Stenaelurillus guttatus information

Stenaelurillus guttatus
The related Stenaelurillus termitophagus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Subfamily:	Salticinae
Genus:	Stenaelurillus
Species:	S. guttatus
Binomial name
Stenaelurillus guttatus (Wesołowska & Cumming, 2002)
Synonyms[1]
Mashonarus guttatus Wesołowska & Cumming, 2002

Stenaelurillus guttatus, synonym Mashonarus guttatus, is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was first described in 2002 by Wanda Wesołowska and Meg S. Cumming. It was initially the type species for the genus Mashonarus but was moved to its current genus in 2018. The spider is medium-sized, with a cephalothorax that is between 2.1 and 2.7 mm (0.083 and 0.106 in) long and 2.0 mm (0.079 in) and an abdomen that is between 2.3 and 3.8 mm (0.091 and 0.150 in) long. It is very dark in colour, either dark brown or black, and has a distinctive pattern on its back consisting of two white stripes on the thorax and three sets of two white patches on the abdomen. This pattern gives the species its name, which is based on a Latin word that can be translated spotted. It lives in a wide range of environments, from dry to wet climates, and at altitudes between 500 and 1,500 m (1,600 and 4,900 ft) above sea level. First observed in a garden, the spider has been found under logs, stones and rocks, in leaf litter, and, after rains, on grass, shrubs and garden walls. It feeds on termites, particularly Odontotermes transvaalensis, and other prey including fruit flies and leafhoppers.