Eresus elhennawyi sp. n. (Araneae: Eresidae), a new velvet spider mimicking mutilid wasps from north-western Africa.

Despite their attractive appearance, the velvet spiders of the genus Eresus are an understudied group in some parts of their range. Such areas include the south-western Mediterranean. In this paper we present a description of a new species from Morocco and Algeria, Eresus elhennawyi sp. n. We named it after the Egyptian arachnologist Hisham El-Hennawy, who has worked on the arachnids of North Africa for several decades. This species lives under rocks in semi-desert habitats, so unlike most species of the genus Eresus, it does not burrow. Adult males seek out females in April. Their colouration is obviously a mimicry of co-occurring stinging mutilid wasps. The most morphologically similar species is Eresus crassitibialis Wunderlich, 1987 from the nearby Canary Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]