Attulus

Abstract: The systematics of sitticine jumping spiders is reviewed, with a focus on the Palearctic and Nearctic regions, in order to revise their generic classification, clarify the species of one region (Canada), and study their chromosomes. A genome-wide molecular phylogeny of 23 sitticine species, using more than 700 loci from the arachnid Ultra-Conserved Element (UCE) probeset, confirms the Neotropical origins of sitticines, whose basal divergence separates the new subtribeAillutticina (a group of five Neotropical genera) from the subtribe Sitticina (five genera of Eurasia and the Americas). The phylogeny shows that most Eurasian sitticines form a relatively recent and rapid radiation, which we unite into the genus Attulus Simon, 1868, consisting of the subgenera Sitticus Simon, 1901 (seven described species), Attulus (41 described species), and Sittilong Proszynski, 2017 (one species). Five species of Attulus occur natively in North America, presumably through dispersals back from the Eurasian radiation, but an additional three species were more recently introduced from Eurasia. Attus palustris Peckham & Peckham, 1883 is considered to be a full synonym of Euophrys floricola C. L. Koch, 1837 (not a distinct subspecies). Attus sylvestris Emerton, 1891 is removed from synonymy and recognized as a senior synonym of Sitticus magnus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944. Thus, the five native Attulus in North America are Attulus floricola, A. sylvestris, A. cutleri, A. striatus, and A. finschi. The other sitticines of Canada and the U.S.A. are placed in separate genera, all of which arose from a Neotropical radiation including Jollas Simon, 1901 and Tomis F.O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1901: (1) Attinella Banks, 1905 (A. dorsata, A. concolor, A. juniperi), (2) Tomis (T. welchi), and (3) Sittisax Proszynski, 2017 (S. ranieri). All Neotropical and Caribbean "Sitticus" are transferred to either Jollas (12 species total) or Tomis (14 species). Attinella (three species) and Tomis are both removed from synonymy with Sitticus; the synonymy of Sitticus cabellensis Proszynski, 1971 with Pseudattulus kratochvili Caporiacco, 1947 is restored; Pseudattulus Caporiacco, 1947 is synonymized with Tomis. Six generic names are newly synonymized with Attulus and one with Attinella. Two Neotropical species are described as new, Jollas cupreussp. nov. and Tomis manabitasp. nov. Forty-six new combinations are established and three are restored. Three species synonymies are restored, one is new, and two are rejected. Across this diversity of species is a striking diversification of chromosome complements, with X-autosome fusions occurring at least four times to produce neo-Y sex chromosome systems (X1X2Y and X1X2X3Y), some of which (Sittisax ranieri and S. saxicola) are sufficiently derived as to no longer preserve the simple traces of ancestral X material. The correlated distribution of neo-Y and a base autosome number of 28 suggests that neo-Y origins occurred preferentially in lineages with the presence of an extra pair of autosomes.

Abstract: A total of 56 species under 14 genera were recorded in most of the states and union territories of India except Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Daman & Du and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep. Out of them, 27 species are endemic. The Amycoida is represented by only 2 species of a single genus (tribe Sitticini), one from Ladakh (Attulus avocator) and one from Jammu & Kashmir (Attulus diductus). Maximum number of species of these spiders were recorded from Kerala (25 species) followed by Tamil Nadu (20 species), West Bengal (17 species), Maharashtra (14 species) and Gujarat (11 species). Extensive survey for these spiders is required in almost all states particularly in those where these jumping spiders are either not recorded or very poorly recorded. Despite the spiders are most diverse group of predators and being crucial to the health of terrestrial ecosystems, none of the species recorded in India is listed in IUCN Red List.

Abstract: Two new species of the jumping spiders from Afghanistan (Jalalabad), Attulus nangraharsp. n. (♀) and Plexippus sengletisp. n. (♂♀), are diagnosed, illustrated, and described. Four species, Attulus ansobicus (Andreeva, 1976), Chalcoscirtus paraansobicusMarusik, 1990, Langona tartarica (Charitonov, 1946), and Pellenes epularis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872), are reported for the salticid fauna of Afghanistan for the first time. A brief discussion of the state of knowledge of the Afghani Salticidae is provided.