Sessions

Jumping spiders are the most species-rich and diverse family of spiders, comprising approximately 700 genera and 7,000 described species. The genus Zenodorus (Peckham & Peckham, 1886), commonly known as jewel spiders, is distributed across New Guinea, Australia, and New Caledonia, but its species diversity and morphological variation remain insufficiently documented.

This study examines eight male salticid specimens provisionally assigned to Zenodorus and closely related genera. The specimens were sorted into morphospecies based on morphological characters, illustrated, and examined for the preparation of provisional species descriptions and identification. Comparison with the available taxonomic literature resulted in the identification of two previously described species, Zenodorus durvillei and ‘Margaromma’ doreyanum. The remaining six specimens represent morphologically distinct taxa that are considered potentially new to science: Zenodorus batantensis, Zenodorus bijoux, Zenodorus bubia, Zenodorus dzobwampar, Omoedus florencae, and Margaromma kilas.

These findings contribute to the taxonomic knowledge of Zenodorus and related genera, providing a growing knowledge of the Australasian jumping spiders and clearly shows the need for further taxonomic studies of the region’s arachnofauna.