Gastromicans

Gastromicans
female G. tesselata from Brazil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Salticinae
Genus: Gastromicans
Mello-Leitão, 1917[1]
Type species
G. albopilosa
(Simon, 1903)
Species

7, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Mirandia Badcock, 1932

Gastromicans is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão in 1917.[2]

Etymology

The genus name Gastromicans is derived from the Greek gaster (Ancient Greek γᾰστήρ, belly, abdomen) and Latin micans (vibrating, twinkling, trembling), presumably referring to the distinctive iridescent scales found on the abdomen of these spiders, which Mello-Leitão described in detail in the original diagnosis.[2]

Description

  • male G. tesselata
  • male G. tesselata
  • female G. tesselata

Members of Gastromicans are characterized by distinctive morphological features as described in Mello-Leitão's original diagnosis. The cephalothorax is elevated and broadly rounded on both sides, narrower posteriorly than anteriorly, with the cephalic region nearly flat and impressed between the eyes on both sides. The thoracic region is longer than the cephalic region.[2]

The eye arrangement is typical of jumping spiders, with the posterior eyes being very prominent. The anterior eyes are arranged in a moderately recurved line, with the median eyes contiguous and narrowly separated from the lateral eyes.[2]

The chelicerae are rugose (wrinkled) and show sexual dimorphism, with females having narrower and shorter chelicerae featuring a bidentate upper margin of the furrow. The front legs are longer and more robust than the others, with the anterior metatarsi bearing strong inferior spines arranged in a 2-2 pattern, and the anterior tibiae with inferior spines arranged 2-2-2.[2]

A distinctive characteristic of the genus is the scaly integument covering the body, with the cephalothorax having a leathery (coriaceous) texture. This scaly covering is reflected in both the genus name and the original type species name squamulata, both referring to the scale-like structures.[2]

Taxonomy

Originally, Mello-Leitão established Gastromicans with G. squamulata as the type species. However, G. squamulata was later determined to be a junior synonym of G. albopilosa (Simon, 1903) by Galiano in 1980.[3]

The genus was previously placed in synonymy under Beata but was removed from this synonymy and revalidated by Maddison in 1996.[4] Recently, Gastromicans has been considered a senior synonym of Mirandia Badcock, 1932 by Sherwood, Nadal & Pett in 2023.[5]

Species

As of August 2025 this genus contains seven species, found in Central and South America:[1]

G.albopilosa serves as the effective type species following the synonymization of G. squamulata.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2025). "Gen. Gastromicans Mello-Leitão, 1917". World Spider Catalog Version 26.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Mello-Leitão, C. F. de (1917). "Aranhas novas ou pouco conhecidas de Thomisidas e Salticidas brasileiras". Archivos da Escola Superior de Agricultura e Medicina Veterinaria, Rio de Janeiro. 1: 117–153.
  3. ^ Galiano, M. E. (1980). "Revisión de los géneros del grupo Hasarieus". Opera Lilloana. 29: 1–82.
  4. ^ Maddison, W. P. (1996). "Pelegrina Franganillo and other jumping spiders formerly placed in the genus Metaphidippus (Araneae: Salticidae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 154 (4): 215–368.
  5. ^ Sherwood, D.; Nadal, E.; Pett, B. L. (2023). "A taxonomic review of Australian Salticidae". Zootaxa. 5356 (1): 1–101.
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