Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Wanlessia

Wanlessia is a genus of Asian jumping spiders that was first described by D. P. Wijesinghe in 1992. As of September 2019 it contains two species, both endemic to eastern Asia: W. denticulata and W. sedgwicki. It is related to Portia, and is the only member of the subfamily Spartaeinae with well-developed palpal conductors. Both species only have descriptions for males. It is named in honor of arachnologist Fred R. Wanless, who described more than a dozen salticid genera from 1970 to 1990.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
266 w
Citations
7
Source
Wanlessia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Spartaeinae
Genus: Wanlessia
Wijesinghe, 19921
Type species
W. sedgwicki
Wijesinghe, 1992
Species

Wanlessia is a genus of Asian jumping spiders that was first described by D. P. Wijesinghe in 1992.2 As of September 2019 it contains two species, both endemic to eastern Asia: W. denticulata and W. sedgwicki.1 It is related to Portia,3 and is the only member of the subfamily Spartaeinae with well-developed palpal conductors.2 Both species only have descriptions for males.1 It is named in honor of arachnologist Fred R. Wanless, who described more than a dozen salticid genera from 1970 to 1990.

Wanlessia sedgwicki males are about 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long. Both the carapace and legs are yellowish-brown, though the carapace has irregular black markings and a lighter area around the fovea. The opisthosoma is yellow to white with similar markings near the rear, and is covered with amber-grey hairs. The legs have black rings on some segments.3

References

References

  1. "Gen. Wanlessia Wijesinghe, 1992". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  2. Wijesinghe, D. P. (1992). "A new genus of jumping spider from Borneo with notes on the spartaeine palp (Araneae: Salticidae)" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 40: 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  3. Murphy, Frances; Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society. p. 295.
External links