Tusitala Explained

Tusitala is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by George and Elizabeth Peckham in 1902.^[1] The name is Samoan, meaning "writer of stories". It is considered a senior synonym of Blaisea.^[2]

Species

the genus contains ten species, found in Africa and Yemen:^[3]

• Tusitala ansieae Azarkina & Foord, 2015 – Botswana
• Tusitala bandama Wesolowska & Russell-Smith, 2022 – Ivory Coast
• Tusitala barbata Peckham & Peckham, 1902 (type) – West, East, Southern Africa
• Tusitala cornuta Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2022 – Ivory Coast
• Tusitala discibulba Caporiacco, 1941 – Ethiopia
• Tusitala guineensis Berland & Millot, 1941 – Guinea
• Tusitala hirsuta Peckham & Peckham, 1902 – Southern, East Africa
• Tusitala lutzi Lessert, 1927 – Congo
• Tusitala lyrata (Simon, 1903) – Africa
• Tusitala proxima Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 – Tanzania
• Tusitala unica Wesolowska & Russell-Smith, 2000 – Tanzania
• Tusitala yemenica Wesolowska & van Harten, 1994 – Yemen

Notes and References

1. Peckham. G. W.. Peckham. E. G.. 1902. Some new genera and species of Attidae from South Africa. Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 330–335. 9. 312. 10.1155/1902/13502. George and Elizabeth Peckham. George and Elizabeth Peckham. free.
2. Wesolowska. W.. Tomasiewicz. B.. 2003. Blaisea Simon, 1902 synonymised with Tusitala Peckham et Peckham, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae). Annales Zoologici, Warszawa. 53. 719.
3. Gen. Tusitala Peckham & Peckham, 1902. World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. 2019-09-29. 2019. Natural History Museum Bern. 10.24436/2.