A revision of Afrotropical Asceua (Araneae, Zodariidae), ant-eating spiders with puzzling distributions

By

Jocqué, Rudy
Henrard, Arnaud.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024-11-27

Original Publication

African invertebrates : a journal of biodiversity research

Volume

65

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

161--198

Subjects

Africa , Ant mimicry , ant-eating spider , canopy dwellers , Ecology , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Council of the Natal Museum 2001-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.138029

 

Abstract

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. arborivagasp. nov. (♀, Guinea), A. foordisp. nov., (♂♀, DR Congo, Guinea, South Africa), A. incensasp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. lukisp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. palustrissp. nov. (♀, DR Congo) and A. ventrofiguratasp. 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.