Smeringopus hypocrita Simon, 1910

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2012, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical endemic genus Smeringopus Simon, 1890 (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 3461 (1), pp. 1-138 : 74-77

Smeringopus hypocrita Simon, 1910

Figs. 424–425 , 438, 443–444 , 459–460 , 476–482

Smeringopus hypocrita Simon 1910: 190 (except female from Kubub; see S. similis ). Kraus 1957: 232–233, figs. 53–58. Kraus 1984: 380, fig. 6 (copied from Kraus 1957).

Types. Male lectotype (see Notes below) and 2♀ paralectotypes from South Africa, Northern Cape Province, Kamaggas [= Komaggas, 29°47.9’S, 17°29.2’E], 1904 (L. Schultze), in ZMB (2 vials: 10462, 10464) . 1♀ 1 juv. (2 vials) paralectotypes from South Africa, Northern Cape Province, Steinkopf [29°15.8’S, 17°44.1’E], 1904 (L. Schultze), in ZMB (10463, second vial without number) . 2♂ 1♀ paralectotypes from Namibia, “Gubub” [locality not identified, see Notes below], date not given [1903–1905] (L. Schultze), in MNHN (10483). All types examined.

Notes. Kraus (1957) explicitly designated the male from Komaggas as lectotype, but on labels he identified one of the two females as lectotype and the male and the second female as paralectotypes. I follow the publication rather than the labels and consider the male as the lectotype.

The paralectotype-locality “Gubub” (=Kubub?) could not be identified; at least six Kubub exist in southern Namibia.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar congeners by shapes of procursus (distal structures, Figs. 476, 477 ), bulb (processes of embolus, Figs. 480, 481 ), very lateral cheliceral apophyses ( Fig. 478 ; similar S. sederberg and S. atomarius ), and shape of epigynum ( Fig. 459 ; simple plate with small round pockets in very lateral position; like S. sederberg ).

Male (Kap Kap). Total body length 4.8, carapace width 1.7. Leg 1: 39.1 (10.4 + 0.6 + 10.1 + 15.8 + 2.2), tibia 2: 7.1, tibia 3: 5.8, tibia 4: 8.1; tibia 1 L/d: 57. Habitus as in Fig. 424 . Carapace ochre-yellow with brown median and lateral marks, clypeus with pair of dark stripes, sternum ochre-yellow with brown pattern, leg femora and tibiae with whitish tips and dark subdistal rings, abdomen ochre-gray with distinct dorsal and ventral pattern. Distance PME-PME 140 µm, diameter PME 140 µm, distance PME-ALE 55 µm, distance AME-AME 60 µm, diameter AME 120 µm. Ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with small ‘pseudo-lenses’; deep thoracic pit. Chelicerae with distal apophyses in very lateral position ( Figs. 478, 479 ). Palps as in Figs. 443 and 444 , coxa with distinct retrolateral apophysis, trochanter barely modified, femur with retrolateral furrow with distinct proximal rim, procursus with distinctive distal processes ( Figs. 476, 477 ), bulb with distinctive complex embolus ( Figs. 480, 481 ; very similar S. sederberg ). Legs without spines, few vertical hairs, with curved hairs on metatarsi 1 and 2; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1. Gonopore with two epiandrous spigots.

Variation. In the male from Cape Town the lateral marks on the carapace are absent and the dorsal membranous element on the procursus (arrow in Fig. 477 ) is slightly more sclerotized and curved. The lectotype is bleached and both palps are detached; the dorsal membranous element on the procursus is slightly narrower; tibia 1: 8.6. Tibia 1 in 3 other males: 8.4, 8.8, 11.7.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 5 females: 8.1–13.5 (mean 9.6). Epigynum a simple plate with round pockets in very lateral position ( Fig. 459 ; very similar S. sederberg ); internal genitalia as in Figs. 460 and 482 (the strong folding of the frontal ‘valve’ is probably an artifact).

Distribution. Known from several localities in western South Africa and from an unidentified locality (“Gubub”) in southern Namibia ( Fig. 475 ). Specimens from near Loeriesfontein and Garies are assigned tentatively because no males are known from these localities and the very similar S. sederberg occurs only slightly further south. The female from Neudamm ( Namibia) assigned by Kraus (1957) to S. hypocrita is very probably S. atomarius (see below).

Material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape Prov.: Komaggas: 1♂ 2♀ types above. Steinkopf : 1♀ type above. Namaqualand , Garies [30°34.1’S, 17°59.4’E], 14.xi.1949 (B. Malkin), 1♀ in CAS . 10 km NW Loeriesfontein [~ 30°52.3’S, 19°22.3’E], Calvinia, under stones, 21.x.1990 (L.N. Lotz), 1♀ in NMBA ( 5481 ) ; same locality, 22.x.1990 (S. Louw), 1♀ 1 juv. in NMBA ( 5500 ) . Namaqualand, Kap Kap [~ 30°15’S, 18°27’E], under stones, 20.x.1990 (L.N. Lotz), 1♂ 1♀ in NMBA ( 5450 ) . Western Cape Prov.: Cape Town, Lions Head [33°56’S, 18°23’E], no date (N. Larson), “slide no 128”, 1♂ in NCP (92/6) .

NAMIBIA: “Gubub”, 2♂ 1♀ types above .

Figures

FIGURE 475. Known distribution of the hypocrita group. Squares: further undescribed species.

FIGURES 424–437. Smeringopus hypocrita group, habitus. 424–425. S. hypocrita, male, dorsal view and female, ventral view. 426–427. S. sederberg, male, dorsal and ventral views. 428–429. S. lotzi, male, dorsal and ventral views. 430–431. S. dehoop, male, dorsal view and female, ventral view. 432–433. S. atomarius, female, dorsal and ventral views. 434–435. S. uisib, female, dorsal and ventral views. 436–437. S. tombua, male, dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURES 438–450. Smeringopus hypocrita group, male prosomata, oblique frontal views and left male palps, prolateral and retrolateral views. 438. S. hypocrita. 439. S. sederberg. 440. S. ubicki. 441. S. dehoop. 442. S. atomarius. 443–444. S. hypocrita. 445–446. S. sederberg. 447–448. S. lotzi. 449–450. S. ubicki.

FIGURES 459–474. Smeringopus hypocrita group, epigyna, ventral views and cleared female genitalia, dorsal views. 459–460. S. hypocrita. 461–462. S. sederberg. 463–464. S. lotzi. 465–466. S. ubicki. 467–468. S. dehoop. 469–470. S. atomarius. 471–472. S. uisib. 473–474. S. tombua.

FIGURES 476–486. Smeringopus hypocrita (476–482) and S. sederberg (483–486). 476, 483. Left cymbia and procursi, retrolateral views. 477, 484. Left procursi, dorsal views (arrows point to variable structures; see text). 478–479. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 480–481, 485–486. Left emboli, prolateral and dorsal views (arrow points to variable structure; see text). 482. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.