Jayamangali jumping spider (Tenkana jayamangali), a new species in the new genus south jumping spider

NEWS - Researchers have established a new plexippine genus, south jumping spider (Tenkana) based on phylogenomics of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), Sanger sequencing of four genes, and morphological evidence. The type species, Tenkana manu Caleb, Christudhas, Laltanpuii & Chitra 2014, has been moved from Colopsus, as has Tenkana arkavathi Caleb 2022.

Phylogenomic data place Tenkana among the plexippines close to Hyllus C.L. Koch 1846 and Telamonia Thorell 1887, while a constrained four-gene phylogeny suggests Tenkana is distinct from Colopsus. The researchers also describe a new species, Jayamangali jumping spider (Tenkana jayamangali).

Tenkana is a ground-dwelling plexippine with very strong first legs and is recognizable by a conspicuous pale band below the ocular ridge, often covering the entire surface and tapering posteriorly to a rounded carapace.

The teardrop-shaped abdomen has a broad median pale band. The short, unglazed body distinguishes it from the elongate, glossy Colopsus of its closest relatives, the glossy Hyllus and the elongate Telamonia.

Tenkana may resemble Hyllus in its rounded body shape, tuft of hairs behind the ALE and membranous embolus, but differs in its epigyny with two ECPs (vs. absent or reduced in Hyllus) and its relatively smooth, narrow, short RTA with pointed tips (vs. strong, broad with serrated broad tips).

Tenkana may be similar to Colopsus, but differs in its membranous embolus (vs. membranous in Colopsus), membrane-accompanied tegular lobe (vs. membrane-lacking), centrally located ECP epigyny (vs. lateral ECPs) and simple (vs. redundant) chelicerae.

The genus is an exclusive ground dwelling group, often found in relatively complex microhabitats of short, shady grasses with dry leaf litter or simpler microhabitats of short, sunny, open grasses and rarely associated with rocky outcrops in dry habitats.

Tenkana is a Kannada word meaning ‘south’. The name denotes all known species of the genus found in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and northern Sri Lanka. Kannada: ತೆಂಕಣ; Telugu: తెంకణ; Tamil: தென்கண; Malayalam: ട്ടെൻകണ; Devanagari: तेंकण

Phylogeny finds T. jayamangali as sister species to T. arkavathi and T. manu. In males, pale hairs occupy most of the carapace surface leaving a small bald patch posteriorly (vs. softer pale hairs on the carapace forming narrower bands on the carapace laterally, tapering posteriorly in T. arkavathi and T. manu).

Eye area evenly covered with white hairs (vs. characteristic V-shaped bands in T. arkavathi and bald eye area in T. manu). RTA can be seen to be more elongated laterally with a slight sub-apical bend in (vs. short with a prominent bend in T. arkavathi and longer without bend in T. manu).

Short spermatic duct loop present at 11 o'clock (vs. much longer spermatic duct present at 10 o'clock in T. arkavathi and T. manu). ECPs are laterally located (vs. medially located in T. arkavathi and T. manu).

The new species is usually observed in May. Specimens were collected among dry leaf litter on the ground. Subadults were observed feeding on insect nymphs. Apart from the type locality, the species appears to have been recorded around Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The specific epithet ‘jayamangali’, a noun in apposition, is the name of a river derived from Devarayanadurga, Tumakuru, where the species was first observed. Kannada: ತೆಂಕಣ ಜಯಮಂಗಲಿ; Devanagari: तेंकण जयमंगलि

Original research

Marathe K, Caleb JTD, Maddison WP, Nisha BG, Maliye CC, Lohit YT, Kunte K (2024). Tenkana, a new genus of jumping spiders (Salticidae, Plexippina) from South Asia, with the new Indian species Tenkana jayamangali. ZooKeys 1215: 91-106, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1215.133522

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