Asemonea virgea is a species of jumping spider in the genus Asemonea that is endemic to the Republic of the Congo. The spider was first described in 2003 by Wanda Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts. The spider is small, with a dark yellow carapace typically 1.6mm long and an abdomen 1.8mm long. The male has a distinctive set of spines on its palpal tibia, after which it is named. It is similar to the related Asemonea cristata but differs in its species range, as the other spider is found in Burma, and its shorter femoral apophysis. The female has not been described.
Asemonea virgea is a jumping spider first described by Wanda Wesołowska and Tamás Szűts in 2003.[1] It is one of over 500 species identified by the Polish arachnologist Wesołowska. The species was allocated to the genus Asemonea, first raised by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869. The genus is related to Lyssomanes, but the relationship is uncertain. Molecular analysis demonstrates that the genus is similar to Goleba and Pandisus. In Wayne Maddison's 2015 study of spider phylogenetic classification, the genus Asemonea was the type genus for the subfamily Asemoneinae. A year later, in 2016, Jerzy Prószyński named it as the type genus for the Asemoneines group of genera, which was also named after the genus. The species itself has a name that is derived from the Latin for rod and recalls the spines on the palpal tibia.
The spider is small. The male has a moderately high pear-shaped carapace that is typically 1.6mm long and 1.2mm wide. It is dark yellow with a thin brown line around the edge. It has a slightly lighter eye field with the eyes arranged in four rows. The clypeus is whiteish. The chelicerae are orange, with five small teeth visible on the edge. The abdomen is an oval that is typically 1.8mm long and 1mm wide. It is pale yellow with a brownish band across the edge, small dark dots towards the sides and two arrow-shaped dark patches on the top. The underside is whiteish. The spider has long spinnerets and long thin legs, all generally whiteish-yellow. The pedipalps are light brown. There is a long furrow on the palpal femur and a femoral apophysis with a pointed end. The retrolateral tibial apophysis is large and shaped like an anvil. There are three rod-like spines on the top of the palpal bulb. The female has not been described.[1]
The spider most resembles Asemonea cristata, found in Burma. It can be distinguished by its shorter femoral apophysis.
The spider is typical of the genus. Asemonea spiders rarely jump. Instead, they generally walk and run. The y spin sheet webs on the underside of leaves, where they also lay their eggs. Although predominantly a diurnal hunter, the spider is also likely to eat nectar if it is available.
The species is endemic to the Republic of the Congo.[1] The holotype was found near Brazzaville in 1963. The spiders thrive in trees and shrubs.