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| Phenasurya Marathe & Maddison, Phenasurya daeng Marathe, Maddison & Trębicki, in Marathe, Trębicki, Janik-Superson, Samoh, Zhang et Maddison, 2025. |
Abstract
We describe a new plexippine genus and new species, Phenasurya daeng gen. et sp. nov., with a striking red face, from Thailand. Its placement within Plexippina is supported by ultraconserved element (UCE)-based phylogenomic analyses, supplemented with a broader four-gene analysis. Morphological evidence further justifies its generic status. Phenasurya daeng is recovered near cf. Colopsus and Pancorius but is morphologically distinct from both. These findings reveal a new red-faced lineage and settle the identity of a perplexing jumping spider.
Key words: Araneae, biodiversity, Indochina, phylogenomics, systematics, taxonomy, UCE
Family Salticidae Blackwall, 1841
Subfamily Salticinae Blackwall, 1841
Tribe Plexippini Simon, 1901
Subtribe Plexippina Simon, 1901
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| Phenasurya daeng, male (9–17) and female (18–20). |
Phenasurya Marathe & Maddison, gen. nov.
Etymology. The genus name Phenasurya is derived from the Greek “phen-”, referring to appearance, and the Thai “Surya”, referring to the sun. This alludes to the face of this elegant spider, red like the setting sun.
Phenasurya daeng Marathe, Maddison & Trębicki, sp. nov.
Etymology. The specific epithet daeng means “red” in Thai, alluding to the species’ distinctive red face.
Kiran Marathe, Łukasz Trębicki, Katarzyna Janik-Superson, Abdulloh Samoh, Junxia Zhang, Wayne P. Maddison. 2025. Phenasurya daeng, A New Genus and Species of plexippine Jumping Spider (Salticidae, Plexippini, Plexippina) from Thailand. ZooKeys. 1259: 335-348. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1259.169914