Mushimane

Mushimane
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Trachelidae
Genus: Mushimane
Haddad, 2025[2]
Species:
M. tswibilinki
Binomial name
Mushimane tswibilinki
Haddad, 2025[1]

Mushimane is a South African monotypic genus of spiders in the family Trachelidae containing the single species, Mushimane tswibilinki.[1]

Description

Adults are only about 1.8 mm in body length.[2]

Etymology

The genus name is a Swahili word for "little man", indicating this being possibly the smallest species of the family. "tswibilinki" indicates a man with a small penis in the Sesotho language, in reference to the short embolus in males of this species.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Gen. Mushimane Haddad, 2025". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  2. ^ a b c Haddad, C. R. (2025). "And they just keep coming: four new genera of dark sac spiders from southern Africa (Araneae, Trachelidae)". African Invertebrates. 66 (1): 19–64. Bibcode:2025AfrIn..66...19H. doi:10.3897/AfrInvertebr.66.139299.