First record of Mexcala monstrata (Araneae Salticidae) from Egypt

Abstract

The jumping spider Mexcala monstrata Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 is recorded for the first time from Egypt and Africa. The record is based only on male specimens. It is the second species of the genus Mexcala in Egypt after Mexcala nigrocyanea (Simon, 1886) known from the Siwa Oasis.

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First record of Mexcala monstrata (Araneae: Salticidae) from Egypt
Authors: Abdel-Sattar Metwally, Mohammad Mohafez, Mohamed El-Danasory & , and Amr
El-Gendy
Source: Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters, 58(1) : 4-5
Published By: Arachnologische Gesellschaft e.V.
URL: https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit5802
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Arachnologische Mitteilungen / Arachnology Letters 58: 4-5 Karlsruhe, September 2019
e family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841 is the species-richest
spider family containing 6108 species in 636 genera (World
Spider Catalog 2019). In Egypt, 74 species from 33 genera
are recorded (El-Hennawy 2017). e genus Mexcala was es-
tablished by Peckham & Peckham (1902) for M. rufa Peck-
ham & Peckham, 1902 from South Africa. Later, they includ-
ed M. elegans Peckham & Peckham, 1903 from Zimbabwe
(Peckham & Peckham 1903) and the third species M. agi-
lis Lawrence, 1928 was described from Namibia (Lawrence
1928). From all of them only males were described. Cur-
rently, the genus Mexcala includes 21 species, recorded from
Africa, the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Of these, only Mexcala nigrocyanea (Simon, 1886) is known
from Egypt from the Siwa Oasis (El-Hennawy 2017). Mex-
cala monstrata Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 is hitherto
known only from Yemen (Wesołowska 2009, World Spider
Catalog 2019). Mexcala monstrata was described from a single
adult female (Wesołowska & van Harten 1994). Wesołowska
& van Harten (2007) rst described the male and redescribed
the female from Yemen. Wesołowska (2009) provided a revi-
sion of the genus Mexcala. e aim of the present paper is to
report newly found specimens of M. monstrata from Egypt.
Material and methods
e specimens in this paper are part of the Ph.D. thesis col-
lection by Amr El-Gendy. All specimens were collected by
hand aspirator, are preserved in 75% ethanol and deposited
at the Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Egypt.
For study an OPTIKA SZM-2 Stereomicroscope was used.
Digital photographs were taken using a ToupCam S3CMOS
Microscope camera.
e identication of M. monstrata is based on the de-
scriptions, drawings and photographs in Wesołowska & van
Harten (1994, 2007) and Wesołowska (2009). One male pe-
dipalp was removed for study. Terminology follows Jocqué &
Dippenaar-Schoeman (2006). Length of prosoma, legs and
opisthosoma were measured (Tabs 1-2). All measurements
are given in millimetres.
Taxonomy
Family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841
Genus Mexcala Peckham & Peckham, 1902
Mexcala monstrata Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 (Figs
1-5)
Specimens examined. EGYPT, Menouya, El-Sadat City,
Al-Azhar University, Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Or-
chards of peach and pomegranate (30.42028°N, 30.54296°E,
29 m a.s.l.), 20. Nov. 2016: 1 ), 25. Dec. 2016: 1 subadult )
(died before moulted to adult), 15. Jun. 2017: 1 ), 12. Mar.
2017: 1 ), leg. A. El-Gendy.
Description of male. General appearance as in Fig. 1a slen-
der spider with long legs. Prosoma pear-shaped, widest pos-
teriorly, coloured dark brown, clothed with delicate short
brilliant hairs as in Fig. 1c. Opisthosoma elongated, point-
ed posteriorly, orange with a brown anterior margin and a
narrow transverse band halfway along its length, sometimes
opisthosoma blackish at posterior margin (Fig. 1). Spinnerets
orange-brownish. Legs thin and very long, legs IV longest,
femora brown, tarsi whitish-yellow, remaining segments or-
ange with brown lines along lateral surfaces. Palpal organ as
in Figs 2-5, and measurements as in Tabs 1-2.
Distribution
Mexcala monstrata was known only from Yemen (Wesołowska
2009, World Spider Catalog 2019). is is the rst record of
the species for Egypt and for Africa. Twenty of the 21 species
First record of Mexcala monstrata (Araneae: Salticidae) from Egypt
Abdel-Sattar Metwally, Mohammad Mohafez, Mohamed El-Danasory & Amr El-Gendy
doi: 10.30963/aramit5802
Abstract. The jumping spider Mexcala monstrata Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 is recorded for the rst time from Egypt and Africa. The
record is based only on male specimens. It is the second species of the genus Mexcala in Egypt after Mexcala nigrocyanea (Simon, 1886)
known from the Siwa Oasis.
Keywords: Africa, jumping spiders, taxonomy
Zusammenfassung. Erstnachweis von Mexcala monstrata (Araneae: Salticidae) in Ägypten. Die Springspinne Mexcala monstrata
Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 wird erstmals für Ägypten und Afrika nachgewiesen. Es wurden nur Männchen erfasst. Es ist der zweite
Nachweis einer Mexcala-Art in Ägypten nach Mexcala nigrocyanea (Simon, 1886), die von der Oase Siwa bekannt ist.
Abdel-Sattar METWALLY, Mohammad MOHAFEZ, Mohamed EL-DANASORY,
Amr EL-GENDY, Department of Agricultural Zoology and Nematology, Faculty of
Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, P.O Box 11751, Cairo, Egypt; E-mail: met-
wally844@gmail.com; d.mohamedmohafez@yahoo.com; dr_ma_danasory@yahoo.
com; amr.abdrabou@azhar.edu.eg
submitted 16.1.2019, accepted 26.3.2019, online 18.6.2019
Tab. 1: Measurements of Mexcala monstrata
TL = total length, PL = prosoma length, PW = prosoma width, OL = opistho-
soma length, OW = opisthosoma width
TL PL PW OL OW
MAX 5.22 2.82 1.91 2.40 1.99
MIN 4.58 2.46 1.63 2.13 1.74
Tab. 2: Measurements of leg segments of Mexcala monstrata Wesołowska
& van Harten, 1994
Leg Femur Patella Tibia Meta-
tarsus
Tarsus Total
length
I 1.52 0.74 1.15 1.00 0.51 4.92
II 1.39 0.68 1.02 0.91 0.58 4.58
III 1.43 0.63 1.07 1.19 0.67 4.99
IV 2.28 2.23 0.86 0.94 0.70 7.01
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Mexcala monstrata in Egypt 5
of Mexcala are known from Africa now (Wesołowska 2009,
World Spider Catalog 2019) – and the last one (Mexcala far-
sensis Logunov, 2001, decribed from Iran) is misplaced in the
genus according to Wesołowska (2009: 185).
Acknowledgements
e authors sincerely thank Hisham K. El-Hennawy, Egyptian
arachnologist (editor of SERKET “e Arachnological Bulletin
of the Middle East and North Africa”) for great help in this work,
encouragment and support, for his help in determining spiders and
helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. We would
like to thank Petr Dolejš (editor of the Arachnologische Mitteilungen),
Wanda Wesołowska and Dmitri Logunov (reviewers) for their valu-
able comments and corrections that improved the paper.
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Fig. 1: Mexcala monstrata, habitus of a living spider. a. adult male; b. subadult male; c. prosoma of a preserved male
Figs 2-5: Mexcala monstrata, pedipalp. 2, 3. ventral view; 4, 5. lateral view
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