Buitinga kikura, Huber, 2003

Huber, Bernhard A., 2003, High species diversity in one of the dominant groups of spiders in East African montane forests (Araneae: Pholcidae: Buitinga n. gen., Spermophora Hentz), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 137 (4), pp. 555-619 : 586-593

BUITINGA KIKURA N. SP. ( FIGS 204-205 )

Type. Male holotype from camp de Kikura (0∞35¢N, 29∞57¢E), 2000 m elev., northern face of Ruwenzori,

Nord-Kivu District, Congo; July–August 1974 (M. Lejeune); in MRAC (154.067) .

Etymology. Refers to the type locality.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from known congeners by the shapes of bulb (with embolus as single projection; Figs 204, 205 ) and procursus; from most species (except B. ruwenzori ) also by the male chelicerae with strong modified hairs proximally and distally, but without distal apophyses (cf. Fig. 190 ).

Male (holotype). Total length ~2.3 (opisthosoma damaged), carapace width 0.98. Leg 1: 21.1 (5.1 + 0.4 + 5.3 + 7.8 + 2.5), tibia 2: 3.3, tibia 3: 2.4, tibia 4: 3.3; tibia 1 L/d: 60. Habitus as in B. ruwenzori (cf. Fig. 14 ). Carapace ochre-yellow with large brown marks and marginal black line; sternum dark brown. Legs ochre-orange, with short dark rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally). Opisthosoma ochre-grey with brown to black marks, also ventrally. Ocular area slightly elevated; distance PME–PME 140 Mm; diameter PME 80 Mm; distance PME–ALE 45 Mm. Thoracic furrow shallow frontally, absent posteriorly. Sternum wider than long (0.78/ 0.60). Chelicerae as in B. ruwenzori (cf. Fig. 190 ), without distal apophyses but with strong modified hairs proximally and distally. Palps as in Figures 204 and 205 , trochanter with short but wide retrolateral apophysis, procursus apparently with two hinged processes distally; bulb with embolus as single process (‘e’ in Fig. 205 ). Legs apparently with spines on femora (only bases left), without curved hairs, few vertical hairs (most hairs missing); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 10%; tarsus 1 with>20 pseudosegments, distally quite distinct.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from type locality (Map 3).

Material examined. CONGO: NORD- KIVU: Northern face of Ruwenzori : type above .

BUITINGA TINGATINGAI N. SP.

( FIGS 15 , 40, 206-211 )

Type. Male holotype from Mazumbai (4∞49¢S, 38∞29.5¢E), forest at 1800–1900 m elev., W Usambara Mountains , Tanga District, Tanzania; November 12– 20, 1995 (C. E. Griswold, N. Scharff, D. Ubick); in CAS .

Etymology. In honour of Edward Saidi Tingatinga (1932–72), a self-taught painter who established Tanzanian Tingatinga, a style of art which involves painting on masonite using bicycle paint.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from known congeners by the male procursus (dorsal protrusion proximally and shapes of distal structures; Figs 206, 207 ), by the proximal position of the male cheliceral apophyses ( Fig. 209 ), and by the shape of the epigynum with small frontal scape ( Figs 40, 210 ).

Male (holotype). Total length 2.2, carapace width 0.95. Leg 1: 18.4 (4.3 + 0.4 + 4.5 + 7.0 + 2.2), tibia 2: 2.9, tibia 3: 2.1, tibia 4: 2.7; tibia 1 L/d: 56. Habitus as in Figure 15 . Carapace ochre-yellow with dark brown pattern as in Figure 15 ; clypeus with pair of dark stripes; sternum almost black. Legs ochre-yellow, with dark rings on femora (subdistally), tibiae (proximally and subdistally), and metatarsi (indistinct, proximally). Opisthosoma grey with dark brown pattern dorsally and ventrally. Ocular area slightly elevated; distance PME–PME 220 Mm; diameter PME 100 Mm; distance PME–ALE 30 Mm. Thoracic furrow shallow frontally, absent posteriorly. Sternum wider than long (0.70/0.60). Chelicerae as in Figure 209 , with four modified hairs embedded in each distal apophysis ( Fig. 208 ). Palps as in Figures 206 and 207 ; coxa with small hump ventrally, trochanter with ventral apophysis, femur with hump proximo-dorsally, procursus with large protrusion proximally, very complex distally, apparently with hinged process (‘hp’ in Fig. 206 ), tarsal organ elevated (‘to’ in Fig. 207 ), bulb with simple membranous embolus (‘e’ in Fig. 207 ) and strong apophysis. Legs without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 13%; tarsus 1 with>20 pseudosegments, quite distinct distally.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1: 4.2. Epigynum as in Figure 40, with short scape in frontal position ( Fig. 210 ). Dorsal view as in Figure 211 .

Distribution. Known only from type locality (Map 3).

Material examined. TANZANIA: TANGA: W Usambara Mountains : Mazumbai : type above, together with 1♀, in CAS .

BUITINGA MULANJE N. SP.

( FIGS 16 , 41, 212-217 )

Type. Male holotype from Mt. Mulanje (16∞00¢S, 35∞30¢E), Lichenya Plateau , Linje river, Southern District, Malawi 2000 m elev., shoulder of river bank, November 7, 1981 (R. Jocqué), in MRAC .

Etymology. Refers to the type locality.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from known congeners by the shapes of procursus and bulbal apophysis ( Figs 212, 213 ). The MRAC has a very close relative from Nyika Plateau (Northern Malawi) that differs by the absence of lateral spots on the carapace, relatively larger palps, more pointed trochanter apophysis on male palp, additional dark rings on femora (medially) and tibiae (subproximally), very different bulbal apophysis, and larger size (tibia 1 in male: 4.8, in females: 3.6, 4.0) (MRAC 156.104, 156.773).

Male (holotype). Total length 1.8, carapace width 0.93. Leg 1: 14.2 (3.6 + 0.4 + 3.5 + 4.8 + 1.9), tibia 2: 2.2, tibia 3: 1.7, tibia 4: 2.3; tibia 1 L/d: 36. Habitus as in Figure 16 . Carapace ochre-orange with dark brown to black pattern as in Figure 16 ; sternum dark brown to black. Legs ochre-yellow, patellae darker. Opisthosoma grey with dark pattern as in Figure 16 . Ocular area slightly elevated; distance PME–PME 150 Mm; diameter PME 80 Mm; distance PME–ALE 35 Mm. Thoracic furrow deep. Sternum wider than long (0.66/ 0.50). Chelicerae as in Figure 215 , with four modified hairs embedded in each distal apophysis ( Fig. 214 ). Palps as in Figures 212 and 213 ; trochanter with short retrolateral apophyses, femur with hump dorso-proximally, procursus with prolateral hinged process (‘hp’ in Fig. 212 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus (‘e’ in Fig. 212 ), and strong hooked apophysis. Legs with spines in single row ventrally distally on femora 1 (about 12 spines), without curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 16%; tarsus 1 with>20 pseudosegments, distally quite distinct.

Variation. Tibia 1 in 8 other males: 3.1–4.0 (x = 3.58).

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 13 females: 2.7–3.3 (x = 3.02); one female from MRAC (156.785) with shorter legs (tibia 1: 2.4). Epigynum as in Figure 41, with long scape in frontal position ( Fig. 216 ). Dorsal view as in Figure 217 .

Distribution. Known from several close localities at Mt. Mulanje (Map 3).

Material examined. MALAWI (all collected by R. Jocqué, deposited in MRAC): SOUTHERN DISTRICT: Mt. Mulanje: Lichenya plateau: type above. Lichenya plateau, Linje Pools, under bark of isolated tree, November 9, 1981, 2♀ (156.233) . Lichenya plateau, CCAP hut, 2000 m elev., November 25, 1981, 1♂ 1♀ (155.640). Same locality, firebreak-path, November 19, 1981, 1♀ (156.785). Same locality, around CCAP hut, under Helichrysum , November 9, 1981, 3♀ (156.612). Same locality, near CCAP hut, moist grassland, November 15, 1981, 2♀ (156.798). Lichenya plateau, litter in isolated small woodland, 2000 m elev., November 17, 1981, 1♂ (156.750). Lichenya plateau, under rozettes of Helichrysum nitidum, 2000 m elev., November 5, 1981, 1♂ 1♀ (156.593). Same locality, in Helichrysum clump, November 16, 1981, 2♂ 1♀ (155.963). Same locality, Widdringtonia evergreen forest, November 7, 1981, 1♀ (156.141). Mt. Mulanje, Thuchila hut, Nambiti Stream, 2000 m elev., November 11, 1981, 1♂ 3♀ (156.321, 156.433). Mt. Mulanje, Thuchila , November 11, 1981, 1♂ 2♀ (156.640). Same collection data, 1♂ 1♀ (156.697). Mt. Mulanje, Chisepo shelter, 2150 m elev., November 12, 1981, 1♂ (156.443). Mt. Mulanje, Chilemba hill, 2300–2350 m elev., under stones, November 20, 1981, 1♀ (156.685).

BUITINGA KANZUIRI N. SP.

( FIGS 17 , 218-220 )

Type. Male holotype from Crête du Kanzuiri, Camp de Kanzuiri (0∞25¢N, 29∞54¢E), 3500 m elev., northern face of Ruwenzori, Nord-Kivu District, Congo; July– August 1974 (M. Lejeune); in MRAC (154.976).

Etymology. Refers to the type locality.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from most congeners by the shape of the bulb ( Figs 218, 219 ); from species with similar bulbs ( B. ensifera , ‘S.’ masisiwe, ‘S.’ tonkoui ) by the male chelicerae without distal apophyses ( Fig. 220 ).

Male (holotype). Total length 2.9, carapace width 1.3. Leg 1: 26.9 (6.5 + 0.5 + 6.7 + 9.9 + 3.3), tibia 2: 4.4, tibia 3: 3.3, tibia 4: 4.5; tibia 1 L/d: 56. Habitus as in Figure 17 . Carapace ochre-yellow with large brown marks laterally; sternum dark brown to black. Legs ochre-orange, with dark rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally). Opisthosoma ochre-grey with large black marks, also ventrally. Ocular area barely elevated, with distinctive brushes of strong curved hairs behind PME; distance PME–PME 275 Mm; diameter PME 105 Mm; distance PME–ALE 35 Mm. Thoracic furrow shallow frontally, absent posteriorly. Sternum slightly wider than long (0.90/0.83). Chelicerae as in Figure 220 , without distal apophyses. Palps as in Figures 218 and 219 ; coxa with small ventral hump, trochanter with short apophysis retrolatero-ventrally, dorsal trichobothrium on tibia very distal (‘dt’ in Fig. 219 ), procursus with two hinged processes distally; bulb very large, with membranous embolus (‘e’ in Fig. 219 ) and several modifications distally ( Figs 218, 219 ). Legs without spines, without curved hairs, few vertical hairs (many hairs missing); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 10%; tarsus 1 with ~25 pseudosegments, distally quite distinct.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from type locality (Map 3).

Material examined. CONGO: NORD- KIVU: northern face of Ruwenzori : type above .

Figures

Figures 204, 205. Buitinga kikura. Left male palp in prolateral (204) and retrolateral (205) views. ‘e’: embolus. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figures 187–192. Buitinga ruwenzori. Left male palp in prolateral (187) and retrolateral (188) views, modified hairs distally on male chelicerae (189), male chelicerae in frontal view (190), and cleared epigynum in ventral (191) and dorsal (192) views. ‘bp’: distinctive semitransparent bulbal projection; ‘e’: embolus; ‘hp’: hinged process. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (187, 188), 0.3 mm (191, 192), 0.2 mm (190), 50 Mm (189).

Figures 14–25. Buitinga and ‘Spermophora’ habitus, males in dorsal and lateral views. 14. B. ruwenzori. 15. B. tingatingai. 16. B. mulanje. 17. B. kanzuiri. 18. ‘S.’ morogoro. 19. ‘S.’ sangarawe. 20. ‘S.’ usambara. 21. ‘S.’ masisiwe. 22. ‘S.’ kivu. 23. ‘S.’ berlandi. 24. ‘S.’ minotaura. 25. ‘S.’ lambilloni.

Figures 206–211. Buitinga tingatingai. Left male palp in prolateral (206) and retrolateral (207) views, modified hairs distally on male chelicerae (208), male chelicerae in frontal view (209), and cleared epigynum in ventral (210) and dorsal (211) views. ‘e’: embolus; ‘hp’: hinged process; ‘to’: tarsal organ. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (206, 207), 0.4 mm (210, 211), 0.2 mm (209), 50 Mm (208).

Figures 212–217. Buitinga mulanje. Left male palp in prolateral (212) and retrolateral (213) views, modified hairs distally on male chelicerae (214), male chelicerae in frontal view (215), and cleared epigynum in ventral (216) and dorsal (217) views. ‘e’: embolus; ‘dt’: base of dorsal trichobothrium; ‘hp’: hinged process. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (212, 213), 0.2 mm (215– 217), 50 Mm (214).

Figures 218–220. Buitinga kanzuiri. Left male palp in prolateral (218) and retrolateral (219) views, and male chelicerae in frontal view (220). ‘e’: embolus; ‘dt’: dorsal trichobothrium. Scale bars = 0.5 mm (218, 219), 0.3 mm (220).