but is now considered a nomen dubiumNomen dubium
In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...
. Several other species are known only from single specimens. In addition to the species listed below, a recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that Rhetenor texanus may also belong in Zygoballus.
- Zygoballus amrishi Makhan, 2005 — SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
- Zygoballus aschnae Makhan, 2005 — Suriname
- Zygoballus concolor Bryant, 1940 — CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
- Zygoballus electus ChickeringArthur M. ChickeringArthur Merton Chickering was a U.S. arachnologist. He was born on March 23, 1887 in North Danville, Vermont and died on May 24, 1974.He studied in Yale University under Alexander Petrunkevitch until 1913. In 1916 he earned a master of science degree in cytology and in 1927 a Ph.D. for cytological...
, 1946 — PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The... - Zygoballus gracilipes Crane, 1945 — GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
- Zygoballus incertusZygoballus incertusZygoballus incertus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in Panama.-History and taxonomy:The species was first described from a female specimen by the entomologist Nathan Banks in 1929 as Atelurius incertus. Arachnologist Arthur M. Chickering described the species, including a male allotype,...
(BanksNathan BanksNathan Banks was an American entomologist noted for his work on neuroptera, megaloptera, hymenoptera, and acarina . He started work on mites in 1880 with the USDA...
, 1929) — Panama - Zygoballus iridescensZygoballus iridescensZygoballus iridescens is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the United States. It is known only from a single female specimen collected in Franconia, New Hampshire by Annie Trumbull Slosson....
Banks, 1895 — USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Zygoballus lineatusZygoballus lineatusZygoballus lineatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in Argentina. It is known only from a single female specimen collected in Tigre, Buenos Aires.-Taxonomy:...
(Mello-LeitãoCândido Firmino de Mello-LeitãoCândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão, , was a Brazilian zoologist who is considered the founder of Arachnology in South America, publishing 198 papers on the taxonomy of Arachnida...
, 1944) — ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... - Zygoballus maculatipes PetrunkevitchAlexander PetrunkevitchAlexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch was an eminent arachnologist of his time. From 1910 to 1939 he described over 130 spider species.-Biography:...
, 1925 — Panama - Zygoballus maculatus F. O. P-CambridgeFrederick Octavius Pickard-CambridgeFrederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge was an English arachnologist. He is often confused with his uncle, Octavius Pickard-Cambridge , who was also an arachnologist and from whom F. O. Pickard-Cambridge picked up his enthusiasm for the study of spiders.-Life:F. O. Pickard-Cambridge was born in...
, 1901 — GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast... - Zygoballus melloleitaoiZygoballus melloleitaoiZygoballus melloleitaoi is a species of jumping spider which occurs in Argentina. It is known only from a single female specimen collected in Puerto Victoria, Misiones.-Taxonomy:...
GalianoMaría Elena GalianoMaría Elena Galiano was an Argentinian arachnologist. She was one of the leading taxonomists of neotropical jumping spiders. Galiano worked at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires. She died in an accident on October 30, 2000...
, 1980 — Argentina - Zygoballus minutus Peckham & Peckham, 1896 — Guatemala
- Zygoballus nervosusZygoballus nervosusZygoballus nervosus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the eastern United States and Canada.-Taxonomy:The species was first described by the arachnologists George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1888 as Eris nervosus. Arachnologist James Emerton subsequently described the species in 1891 as...
(Peckham & Peckham, 1888) — USA, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Zygoballus optatus Chickering, 1946 — Panama
- Zygoballus remotusZygoballus remotusZygoballus remotus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in Guatemala. It was first described by the arachnologists George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1896.-External links:* at Worldwide database of jumping spiders...
Peckham & Peckham, 1896 — Guatemala - Zygoballus rishwani Makhan, 2005 — Suriname
- Zygoballus rufipesZygoballus rufipesZygoballus rufipes, commonly called the hammerjawed jumper, is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the United States, Canada, and Central America. Adult females are 4.3 to 6 mm in body length, while males are 3 to 4 mm.-Taxonomy:...
Peckham & Peckham, 1885 — Canada to Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east.... - Zygoballus sexpunctatusZygoballus sexpunctatusZygoballus sexpunctatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the southeastern United States where it can be found in a variety of grassy habitats. Adult spiders measure between 3 and 4.5 mm in length. The cephalothorax and abdomen are bronze to black in color, with reddish brown or...
(HentzNicholas Marcellus HentzNicholas Marcellus Hentz was a French American arachnologist. Hentz was born in Versailles, France. He immigrated to the United States in 1816 and became a pioneering zoologist in the field of arachnology....
, 1845) — USA - Zygoballus suavis Peckham & Peckham, 1895 — JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Cuba - Zygoballus tibialis F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1901 — Guatemala to Panama
External links
- Zygoballus at Bugguide.net
- Zygoballus at Salticidae: Diagnostic Drawings Library