Thiratoscirtus elgonensis

Thiratoscirtus elgonensis is a medium-sized spider with a body that is divided, like other jumping spiders, into two main parts: a forward section known as a cephalothorax and, behind that, an abdomen. The male has a cephalothorax that measures typically between 2.0 and 2.5 mm (0.08 and 0.10 in) in length and 1.6 and 1.9 mm (0.06 and 0.07 in) in width. Its carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is a moderately high oval that is generally brown and covered in brown hair. It is marked with a light band across the middle and white streaks formed by hairs on the sides. There is a furrow-like depression in the centre of carapace. A black field surrounds the spider's eyes that is covered in black hairs, with a few longer brown bristles visible particularly around the forward eyes. The spider's sternum, the underside of its cephalothorax, is brown. Its face, or clypeus, is low and light brown with light hairs. Its mouthparts are brown, with paler tips on its labium and maxillae while its chelicerae are marked by having a single tooth at the back. The male spider's abdomen is a small oval that measures between 2.1 and 2.7 mm (0.08 and 0.11 in) long and between 1.4 and 1.8 mm (0.06 and 0.07 in) wide. It is a generally brown oval with a pattern of yellowish chevrons towards the rear. The chevrons are covered in yellowish hairs, the remainder of the abdomen with brown hairs. …

Thiratoscirtus spiders generally live in Africa and are particularly common in the forests of Central and West Africa. Thiratoscirtus elgonensis lives in Kenya and Uganda. It has only been found on Mount Elgon. This is reflected in the specific name. The fact that the species, along with a number of other spiders including Belippo elgonensis, has a species distribution that is limited to the one mountain led to Dawidowicz and Wesołowska speculating that the area acts as a "centre of endemism". The spider thrives in high altitudes. The holotype was at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level, while others have been found as high as 3,580 m (11,750 ft). It is generally found living in vegetation. Some spiders live in moss underneath trees of genera like Alchemilla and Erica. Others live amongst bushes like Acanthus amongst forests of bamboo. One example was found on the giant groundsel Dendrosenecio johnstonii. Others have been seen living near the Sasa river.