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This file (Proszynski 2024 - Salticidae genera of the world) is a scrollable e-textbook on a series of about 100 linked html pages that may be opened in any internet browser. For this to work, you must download all of the
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Proszynski's Salticidae (Araneae)
Genera of the World
vol. I - diversity of genera
Chapter 01
Introduction and Guide to Genera
THEORY
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Navigating trough this scrollable e-textbook in search for diagnostic characters of genera
Initial warning to the users of this e-Textbook
Dear User/Visitor - you are about to meet a good source of knowledge on spider family Salticidae worldwide,
yet not accepted by publishers and some arachnologists, which know apparently better system.
A piece of practical wisdom says' better' is the enemy of 'good enough
Author's presentation!
(for some additional comments - see appendix )
Interest in spider family Salticidae - both pleasurable watching and also research on them, has been developed for the last 267 years - initiated by the first 10 species described by C. Clerck from Sweden in 1757, grown today to 6689 species worldwide, divided into 682 genera, but the total number living may be twice as big, or more. I happened to participate in research on taxonomy of Salticidae for the last 70 years, the World Spider Catalog lists 82 of my publications, three of which can be suggested as my credentials.
Prószyński, J. (1984a). Atlas rysunków diagnostycznych mniej znanych Salticidae (Araneae). Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Rolniczo-Pedagogicznej w Siedlcach 2: 1-177.
Prószyński, J. J. (1987). Atlas rysunków diagnostycznych mniej znanych Salticidae 2. Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoly Rolniczo-Pedagogicznej w Siedlcach, 172 pp.
Prószyński, J. (2003). Salticidae (Araneae) of the Levant. Annales Zoologici, Warszawa 53: 1-180.
Two first papers of the above look shabby, but constitute my most important contribution to revival of forgotten genera - diagnostic drawings of type species (name bearers) of 200 genera and 300 type specimens of other species, the basis for their identification and classification of higher taxa - in 1960ties almost half of accepted genera, after I was forced to interrupt that project, many of remaining older genera remains still not illustrated. It has taken me me more than 20 years to revise and to document the above mentioned 500 name bearers scattered over 20 Zoological Museums in Europe, studied during visits on the spot, or borrowing them from collections inaccessible to me. All of these drawings are now included in the present scrollable e-textbook - the easiest accessible support to verify uncertain genera.
Salticidae are being studied now worldwide with increased intensity, but until present typical history of discovery looked as a case of an exemplary species from Malaysia, first described in 1901, studied again only after 85 years, by a single author (that is Prószyński) after which has passed 37 years more until somebody got interested in it - which resulted in discovery of related species and genera in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and S China. According to WSC, Prószyński contributed original diagnostic documentation to 854 species in years 1962-2013.
The program of revision of name bearers was developed gradually, initiated by modest checking out type specimens by Prószyński's for his PhD-project (revisions of genera Sitticus and Yllenus), when traveling from Museum to Museum in Western Europe become within his reach in 1960ties. The first success was expanded into comparison of name bearers of 10 genera included then to the Sitticinae subfamily, which raised Prószyński's appetite for defining name bearers of all 20 subfamilies of Salticidae, preserved in Museums he gradually visited, so finally he felt an urge to revise name bearers of all genera of Salticidae of the world. That appeared too grandiose project to be executed. Research in years 1960 - 2000 were of necessity based on old collections' specimens, discolored and otherwise distorted by long preservation. Happily, genitalic structures of Salticidae are durable and constitute link between old (some 200 years old!) type specimens and living specimens observed and photographed today. Luckily innumerable nature photographers have been nowadays taking fancy into these minute, colorful animals having astonishingly rich habits, object of even more wonderful discoveries, which revolutionize our knowledge*/
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*/ FOOTNOTE. The list of name bearers of 200 genera published by Prószyński (WSC data) is given in two files enclosed in the present work, these can be seen at 01_c_APPENDIX_types_1_100.html and 01_c_APPENDIX_types_101_200.html.
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The cumulating research experience by J. Prószyński: went through the following stages:
- 1954-1957 - field faunal study on five spiders families (including Salticidae) in experimental plot in the National Park in Central Poland (a successful MSc-thesis project);
- 1959 - collecting travels, including Java and Bali, North Vietnam, China (Beijing) and North Korea;
- 1960-1967 - specialization in taxonomy of Salticidae, taxonomic revision of entire genera Sitticus and Yllenus, on the background of Sitticinae subfamily, based on type specimens (the PhD thesis project);
- 1963-1987 - revision and revival of forgotten type species of 200 genera of Salticidae worldwide (with revision of type specimens
of another 300 species - out of 435 genera recognized in 1959 by Bonnet, out of 688 listed today by the World Spider Catalog);
- 1968-2013 - series of original taxonomic publications on Salticidae genera worldwide (published slowly because of delay for preparatory type species revisions [some papers took as much as 20 years to write, e.g. revision of Sitticus, fauna of Israel, etc.].
Parallel to re-definition of name-bearers of genera,
Prószyński carried out revision of several genera, with intention to learn something about structure of a genus, due to their speciation processes and spreading history, allowing interpret relationships among related genera. He liked to study little known Salticidae faunae, occupation demanding frequent references to plethora of types or, at least, reliably identified specimens from adjacent countries.That resulted in first modern picture of Salticidae distribution in such key biogeographic areas as Siberia, Bhutan, Japan, Hawaii, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Indonesia, Pacific archipelagoes and so on, offering pleasure of some understanding their distributional pattern. history of spreading and faunal exchange. Study of that yielded to Prószyński in 1976 a second higher degree of a "Doctor habilitowany"[=Habilitation] - opening way to both title and position of a full professor in Poland. To enable identificatory activities of diversified genera and species created in 1960ties a mutual bank of diagnostic drawings (originally a card system - beginning of future Prószyński's 1995-2016 Internet database of Salticidae and finally of the current scrollable e-Textbook), it including also rich contributions of his PhD students and collaborators (to mention Wesołowska and Żabka) who produced valuable papers on Salticidae faunae of Central Asian Mountains, North Korea, Vietnam, Australia and a magnificent series of papers from Africa. Own material has been presented on broad base of drawings and phonographs from the whole literature. He has set an example of routine comparison of unknown genera and species with their reference name bearers - which took enormous time of hard work. Good example of that was pioneer study of fauna of Salticidae of Israel for which documented 108 species, divided into 36 genera, each requiring confirmation by hardly accessible name bearers, or reliably identified relatives. For that reason work on that paper took him almost 20 years. In difference to some of his shabby-looking papers, that one publication on Israeli fauna is well looking so can present it here as his third credential paper.
The number of original documentary drawings by Prószyński (1962 to 2013) amount to 3108 plates (1 to 10 original drawings per plate),
documenting 854 species worldwide (data from the World Spider Catalog). As he reflected himself all that experiences resulted in a wealth of basic data on diversity of Salticidae, but he felt dearth of reflexions on the sense of so extensive research, so in the period - 1995-2016 he has doubled diagnostic researches with their interpretation. These went trough creation of a tool assisting rethinking of acquired knowledge - relational Internet Salticidae database of own contribution on the background of data available in the world literature. The results of that work have been shared with corresponding arachnologists from very beginning, by copies on disks sent subsequently in half a year intervals to about 100 interested persons, latter available free in the Internet.
The end of that period coincided with personal life event - he has passed the 80th birth anniversary in 2015, when realized that Internet contributions, not published durably on paper, will pass out together with their author. To save at least highlights of experiences in Salticidae - I has then published hastily 9 publications in the "Ecologica Montenegrina " during years 2016-2018. These were not understood by the new editors of the WSC (see Kropf et al., 2019 and some arachnologists, so he decided to present his results in the the extensive Internet work:
Prószyński of 2020 "Salticidae (Araneae) genera of the world" vol. 1 [containing diagnostic drawings documentation to 641 genera] at: ... https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_genera_world_2020.pdf ............ .and its second volume -"Attachment on Salticidae species diversity" at:
... https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_species_attachment_2_2020.pdf. [giving survey of diagnostic drawings to ca. 4800 species of Salticidae].
That was followed by rewriten and actualized Internet 2024 ( still in editorial improvement and designed for continuous updating!):
Proszynski's Salticidae (Araneae) Genera of the World. Vol. I - diversity of genera.
Proszynski's Salticidae (Araneae) Genera of the World. Vol. II - diversity of species.
Both volumes are available now at the address:. Proszynski's Salticidae Genera...
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PART of TEXT in RE-EDITION
: 1 - We have accumulated in e-Textbook new body of diagnostic data of universally recognized value for almost all existing taxa of Salticidae: for almost 7000 species and close to 688 genera of Salticidae. These diagnostic pictures are easily noticeable and open to checking here by all arachnologists of good will.
2 - We have created efficient system of managing comparative diagnostic data, a comparison tool - like the present Prószyński's Salticidae scrollable e-Textbook, resulting from 30 years long experiments with various relational databases, accessible in the Internet.
3 - By elimination of other possibilities we selected a Salticidae genus as the basic unit for comparison between variety of systems and hypotheses, it is a natural grouping of strings of species*/ united by mutual speciation processes during their mutual history. Genera are separated by morphological gaps (and all other kinds of their features) in their characters, which are demonstrable between closely related genera
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*/FOOTNOTE. Repeat - a genus is a string of species, related by mutual speciation process, should be characterized by a span of diversity of all included species. both sexes, in the popular practice reduced to characterizing the whole genus on single, incidentally collected specimen, which leads to insufficient definitions of a genus as a whole. That is particularly important in merging, splitting or synonymizing "names" of genera.
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4 - Separation of genera into higher taxa has always had
hypothetic character, ascertaining that in innumerable cases. we hesitate in this study paper, to adhere to, or to propose definite system of taxa above the genus level. Instead we provide hereby a research tool facilitating searching for and checking similarities indicating affinities between taxa. In longer time this may appear more productive than producing new hypotheses. It is established tradition that reformers end on stakes, but none the less we need an atmosphere allowing free thinking. So we are treating, in the present work, all genera as independent for better grounded relationships between them. For practical reasons, we place genera into temporary "storage" chapters by similarities in their absolute characters, without claiming that are phylogenetical units, but ultimately promoting them that conclusion by the future researchers. Names of our new chapters are derived from some prominent genera, just like traditional higher taxa, to avoid possible misunderstendings we have composed names of these chapters slightly differently and write in CAPITAL LETTERS.
5 - Rearranging genera for a new system we shed straight-jackets of some traditional rules of naming taxa, especially those provisions of the ICZN which stimulate chaos in the taxonomy e.g. endless replacement of scientific names because of formal priority of older synonyms, or harmless homonyms. Apart from harm to development of taxonomy of Salticidae into disciplined science, these changes of names notoriously broke authors rights and property, ending in plagiarisms, not much different from theft. Our practice in these matters should be guided by logic and possible interest of our science.
Searching for alternate bases of diagnostic characters is like sailing on uncharted seas, but has large potential. There are no guarantee that it will lead to new system of Salticidae, but at least tell a lot on the existing ones. Discrimination by destroying, or hiding, inconvenient facts are traditional method of competition in science (see - suppression) . Although masters of already established systems may took our efforts as competition, I am sure they will welcome novelties with a good will - so prevailing among competitors nowadays.
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A) Simon's system based on noticeable external relational characters of specimens (for instance: body proportions, number of spines, etc.), basing identification of genera and species on relational similarities described in words. This approach works well in observation of local spiders, their environment, their behavior and life history, is motivated by genuine interest, it initiated research career of many taxonomists. As a first technical assistance suffices hand lens, knowledge stems from popular booklets and contacts with other amateurs. Experience with local fauna of spiders does not need complicated keys, but they appeared necessary when research expands into broader system of identifications (continental or worldwide) during 250 years of history of arachnology. It was based on the same kind of diagnostic characters - for more difficult taxa require checking some 20 feature of each specimen. That system was worked out by numerous arachnologists during two centuries, was for Salticidae (and other spiders families) ingeniously summarized by Simon's in 1901-1903 and still influences contemporary literature. Identification of genera of Salticidae (Plate 10?) goes by sequence of checks of hierarchically arranged characters, starting from dentition of chelicerae (which divide Salticidae into three major groups (pluridentati, unidentati and fissidentati in huge Simon's monograph of 1901: 383, fig. 398-390, followed in each column by the same steps: shape of body, relative length of legs III and IV, relative size and arrangement of eyes I. II and III, height of body parts and some other details - which permitted to identify Simon's equivalent of subfamilies - "groups of genera". The vulnerability of errors hides in parallel arrangement of the same character - if somebody misinterpret cheliceral dentition (which are variable and are unfortunately illustrated on females) one could land in the wrong group of genera, after which one enters a wrong track - mistake perceivable only at the end the procedure. So the identificatory process has to be repeated.
The consequence of that methodology become apparent when Prószyński set to rearrange system of subfamilies of Salticidae by their genitalic characters - in a sample of ten genera of new subfamily "Euophrydinae" - as much as eight came from different old subfamilies (Prószyński, 1976: 15-16).
Plate XXX. Early trials to construct a system of Salticidae based on relational characters: genera arranged into three columns started from cheliceral dentition, with same characters repeated in each column - by Simon (1901: 1901: 383, fig. 398-390), modified by Petrunkevitch (1928) - graphics by J. Prószynski, 1971.
Apart from being prone to misidentification because of disregarding genitalic characters, the Simon system is too time consuming for dealing with large groups containing, like Salticidae at present 6888 species divided into 680 genera (according to WSC, ver.24.5 on October 2023), poorly known, in which tropical monotypic genus may suddenly appear to have 100 species. How to compare 680 genera, each defined by full page description of characters, written possibly in dozens of languages?
Plate XXX. Simon's 1901 venerable division
of Salticidae is still, 150 years later, generally quoted as standard reference. Here above
is an example of it's practical usage in identification of group of genera - a necessary step in identification of genera Myrmarachne, Sarinda and Synemosyna.
Source: Selected diagnostic characters from pages of Simon 1901: 389-398 - translated into English by H. D. Cameron and D. P. Wijesinghe,
PECKHAMIA: Volume 3 Number 1,
modified by J. Prószyński.
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B)"Pragmatic classification system" of identification of species and genera of Salticidae based on three kinds of "absolute features"[only!] [which define only single taxon, without resorting to comparison]: 1 - structure of palps in resting position, 2 - internal structure of epigyne [cleared and stained in Chlorazol Black -E] and 3 - color photographs of fresh specimens. These features are to be documented by precise drawings, or photographs, readable by looking at when placed (specimens or pictures) side by side, their rich details do not need translation into descriptive text of words. This modern method of precise and quick communication is based on preliminary studies of huge material, demonstrating that each taxon of Salticidae has own unique set of characters, apparently stable. These permit identification and classification "at a single glance". Important property of "absolute" characters are their similarity among related taxa, gradually differing, proportional to their relative affinity. These similarities, and gaps between their series, are relevant to all natural taxa, and permits to sort out incidentally misplaced lower taxa. Their advantage lies in shortening time of comparative research, especially when results are presented on comparative charts, facilitate concentration of attention and building up understanding. To use fully advantage of the "pragmatic classification" system, it's object should be prepared in a standardized positions, and presented arranged into comparative charts.
The usage of drawings of palps, epigyne and habitus as accessories to descriptions, dates from the middle of XIX century. The routine usage of these graphic documentation dates from the mid-XX century, practiced by M. E. Galiano in impressive number of descriptions in 1957-2001, and independently by Prószyński (1962-2013 + 2016-2024) - whose main contribution seems to be revival, by diagnostic drawings name bearers - type species of 200 genera and 300 other type specimens, worldwide (Prószyński, 1984, 1987).
Prószyński started that in his PhD-Thesis project in 1960 revising two entire genera (all species!) classified in Sitticus (1968, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1987) and Yllenus (1968). That project included also documentation of species misplaced into these genera, as well as relevant species placed elsewhere.
Prószyński documented general feature of genera - similarity with gradual differentiation of "absolute characters" - palps and epigyne of correctly identified species [that is adequately resembling their name bearer - type species], differentiated by speciation processes over large geographical areas, often whole continents, but independent from their environmental adaptations. He traced supra genera continuation of that evolution, with distinct changes and morphological gap separating related genera. These properties of genitalic structures permit usually quick and easy identification and placement of taxa.
Prószyński was shocked by chaotic combination of genera into higher taxa (like subfamilies). For instance, exemplary subfamily Sitticinae consisted of ten genera assembled by cheliceral dentition (Bonnet, 1959: 5052), in which only two genera displayed genitalic similarities. When in 1976: 15-16 he has tried to reassemble genera by genitalic features, a selected sample of ten genera of "Euophrydinae" came from as much as 8 old subfamilies, in which they were placed previously! Similar chaos in other groups destroyed trust in traditional 20 subfamilies of Salticidae.
Trying to reach some understanding of the existing system, Prószyński undertaken side project - revision of type genera of 20 subfamilies, for which he scouted major Salticidae collections in Western Europe (Prószyński, 1971), and then fancied even bigger challenge - revision of reference species - name bearers of all 435 genera known in 1960ties (today there are 681 genera described!). Prószyński has failed to revise types of all these genera, still has published diagnostic drawings of type specimens - name bearers of 200 genera of Salticidae, and 300 other type specimens (Atlases of 1984 and 1987). Further extension - analysis of diagnostic drawings in the world's literature (641 genera and about 4800 species in years 1995-2016) become possible owing to compilation of a working tool - the Internet relational database. That huge material confirmed reliability of Salticidae genitalic structures for identification and classification, in the majority of cases. Accumulation of such simple observations during decades of research consolidated Prószyński's concept of diagnostic methodology based on "absolute characters". An example of characters separating exemplary genera Myrmarachne, Sarinda and Synemosyna can be seen in the chapter MYRMARACHNINES 18.
History of accruing experience by J. Prószyński - premises for his hypothesis on the system of Salticidae
- 1954-1957 - field faunal study on five spiders families (including Salticidae) in experimental plot in the National Park in Central Poland (a successful MSc-thesis project);
- 1959 - collecting travels, including Java and Bali, North Vietnam, China (Beijing) and North Korea;
- 1960-1967 - specialization in taxonomy of Salticidae, taxonomic revision of entire genera Sitticus and Yllenus, on the background of Sitticinae subfamily, based on type specimens (the PhD thesis project);
- 1963-1987 - revision and revival of forgotten type species (name bearers) of 200 genera of Salticidae world vide (with revision of type specimens
of another 300 species - out of 435 genera recognized in 1959 by Bonnet, out of 680 listed today by the World Spider Catalog);
- 1968-2013 - series of original taxonomic publications on Salticidae genera worldwide (published slowly because of delay for preparatory revisions of name bearers - type species of genera and type specimen of species, enabling identification of taxa [some papers took as much as 20 years to write, e.g. revision of Sitticus, fauna of Israel];
- 1995-2016 current publications doubled by gradual creation of Internet Relational Database of Salticidae, a tool for rethinking experience;
- 2016-2019 - quick 9 publications of highlights of personal experiences in Salticidae taxonomy;
- 2020 - preparation of the relational Internet scrollable e-textbook [there were no possibility for printing on paper - 1200 pages!], currently rewritten to its present form.: |
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..."Salticidae (Araneae) genera of the world" vol. 1 [containing diagnostic drawings to 641 genera] at:
... https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_genera_world_2020.pdf ............ ....and its second volume -
..."Attachment on Salticidae species diversity" at:
... https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_species_attachment_2_2020.pdf. [ca. 4800 species of Salticidae].
- (a set of personal comments and views at the end of my career is accessible at:
... https://salticidae.pl/2_SAMIZDAT/comments_contents_a.html).
The original documentary drawings by Prószyński (from 1962 to 2013) amount to 3108 plates (1 to 10 original drawings per plate)
documenting 854 species worldwide (data from the World Spider Catalog). |
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An example of classificatory operation based on "absolute characters"
Comparison of the gen. Cheliceroides Żabka, 1985 & Colopsus Simon, 1902
(declared as congeneric (synonyms!) by Logunov, 2021e: 1024, f. 2-16 - see also below).
SOURCE: A-B - Żabka M. 1985.
Ann. zoologici, 39, 11: 210, f 76-80, C - Peng, Xie 1993: 81, f 5-10 . Kanesharatnam & Benjamin, 2021: 2776, f. 3a-h, 4a-f, 5a-e, 6a-b, 7a, d . Logunov, D. V. (2021e). Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) of the Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam. Arachnology 18(9): 1021-1055 E. All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used here by their courtesy.
ATTENTION: However, Lin, L., Yang, Z. Y. & Zhang, J. X. (2024), in an excellent paper in ZooKeys 1196: 243-253 reconfirmed separate status of Cheliceroides
longipalpis and Colopsus cacancelatus (see above) also by molecular methods, below), correcting earlier synonymization by Logunov, 2021e: 1024, f. 2-16 |
First hints of pragmatic classification - 1971
 
Plate 11. - Radically different approach to classification of Salticidae was proposed by Prószyński during Arachnological Congress in Brno, 1971 (see original diagram above). The basic criterion could by diversity of palps (defining differences among genera and among supra generic taxa - see three examples above) and internal structure of epigyne (particularly useful for identification of species and genera - see below), decades later he added the third criterion - color photographs of living (eventually of fresh unchanged) spiders. After four decades of consideration, he formulated such system in 2017 - blasphemously, as it appeared to critics in 2019.
SOURCE: Prószyński (1971) Arachnologorum Congressus Internationalis V. Brno: 213-217.; Prószyński, J. (2017b). Pragmatic classification of the world's Salticidae (Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina 12: 1-133; Kropf, C. et al., . (2019). How not to delimit taxa: a critique on a recently proposed “pragmatic classification” of jumping spiders (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae). Zootaxa 4545(3): 444-446.
COMMENT. Prószyński uses concept of the "absolute character" in the taxonomy of Salticidae - for the easily checkable characters fitting only single taxon - mainly palp, internal structure of epigyne and color body pattern of live specimens (documented on color photographs). He, and later his PhD students and collaborators, have specialized in mass documentation of these features for recognition and classification of hundreds of genera of Salticidae, His main personal contribution is diagnostic re-definition of name bearers - type species of 200 genera, reviving at the occasion forgotten and unrecognizable one, the total number of documented species exceed 854, (according to the World Spider Catalog references) his collaborators also contributed as much. |
The special aspect of Prószyński identificatory system is concentration on graphic illustrations, a heritage of personal learning identification of spiders during 1950ties from literature in several foreign languages (a revelation were then illustrations to British spiders by Locket & Millidge, 1955).The skill he has developed in 1960ties appeared particularly useful in the present time, with explosion of valuable taxonomic publications in a number of national languages - diagnostic drawings are internationally understandable. Among pile of his works, the most valuable are probably two shabby Atlases ... of insufficiently known Salticidae of 1984 and 1987 (containing original diagnostic drawings of - 500 species - see list of revised name bearers 1-100 and its continuation name bearers 101-200) - their modern presentation repeated in the Internet Salticidae Database of 1995-2016 (summarized in 2020 in the Internet Salticidae scrollable e-textbook of 2020) available free at:
https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_genera_world_2020.pdf (vol. 1, containing 641 genera),
https://salticidae.pl/offline/salticidae_species_attachment_2_2020.pdf (vol. 2, containing ca. 4800 species).
[Attention: these two links open and load on your computer both volumes of the Internet Salticidae scrollable e-textbook of 2020, after initial loading the next openings act instantly!]
The Prószyński identificatory system is deeply rooted in fundamental achievements of 250 years of arachnology - first of all on the collections of Salticidae created by the fathers of Arachnology since middle of XIX century (especially C.L. Koch, L. Koch, Lucas, Keyserling, Thorell, Simon, Peckhams, Kulczyński and many others), as well as on their publications. |
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Plate 12 . Diversity of internal structures of epigyne within family Salticidae on group of genera (subfamilial) level: A - Astia hariola, B - Echeclus sokoli, C - Dendryphantes hastatus, D - Emathis weyersi, E - Marusyllus hamifer, F - Marpissa pulla.
SOURCES: see in relevant chapters of the text.
Plate 13. Diversity of internal structures of epigyne on genera level: within closely related genera of MYRMARACHNINES (spermathecae "parallel pipes-like") (transparent membranous ducts invisible on photographs because of wrong stain used - light solution of Chlorazol Black E in room temperature gives better results): G - Myrmage gedongensis, H - Toxeus maxillosus, I - Myrmatheca alticephalon, J - MYRMAVOLA yamasaki, K - Myrmaplata turriformis - the only drawing here showing also membranous ducts. ©Photos by T. Yamasaki. SOURCES: see in relevant chapters of the text.
Plate 14. Diversity of internal structures of epigyne on a species level (six examples out of a series of 106 species of recognizable Myrmarachne): L - Myrmarachne acromegalis, M - Myrmarachne assimilis, N - Myrmarachne biseratensis, O - Myrmarachne cornuta, P - Myrmarachne macrognatha, Q - Myrmarachne hanoi. ©Photos by T. Yamasaki. SOURCES: see in MYRMARACHNINES chapter of the text. |
Polytypic diversity of absolute and relational characters in a genus
Plate XXX. A1-F3 - Diversity in Sobasina species in Pacific Islands: general appearance, palps and internal structures of epigyne: A1-A3 - Sobasina coriacea, B1-B3 - S. yapensis, C1-C3 - S. cutleri, D1-D3 - S. platypoda, E1-E3 - S. magna, F1-F3 -
S. paradoxa.
SOURCE. Prószyński in Berry, Beatty, Prószynski, 1998. J. Arachn. 26(2): 173, f 73-79, also displayed in Ecologica Montenegrina, 2017: 15: 60. f. 6. All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used by their courtesy.
COMMENT. Comparison of diagnostic reliability of relational
(body appearance) and absolute (palps, internal structure of epigyne) characters in selected 6 species of the genus Sobasina (containing 21 species listed in 2024 by the WSC). By shape, size and other relational details these species would by separated into six different genera. Palpal organs indicate their homogenity, but appear too general, mistakable with other genera. Internal structure of epigyne is strikingly different from all other genera of Salticidae, yet specific for each species, simultaneously displaying mutual details obliging to interpret them as Sobasina. Species of Sobasina living on the same Viti Levu Island are strikingly differentiated, which could induce arachnologists to describe them as different genera, but are isolated by drastically different environment - S. paradoxa lives in the summit moss litter on Mt.
Tomanivi, at the 1320 m altitude, while S. aspinosa in the forest at the ocean level.
Plate XXX. Technique of drawings influences influence understanding of structures drawn: A- Sobasina amoenula [TYPE species] drawn in scale 1: 1 with mirror drawing apparatus, epigyne insufficiently cleared, B - Sobasina coriacea: spermatheca, C - same, palp, D - same, body appearance and size difference of male with female - drawn with eye-piece grid ("Netzmicrometer" [see below] ).
SOURCE: A- Wanless, 1978c. Bull. brit. Mus. nat. Hist. (Zool.)., 33 (4): 247-248, f 2Figs 70X. A-H, B-D - Proszynski in Berry, Beatty, Proszynski 1998. : J. Arachnology: 26(2): 176-178, f 86-89. All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used by their courtesy.
Plate XXX. Influence of individual style of an artist. J-L - Onomastus complexipalpis. SOURCE. J-L - Prószyński, J. & Deeleman-Reinhold, C. L. (2013).Description of some Salticidae (Araneae) from the Malay Archipelago. III. Salticidae of Borneo, with comments on adjacent territories. Arthropoda Selecta 22: 113-144, I - Żabka, 1985 Annales Zoologici, Warszawa 39: : 422, f. 381-384 ... All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used by their courtesy.
COMMENT. Very complicated palps and internal structures of epigyne require additional comparative, partial diagnostic drawings, as well as< photographic documentation. |
C) Molecular phylogeny of Salicidae system proposed by Maddison, 2015 (A phylogenetical classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Arachnology 43(3): 231-292) is particularly attractive because promises deeper scientific understanding, due to application of gene sequencing methods (extensive numerical data were published first in Maddison & Hedin, 2003b). As a whole, is based on modified Simon's system, displaying also pictures of palps, epigyne structures and color photographs (including shots of live specimens). These papers use modern taxonomic language and contains frequent invocations to molecular and gene sequencing research and to agreement with type specimens (but without boring readers with raw research data, which make it uncertain in some cases). As all papers concerned are available, the readers are advised to learn basic principles of this system and practices from the original sources.
As an aid in identification, Maddison (2015: 2040, f. 41-46 and 241, f. 78-79) provided highly intellectual remarks in a spirit of the molecular phylogeny (see the exemplary descriptions of genera Myrmarachne and Synemosyna, available here as the links Myrmarachnini_remarks and Simonellini_remarks.
An example of classificatory operation based on molecular phylogeny ...
- comparison of the gen. Cheliceroides Zabka, 1985 & Colopsus Simon, 1902 (see also above)
The same (as above) diagnostic operation by molecular methods , however, authors confirmed it also parallely by good morphological comparison (above)!
SOURCE. Lin, L., Yang, Z. Y. & Zhang, J. X. (2024). Revalidation of the jumping spider genus Cheliceroides Żabka, 1985 based on molecular and morphological data (Araneae, Salticidae). ZooKeys 1196: 243-253. All ©copyrights are retained by the original authors and copyright holders, used here by their courtesy. |
| A few words about competition between systems of Salticidae
Having my proposals on a new system of Salticidae ( Prószyński, J. 2017b. Pragmatic classification of the world's Salticidae (Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina 12: 1-133.) published two years after Maddison's (2015 - A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Arachnology 43(3): 231-292), I begun to refer to them as alternative drives to the mutual purpose, logically adding to that Simon's (1901a. Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome second. Roret, Paris, pp. 381-668) as the third. However nowadays I found myself in an atmosphere of dog-fighting-like competition, h eated additionally by opinion creating publication of Kropf wt al., 2019. My manuscripts appears now "not printable", my name disappears from publications (in difference to my pioneer drawings, reprinted, or just followed, without acknowledgement), and some editors demands adding ritual bows to the molecular phylogeny as condition of publication of manuscripts. In that situation the only way for presenting my research and independent views is private deposition in the Internet. To make my decision understadable I should explain how my undersandin of a system of Salticidae has been developed. times.
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Some aspects of methodology of taxonomic research on Salticidae
Looking at principles of safeguarding stability of zoological nomenclature, the taxonomy of Salticidae should be paragon of fair procedure. If so, why the names of some popular species are being listed under many synonymic names? Like Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831) was listed under more than 20 synonymic names during 200 years since it's first discovery, thai is one synonymy per 10 years.
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Plate 8. Technique of making drawings from microscope on paper aside microscope (grid ruler translucent from under the paper), with eye-piece grid ("Netzmicrometer") which could be inserted into variety of microscopes when in travel. Advantages: unobstructed visibility of preparation, drawing square after square, freedom of choice of magnification (depends from size of selected squares). Used for 60 years by J. Prószyński and his colleagues for all drawings they made. |
You may photo/draw epigyne intact on the abdomen, but if it is set oblique on sloping of abdomen, you may photograph epigyne removed, with soft tissues intact, put it flat on the bottom of Petri's dish covered with alcohol.
Step 1 - removal epigyne from abdomen. You insert a tip of small scalpel (or just it's removable blade) under epigastric fold of abdomen, on both sides of epigyne, better at some distance. The crucial moment is cutting folded edge of the fold, where it is thicker, and cut it, cutting cuticle in front of epigyne is easy, you may help yourself holding it by tips of thin forceps.
>Step 2 - if you are afraid to loose that small piece, you may put it preliminarily into light solution of Chlorazol Black E -(the solution should be transparent, light blue) - after some short time (minutes, half an hour) you shall see your piece stained blue - the aim of this is having object more noticeable.
Step 3 - you transfer epigyne to the += 10-20% aqueous solution of KOH (dilute pellets of KOH) in room temperature for some minutes , hours, even 72 hours, checking disappearance of soft tissues (NEVER help removal of soft tissues with a needle, I have damaged many epigynes in that way).
Step 4 - better rinse epigyne in distill water for a few minutes.
Step 5 - transfer epigyne from water bath to light ethyl alcohol solution of the Chlorazol Black E -for e time of a few minutes - to a few hours, checking from time to time the progress of staining, good stage is transparent light blue cuticle, un-sclerotized ducts are darker blue and distinctly visible, gradually more sclerotized ducts and spermathecae remain light yellow to light brown , strongly sclerotized are naturally brown to dark. It happens that too long stained preparation gets too dark - even entirely black, without visible structures. Too strongly stained object one my be we by a bath in a weak acid.
Step 6 - I transfer epigyne from stain directly to temporary slide medium, making epigyne more transparent. I use as a medium Clove Oil (used by dentist), somebody use glycerin. I leave epigyne in that medium for some half an hour for penetration into closed structures (like vesicular spermathecae, also for diluting eventual bubbles of air).
Step 7 - I examine slide in the compound microscope, using weak objective (1-2x magnification but stronger ocular - 25X, for very minute parts ocular 40x)., More important is careful setting up condenser, for the best translucent lighting.
Step 8 - after work I dismantle slide, move epigyne into ethyl alcohol and in small micro-vial (1 cm long, 3-5 mm diameter, the best is to cut laboratory tubing, that is easy, close both ends with bits of cotton) place into a vial with the specimen.
Chlorazol Black E is normally used for staining lipids in histological preparations. It has form of minute crystals, a few crystals are enough to make good solution. Sold in small bottles , 1cm3 was enough for the whole life.
There is a trick for photographing specimens preserved in alcohol - remove from conservant to the air and let them dry (for a few minutes?) - after alcohol evaporated, the specimen better resemble live spider.
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Edwards, & Benjamin, S. (2009). Zootaxa 2309: 1-29 |
Wang, C. & Li, S. (2023). ZooKeys 1167: 159-197
Plate 9. We acknowledge with satisfaction increased size and clarity of published illustration, as shown on above demonstration of editorial policy, significantly improving their understanding. NB - size of illustration in our Internet databases and scrollable e-textbooks are similarly enlarged, in addition users can individually blow up small details up to 400 x, using computer facilities. |
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