The Red-Colored Oddball—A New Ladybird Spider with Unusual Coloring from Morocco, Eresus rubrocephalus sp. nov. (Araneae: Eresidae)

 

The Red-Colored Oddball—A New Ladybird Spider with Unusual Coloring from Morocco, Eresus rubrocephalus sp. nov. (Araneae: Eresidae)

Simple Summary

In our work, we provide a description of the habitus of a species of ladybird spider found in Northern Africa, specifically Morocco, based on microscopic examination of the palpus and genetic delimitation analysis. The cephalothorax and abdomen of the male spider are both covered with carmine red hairs on the dorsal and ventral sides as well as on the chelicerae. The palpus exhibits several characteristic distinguishing features, such as the course of the palpus conductor plate, the characteristic U-shaped groove, and the uniquely shaped terminal tooth. Both phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses supported the establishment of the new species Eresus rubrocephalus sp. n.

Abstract

According to our current knowledge, the prothorax of male spiders belonging to the genus Eresus is covered with black hairs. However, during our collection activities in Morocco, we found male specimens showing habitus that can be clearly distinguished from the previously known species based on their pars cephalica of prosoma covered with distinct red hairs. Diagnostic drawings and digital photographs of male copulatory organs, alongside DNA and COI barcoding results, are also presented.