Monograph of the Salticidae (Araneae) of the World 1995-2015. Introduction to alternative classification of Salticidae
Classification of the Salticidae genera of the World
group of genera
PELLENINES
by Jerzy Prószyński
Version December 31st, 2015
Note on illustrations. This introduction to classification of Salticidae includes only species defined by diagnostic illustrations in the taxonomic literature, arranged by similarities of embolus and spermophor. Images are displayed as thumbnails to save space and allow for rapid scanning of theoretically closely-related species. Thumbnails are small versions of illustrations in other parts of the monograph, whera are displayed together with particulars of their sources and permissions.

Gen. Pellenes Simon, 1876 (67 species)

Subgenus Pellenes (Pellap) Prószyński, 2016 subgen. n. (1 species)

Representative species: Pellenes (Pellap) lapponicus ..
Remarks. Splitting the genus Pellenes Simon, 1876 into four subgenera: nominal Pellenes, Pelmirus, Pelmultus and Pelpaucus, differing by such characters as shape of palpal organ, especially by embolus structure, and by epigyne, was done by Logunov and Marusik 2000, which left outside holarctic species Pellenes lapponicus (Sundevall, 1833). Since that species has some strikingly outstanding structures, it seems useful that to create a separate subgenus - Pellap for it, to keep records straight. Among peculiar structures of that subgenus, special attention deserves robust and thick embolus, being in fact composite structure, consisting of external sheath and internal sclerotized, hair like (but apparently strong and presumably elastic) embolus proper, discovered by Logunov, Marusik 1999 (Figure 126). That structure coincides well with emboli in other subgenera of Pellenes, but may have much broader significance - in many salticidae "embolus" appears thick, semitransparent, with indistinct thin dark streak, sometimes protruding from the tip of "embolus". Therefore I assume, provisionally, that such "emboli" have composite structure of external sheath and split from it internal, hair like, embolus proper.
The placement of this species is rather special and deserves, perhaps, separate genus status. Palpus is not similar to remaining Pellenes, epigyne could be compared with such species as Pellnes ostrinus (Simon, 1868), P. diagnonalis (Simon, 1868) and P. turkmenicus Logunov, Marusik & Rakov, 1999, and with the genus Habronattus F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901, which unfortunately is insufficiently known.

Diagnosis of the subgenus Pellenes (Pellap) (new) (Figures 121-126). Epigyne elongate with prominent, broad medial groove, running from rudimentary anterior pocket, somewhat like in Habronattus. Spermathecae and ducts form elongate compact bodies, consisting of spiral structures, stretching along the whole length of epigyne. Sheath encircles embolus ventrally and laterally, opened dorsally - as demonstrated on excellent SEM scan of dorsal side of bulbus, separated from cymbium, provided by Logunov & Marusik (see figure 126, below). Tibial apophysis large and unusually expanded apically, trapezium like, articulates with prominent swelling of dorsal wall of the cymbium. Integral part of the definition are drawings below.

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