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Salticidae Toxeus

Toxeus maxillosus C. L. Koch, 1846

Giant Ant-mimicking Jumper

Previously known as Myrmarachne maxillosa, this species is easily recognisable by its large size, long legs, and robust carapace. Each of the male chelicerae has two clearly discernible apical spurs on its inner margin. Compared with the chelicerae of other female ant-mimicking jumpers, the female has exceptionally long chelicerae, with a length-to-width ratio of more than two. The female palps are enlarged and expanded, and can be mistaken as male palps.

This species is polymorphic (meaning it has different morphological forms). The size varies considerably. The abdomen may be bronzy, brown or glossy black. The legs may also vary in colouration, ranging from red to black.

A bronzy-black female over a silken roof of its leaf retreat it shared with a male co-inhabitant shown in silhouette.

Length♀ 6–8 mm; ♂ 6–12 mm, including chelicerae
DistributionWidespread, including Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi), Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines.
HabitatFoliage in gardens, plantations and disturbed wooded areas, often in a retreat made of folded leaf fastened with silk.

Taxonomy

Type Deposits*

  1. Holotype

    Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB), Germany (database export of type material, March 2019); Toxeus maxillosus C. L. Koch, 1846, (1529)

Taxonomic references*

  1. Toxeus maxillosus (Original description ♂)

    C. L. Koch, 1846 Die Arachniden: 19, vol. 13, f. 1090 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.43744

  2. Synemosyna procera (Original description ♂)

    Thorell, 1877b Studi sui Ragni Malesi e Papuani: 538

  3. Toxeus procerus

    Thorell, 1887 Viaggio di L: 346

  4. Salticus bellicosus (Original description ♂)

    Peckham & Peckham, 1892 Ant-like spiders of the family Attidae: 32, pl. 2, f. 11

  5. Salticus modestus (Original description j; N.B.: homonym of Salticus modestus)

    Thorell, 1892b On some spiders from the Andaman Islands, collected by E: 235 doi:10.1080/00222939208677308

  6. Toxeus maxillosus (Original description ♀, Synonym of Salticus modestus and Toxeus procerus)

    Thorell, 1895b Descriptive catalogue of the spiders of Burma, based upon the collection made by Eugene W. Oates and preserved in the British Museum: 328 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.17492

  7. Myrmarachne bellicosa

    Simon, 1901a Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome second: 500 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973

  8. Myrmarachne maxillosa (♂)

    Szombathy, 1913 Adatok a hangyantánzó ugrópókok pontosabb ismeretéhez: 31, 56, f. 8

  9. Myrmarachne maxillosa (Synonym of Salticus bellicosus)

    Roewer, 1955c Katalog der Araneae von 1758 bis 1940, bzw. 1954. 2. Band, Abt. a (Lycosaeformia, Dionycha [excl. Salticiformia]). 2. Band, Abt. b (Salticiformia, Cribellata) (Synonyma-Verzeichnis, Gesamtindex): 947

  10. Myrmarachne gigantea (Original description ♂♀)

    Żabka, 1985 Systematic and zoogeographic study on the family Salticidae (Araneae) from Viet-Nam: 244, f. 318-327

  11. Myrmarachne maxillosa (♂♀, Synonym of Myrmarachne gigantea)

    Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 Taxonomic study of the genus Myrmarachne of Borneo (Araneae: Salticidae): 538, f. 30A-G, 31A-E, 42A-F doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3710.6.1

  12. Myrmarachne maxillosa (♂ habitus)

    Hill & Otto, 2015 Exasperating taxonomy of the colourful ant-mimic Myrmarachne exasperans (Araneae: Salticidae: Astioida: Myrmarachinae [sic]): 3, f. 2.3

  13. Toxeus maxillosus (T♂♀ from Myrmarachne)

    Prószyński, 2016 Delimitation and description of 19 new genera, a subgenus and a species of Salticidae (Araneae) of the world: 17, f. 1I, 3F, 4C doi:10.37828/em.2016.7.1

  14. Toxeus maxillosus (♀)

    Prószyński, 2017b Pragmatic classification of the world's Salticidae (Araneae): 99, f. 46D,H doi:10.37828/em.2017.12.1

  15. Toxeus maxillosus (♀)

    Prószyński, 2018b Review of genera Evarcha and Nigorella, with comments on Emertonius, Padilothorax [sic], Stagetillus, and description of five new genera and two new species (Araneae: Salticidae): 161, f. 19H doi:10.37828/em.2018.16.12

  16. Toxeus maxillosus (♂♀)

    Nentwig et al., 2019 Tackling taxonomic redundancy in spiders: the infraspecific spider taxa described by Embrik Strand (Arachnida: Araneae): 42, f. 8a-e doi:10.30963/aramit5809

  17. Myrmarache maxillosa (♂)

    Peng, 2020 Fauna Sinica, Invertebrata 53, Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae: 249, f. 173a-b

* Retrieved from the World Spider Catalog.

Distribution Map for Toxeus maxillosus C. L. Koch, 1846

Widespread, including Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi), Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines.

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