Yamangalea Maddison

Genus Yamangalea Maddison

The genus Yamangalea has been described and diagnosed by Maddison (2009) from the mountains of Enga Province in Papua New Guinea. This is the second known species of the genus described and the first Australian record for the entire Cocalodinae clade (sensu Maddison 2009). Although the finding of Yamangalea in Australia’s tropical north could have well been anticipated, its presence as far south as the Brisbane area is rather surprising.

The body of Yamangalea is similar to some Astieae and Cytaea (Euophryinae) species but the posterior median eyes are as large as anterior lateral ones (this character is rare in Salticidae, in Australia present only in Mintonia, Cocalus and Portia). Chelicerae are pluridentate, not elongate, with no horn. The most distinctive are male genitalia with large median, hooked apophysis. According to Maddison (2009) “as in Allococalodes, the conductor [in Yamangalea] is membranous. Most distinctive is the embolus which is hidden against the inner wall of the cymbium”. In the species described here the embolus (e) is very distinctive and conductor (c) is connected with membranous tegular sclerite (ts). Further studies and more species are necessary to precise the generic limits between Yamangalea and other Cocalodinae genera.