Afromarengo Benjamin 2004, GEN. NOV.
Creators: name: Benjamin, Suresh P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2004
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Afromarengo

description: AFROMARENGO GEN. NOV.   Type species: Marengo coriacea Simon, 1900.   
 Etymology: Afro- (after Africa, where the two described species occur) and the generic name Marengo. It is considered feminine in gender.   
 Monophyly and phylogenetic placement: Unclear. A detailed study of a large collection of material from various parts of Africa would be needed to assess monophyly. The presence of a long embolus (5-2), posterior epigynal border (13-1) and scattered papillae (39-1), and absence of an epigynal septum (10-0), unite Afromarengo with the South-east Asian genus Leikung.   
 Diagnosis: Afromarengo can be best distinguished from all other Ballinae by the presence of asymmetrical scales (32; Fig. 59C, E) and, except for Leikung, by the long embolus (Figs 57A–C, 58A, C, D). It can be distinguished from Leikung by the tooth on the anterior epigynal border (14; Figs 48E, 50A–C), eight spines on tibia I (35; Figs 49D, 53E, 55C) and pits with sensory setae (38; Fig. 53B) in Leikung.   
 Description: See description of type species in Wanless (1978).   
 Composition: Two described species, Afromarengo coriacea (Simon, 1900) comb. nov. and A. lyrifera (Wanless, 1978) comb. nov. (new combinations from Marengo). There may be many more undescribed species (Benjamin, unpublished data).   
 Distribution: Known from Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Zaire.   
 AFROMARENGO CORIACEA (SIMON, 1900) COMB. NOV. (FIGS 4C, 57A- C, 58A- D, 59A- F)   
 Marengo coriacea Simon, 1900: 401, ♂ lectotype from Natal, South Africa in MNHN 20184, examined.   
 Marengo kibonotensis Lessert, 1925: 439, figs 15–17 (♀ holotype from Kenya in NRS, not examined). Proposed as a synonymy of M. coriacea by Wanless (1978); see remarks below.   
 Marengo coriacea Lawrence, 1947: 36, fig. 22 (♀ from Durban, Natal, South Africa, not examined).   
 Marengo coriacea Roewer, 1965: 31, fig. 26a–e.   
 Marengo coriacea Wanless, 1978: 261 fig. 1a–j, pl. 1a–c.   
 Diagnosis: Distinguished from A. lyrifera by the latter’s cylindrical opisthosoma. The rta appears to be long and thin in A coriacea, short and stout in A. lyrifera (Wanless, 1978: figs 1f, i; 2e, f).   
 Remarks: I doubt the synonymy of M. kibonotensis Lessert, 1925, from Kenya, which, judging from illustrations of the female type given by Lessert (1925: figs 15–17) appears to be different from A. coriacea. Furthermore, Afromarengo spp. can most easily be distinguished by details of the male palp, for example by the shape of the rta. However, I refrain from making any further taxonomic changes until a detailed study of a large collection of material is undertaken.   
 Description: Afromarengo coriacea has been described in detail (Lawrence, 1947; Wanless, 1978; Wesolowska & Russell-Smith, 2000) and is not treated further here. Description of males from Kenya (HMNH 274): total length 3.3; prosoma length 1.6, width 1.0. Leg I: femur 1.0 patella 0.3, tibia 1.0 metatarsus 0.6, tarsus 0.2. Prosoma uniformly dark black, sides lighter, venter uniformly black. Opisthosoma longer than wide, dark brown, venter uniformly black. Legs I–IV with lateral dark markings. Eyes surrounded by dark rings. Chelicerae, labium and dorsal parts lighter in colour. Leg formula 1432. Tibia I with 2/2/0/2 spines, metatarsus I with 2/2 spines. Palp: cymbium oval, longer than wide. Retrolateral tibial apophysis large, tapering to a pointed end (Fig. 57B, C). Tegulum bilobed, projecting outwards, anterior end gradually tapering to a pointed end, path of sperm duct as in Figure 57A–C, embolus thin long, coils more than four times (Fig. 57A, C).   
 Distribution: Known from Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Zaire.   
 Other material examined: KENYA: Gala estate, 2♂, 15– 20.3.2001 leg. S. & L. Mahunka, HMNH 274; Tana river, Sankuri (25 km north of Garissa); 1♂, 18.10.1977, leg. V. Mahnert, det. Wanless 1984, MHNG (77/24).
description: Published as part of Benjamin, Suresh P., 2004, Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic hypothesis for the jumping spider subfamily Ballinae (Araneae, Salticidae), pp. 1-82 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 142 (1) on pages 63-66, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00123.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5430735