Bacelarella pavida is a species of jumping spider in the genus Bacelarella that is endemic to Ivory Coast. It was first described in 2001 by Tamás Szűts and Rudy Jocqué based on a holotype found near Appouasso. The spider is medium-sized with a dark brown carapace that has a length between 3.7and and a mottled abdomen that is between 3and long. The carapace has a yellow spot and the abdomen has a pattern of white bands and spots. The male differs from other spiders in the genus in having a short embolus. The female can be distinguished by the large plate on the epigyne and large flaps on the chamber at the entrance to the short copulatory ducts.
Bacelarella pavida was first described by Tamás Szűts and Rudy Jocqué in 2001.[1] It was allocated to the genus Bacelarella, which itself had been first raised by Lucien Beland and Jacques Millot in 1941. The genus is named in honour of the Portuguese arachnologist Amélia Vaz Duarte Bacelar. The species is named after the Latin word for shy, pavidus, which recalls the simple design of the male pedipalp. In 2008, the genus was allocated to a clade named the Bacelarella group based on DNA sequencing. This was then refined into a subtribe of the tribe Aelurillini in the clade Saltafresia. However, the differences between Bacelarella iactans and Bacelarella pavida identified by Szűts and Jocqué led to Wayne Maddison, Melissa Bodner and Karen Needham speculating that the genus is polyphyletic and that Bacelarella iactans may not share the same common ancestor to other species in the genus.
The spider is medium-sized. The male has a brown carapace that is between 3.7and in length and 2.8and in width. It has a dark brown eye field with a pattern of white hairs consisting of a band and a triangle shape. Behind this, on the thorax, there is a pale yellow spot. The abdomen is also dark with pale mottling, a two white bands, two white spots and a reddish-brown scutum. It is between 3and long and 1.5and wide. The clypeus and chelicerae are dark brown. The spinnerets and legs are yellow. The pedipalps are covered in white hairs. The palpal bulb has an ovoid cymbium and long tegulum, from which the short embolus extends. The short length of the embolus distinguishes the species from other Bacelarella spiders.
As is typical for the genus, the female is generally larger than the male. The carapace is 3.9mm long and 3mm wide and has a similar yellow spot to the male. The abdomen is lighter and has a similar pattern but measures between 41mm in length and between 3.8mm in width. The spinnerets and legs are paler and the pedipalp is yellow. The epigyne has large plate towards the back and a central pit. The copulatory ducts are short and slightly curved. The spermathecae are large and have thick walls. In addition to the large plate on the epigyne and short copulatory ducts, the species can be identified by the large flaps on the edge of the chamber at the entrance to the ducts.
Bacelarella pavida lives in rainforests. The holotype for the species was found near Appouasso, Ivory Coast in 1995. Like many of its genus, the species is adapted to live in areas with low lighting. However, it seems to be more active during the dry season when ambient light levels are typically higher. This is particularly the case for mating, which relies on optical cues and complex movements. It lives sympatrically with related species in Ivory Coast, including the more abundant Bacelarella iactans.