Stenaelurillus furcatus, Wesołowska, 2014

Wesołowska, Wanda, 2014, Further notes on the genus Stenaelurillus Simon, 1885 (Araneae, Salticidae) in Africa with descriptions of eight new species, Zoosystema 36 (3), pp. 595-622 : 601-602

Stenaelurillus furcatus n. sp.

( Fig. 3 )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Namibia, Ethosha National Park , Tereminalia / Spirostachys forest, III.1998, leg. A. Russell-Smith, 1 ♂ ( NHM).

Paratypes. Together with holotype, 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ ( NHM) ; same data, 1 ♂ ( MRAC) ; same data, 1 ♂ ( MNHN) ; Namibia, Ovamboland , Mahanene Agric. Res., 17°26’S, 14°47’E, pitfall trap, 6.IX-5.X.1993, leg. B. Wohlleber, 11 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, 3 imm. ( SMN 43356) ; same locality, 5.X-5.XI.1993, 20 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀ ( SMN 43278) ; same locality, 5.XI-5.XII.1993, 2 ♂, 1 imm. ( SMN 43385) ; Ovamboland , 10 km SE of Etunda, 17°26’S, 14°33’E, pitfall trap, 20.VII-9.VIII.1989, leg. E. Marais, 1 ♂ ( SMN 41410) .

DIAGNOSIS. — The male is distinguished from congeners by the shape of tibial apophysis with forked tip. The female is difficult to recognize: epigyne has a deep central pocket, widely separated copulatory openings, epigynal depression absent.

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific name is Latin, meaning “forked” and refers to the shape of the tibial apophysis of the male palp.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known only from northern Namibia.

DESCRIPTION

Measurements (male/female)

Cephalothorax: length 2.2-2.3/2.7-2.8, width 1.5- 1.6/2.0-2.1, height 0.7-0.8/1.0-1.1. Abdomen: length 2.0-2.3/3.2-3.6, width 1.6-1.7/2.6-2.7. Eye field: length 0.8-1.0/0.9-1.0, anterior and posterior width 1.2-1.3/1.3-1.4.

Male

Carapace medium high, pear-shaped, broadest posteriorly, brown with pair of wide whitish streaks on dorsum and second pair along lateral margins. Eye field short, slightly darker than thoracic part, clothed in dense brown hairs and short thick rod bristles, anterior eyes fringed with white hairs. Clypeus with mat of white hairs. Chelicerae yellow to light brown, with single retrolateral tooth, all teeth very small. Labium, endites and sternum yellow. Abdomen oval with almost straight anterior edge, black with thin median white band, in some specimens pair of small white spots adjacent to the band posteriorly. Dorsum of abdomen clothed in shining hairs clinging to surface, dense long more upright setae on anterior edge.Sometimes abdomen without setae (bald), then covered by delicate scutum spreading to mid abdomen length. Sides and venter light. Anterior spinnerets light, posteriors very long, composed of three segments, black (or at least their tips black). Legs yellow with black spots on coxae and bases of femora ventrally, first pair with black metatarsi and tarsi and blackish streak on ventral surfaces of patellae and tibiae. Leg hairs brown, spines numerous. Pedipalps yellow,cymbium flattened dorsally. Structure of palp as in Fig. 3 A-D; embolus short with thin long accompanying tegular apophysis; tibial apophysis forked ( Fig. 3E ).

Female

Slightly larger than male, abdomen slightly swollen. Coloration similar, all legs yellowish. Epigyne very small and weakly sclerotized, with central pocket ( Fig.3F ). Internal structure simple ( Fig.3G ); copulatory openings framed by delicate flanges, walls of spermathecae thick.

Figures

FIG. 3.— Stenaelurillus furcatus n.sp., male and female,paratypes:A, palpal organ,ventral view;B, C, palpal organ,ventrolateral views; D, palpal organ, lateral view; E, embolic division, dorsal view; F, epigyne; G, internal structure of epigyne. Scale bars: A-D, 0.3 mm; E-G, 0.1 mm.