Cteniogaster taxorchis, Jan Bosselaers & Rudy Jocque, 2013

Jan Bosselaers & Rudy Jocque, 2013, Studies in Liocranidae (Araneae): a new afrotropical genus featuring a synapomorphy for the Cybaeodinae, European Journal of Taxonomy 40, pp. 1-49 : 25-26

Cteniogaster taxorchis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DBF6AC89-62A0-4233-A459-D8DB204E7D0E

Figs 3C, G , 5E-F, 12K, 14; Appendix 1K

Diagnosis

Cteniogaster taxorchis sp. nov. differs from all other Cteniogaster gen. nov. species by the epigyne with a relatively broad, thin, arc-shaped anterior hood, and the vulva with lateral, diagonally oriented anterior ST1 and posterior, transverse ST2 touching in the middle.

Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition and is derived from the Greek TaξIς, order, and oRχIς, testicle, referring to the orderly symmetrical arrangement of the large, testicle-shaped ST1.

Type material

Holotype

♀: TANZANIA, E. Usambara Mts., Kwamkoro Forest Reserve , 5°10.9’S 38°35.8’E, 6 Nov. 1995, 950 m asl, Griswold C., Scharff N. & Ubick D. ( ZMUC) .

Description

Male

Unknown.

Female (holotype)

TOTAL LENGTH. 2.21. Carapace length 1.00, width 0.74, unicoloured pale yellow, unbordered ( Fig. 3C ). Fovea pronounced, length 0.09, anterior end 0.63 from front end of carapace. MOQ length 0.06, anterior width 0.06, posterior width 0.08. AER width 0.18, PER width 0.22. AME 1/4, PME 1/3 and PLE 0.7 of ALE diameter. PME Fattened and reduced. Both eye rows recurved from above. Clypeus vertical, equal to twice AME diameter. Chilum indistinct. Sternum pale yellowish white with a yellow border ( Fig. 3G ), length 0.58, width 0.53. PCT indistinct.

ABDOMEN. Pale greyish white dorsally. Spinnerets as for the genus in general, but shorter. Legs yellowish white ( Fig. 3G ). Retrocoxal hymen small, oval, pale. Trochanter notch more pronounced in legs III and IV. Sparse ve terminal preening brushes on mt III and IV. Tarsus IV clearly bent. Leg spination as in Appendix 1K.

LEG MEASUREMENTS:

	fe	pa	ti	mt	ta	Total
I	0.74	0.34	0.58	0.42	0.42	2.50
II	0.63	0.26	0.45	0.37	0.39	2.10
III	0.53	0.24	0.37	0.42	0.39	1.95
IV	0.79	0.28	0.61	0.66	0.55	2.89

Epigyne with relatively broad, thin, arc-shaped anterior hood, partly transparent, showing large oval anterior ST1 and transverse posterior ST2 ( Fig. 12K). Vulva with lateral, diagonally oriented anterior ST1 with conspicuous internal spikes and posterior, transverse ST2 touching in the middle ( Fig. 5E-F ).

Distribution

Tanzania, East Usambara mountains, Kwamkoro Forest, 950 m asl.

Figures

Fig. 3. A-B. Cteniogaster sangarawe sp. nov. A. ♀, habitus, ventral view. B. Idem, dorsal view. C-D. Cteniogaster taxorchis sp. nov. C. ♀, prosoma, dorsal view. D. Idem, ventral view. E-G. Cteniogaster nana sp. nov. E. Ƌ, habitus, ventral view. F. Idem, abdomen, ventral view. G. Idem, habitus, dorsal view. H-J. Cteniogaster lampropus sp. nov. H. ♀, prosoma, dorsal view. I. Idem, habitus, dorsal view. J. Idem, ventral view. Scale bars: A-D, F-J = 0.5 mm; E = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 5. Female genitalia, dorsal view. A, C, E: cleared in methyl salicylate. A-B. Cteniogaster conviva sp. nov. C-D. Cteniogaster sangarawe sp. nov. E-F. Cteniogaster taxorchis sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.