Kelawakaju gen. nov., a new Asian lineage of marpissine jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Marpissina)

Abstract

The genus Kelawakaju Maddison & Ruiz, gen. nov., is described for a lineage of bark-dwelling Asian marpissine jumping spiders that represent a dispersal to Eurasia separate from that of the Marpissa-Mendoza lineage, according to the phylogeny recovered from analysis of four gene regions. All species of Kelawakaju are new to science except Kelawakaju frenata (Simon, 1901), comb. nov., which is transferred from Ocrisiona Simon, 1901. Kelawakaju frenata is known from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangxi, and likely Taiwan. The five new species are Kelawakaju mulu Maddison & Ruiz, sp. nov. (type species of Kelawakaju, from Sarawak, Malaysia, ♂♀), K. intexta Maddison & Ruiz, sp. nov. (from Sarawak, ♂), K. leucomelas Maddison & Ng, sp. nov. (Singapore and Johor Bahru, ♂♀), K. sahyadri Vishnudas, Maddison, & Sudhikumar, sp. nov. (India, ♂♀), and K. singapura Maddison & Ng, sp. nov. (Singapore, ♂♀).