# Stenaelurillus iubatus

Stenaelurillus iubatus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that in endemic to Nigeria. It was first described in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. The spider is medium-sized, with a brown carapace between 2.7 and 2.95 mm (0.106 and 0.116 in) in length and abdomen between 2.3 and 3.25 mm (0.091 and 0.128 in) in length. The male has two stripes of white scales on the carapace and the female has a heart-shaped white spot on the abdomen. The spider has a distinctive mane-like long hairs on its black eye field, which is recalled in the species name that is derived from the Latin for mane. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the ribbon-shaped embolus on the male and highly sclerotized epigyne with its narrow pocket and widely separated copulatory openings on the female.

## Taxonomy

Stenaelurillus iubatus was first described by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith in 2011. It is one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist Wesołowska. It was an allocated to the genus Stenaelurillus, first raised by Eugène Simon in 1886. The name relates to the genus name Aelurillus, which itself derives from the Greek word for cat, with the addition of a Greek stem meaning narrow. It was placed in the subtribe Aelurillina in the tribe Aelurillini in the clade Saltafresia by Wayne Maddison in 2015. In 2017, it was grouped with nine other genera of jumping spiders under the name Aelurillines. The species name derives from the Latin for mane and recalls the hairs behind the male's eye field.

## Description

The spider is medium-sized. The male has a cephalothorax that measures 2.7 mm (0.11 in) in length and between 1.8 and 2.0 mm (0.071 and 0.079 in) in width. It has a dark brown oval carapace that is covered in dark scales, except for two stripes of white scales on the thorax, and edged with white streaks. The abdomen is oval, black-brown, between 2.3 and 2.6 mm (0.091 and 0.102 in) long and 1.65 and 1.9 mm (0.065 and 0.075 in) wide, with large bristles lining the back. The shape of the abdomen differs from other species of Stenaelurillus, which are typically oblong. The eye field is black, with distinctive dense fawn hairs. The clypeus is black. The spinnerets are brown and the pedipalps are blackish brown, covered in dense black hairs. It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by its ribbon-shaped embolus and presence of a hairy mane around the eye field.
The female is very similar to Stenaelurillus pilosus, with one of the original examples later being recognised as a paratype of this species. It is similar in size to the male, with a cephalothorax between 2.8 and 2.95 mm (0.110 and 0.116 in) long and 2.0 and 2.15 mm (0.079 and 0.085 in) wide and an abdomen between 3.0 and 3.25 in (76 and 83 mm) long and 2.2 and 2.55 mm (0.087 and 0.100 in) wide. The carapace is slightly pear-shaped and has indistinct light streaks. The eye field has long brown bristles. The abdomen is grey-brown with a light heart-shaped spot on the end. The epigyne is highly sclerotized and has a narrow pocket and widely separated copulatory openings. The epigyne distinguishes it from other spiders.

## Distribution

The species is endemic to Nigeria. The holotype for the species was found near Ibadan, Oyo State in 1973. It has been found in fallow bush and on the verge of a road.