A REVISION OF THE JUMPING SPIDER GENUS THIODINA (ARANEAE: SALTICIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA (PANAMA, COSTA RICA, MEXICO, UNITED STATES)

The North American jumping spiders (Salticidae) of the genus Thiodina are revised. In the United States there are three species, T. sylvana, T. puerpera and T. new species which are described. The new species occurs in southern California and Arizona while the other species occur widely in the eastern states except in the northern areas. Thiodina sylvana is also found from Texas south into Panama. The three species can be distinguished by characteristics which include the structure of the female genitalia (epigynum), the tibial apophysis of the male palp, color pattern, and the number of cheliceral teeth on the retromargin of the chelicerae.; Thiodina is an easily distinguishable genus due to the presence of two pairs of bulbous setae. It is in the subfamily Thiodininae. The Walckenaer names for the two described American species are rejected in favor of the Hentz names.; A new species of Thiodina is described from Panama and eastern Costa Rica. This is a small species that is closely related to T. sylvana and can be distinguished primarily by color pattern. A new species was also described from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. This species is somewhat distinct, especially by having rather long legs. Leg pair one is very long, and the ventral tibial apophysis is quite short. It may be important in helping to define the limits of the genus Thiodina.; The first fossil species of Thiodina is described from Dominican amber. It is related to the U.S. species T. puerpera and provides a potential clue in the biogeography of the North American species.