Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus, 1957

Huber, Bernhard A., 2013, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Guineo-Congolian spider genus Smeringopina Kraus (Araneae, Pholcidae, Zootaxa 3713 (1), pp. 1-160 : 32-33

Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus, 1957

Figs. 469–473 , 509–510 , 525 , 541–546

Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus 1957: 237 –238, figs. 64–65, 70–71.

Type. ♂ holotype from Cameroon, Duala [=Douala, 4°03.0’N, 9°42.6’E], 16.xii.1913 (A. Haas), in SMF (9814/1), examined.

Other material examined. CAMEROON: Littoral Region: degraded forest fragment near Douala (4°00.6’N, 9°47.9’E), 25 m a.s.l., near ground, 6.iv.2009 (B.A. & J.C. Huber), 2♂ 1♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10260); same data, 1♂ 4♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Cam 149). Near Edéa, Koukoué (3°41.2’N, 10°06.4’E), 50 m a.s.l., near ground, 8.iv.2009 (B.A. & J.C. Huber), 1♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10261). Southwest Region: Matute, Tiko Plantation [Tiko: 4°04.7’N, 9°21.6’E], 24.iv.–6.v.1949 (B. Malkin), 2♀ in CAS.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar congeners (large species with long abdomen, cone-shaped modified hairs on male chelicerae, simple unbranched procursus) by distinctively wide and weakly sclerotized tip of procursus ( Figs. 541–542 ), very wide and rounded distal male cheliceral apophyses ( Fig. 543 ), and anterior epigynal plate with small central projection in lateral view ( Fig. 510 ; smaller than in S. africana ).

Male (near Douala, ZFMK). Total body length 7.0, carapace width 1.6. Leg 1: 71.4 (16.1 + 0.7 + 15.7 + 35.7 + 3.2), tibia 2: 10.9, tibia 3: 7.5, tibia 4: 10.1; tibia 1 L/d: 104. Distance PME-PME 230 µm, diameter PME 150 µm, distance PME-ALE 70 µm, distance AME-AME 30 µm, diameter AME 160 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown mark posteriorly and brown lateral margins; ocular area posteriorly brown, clypeus distally brown, sternum dark brown; legs ochre-yellow, slightly darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae and in patella area, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochre-gray with distinct black pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 469–470 , ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; clypeus unmodified except longer than usual hairs; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Fig. 543 , with lateral proximal apophyses and wide and rounded distal apophyses, the latter and frontal cheliceral face provided with several modified (cone-shaped) hairs. Palps as in Figs. 471–473 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with simple retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur proximally with ventral sclerotized ridge, without or with very indistinct shallow pocket, with barely visible retrolateral hump, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint strongly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with some stronger hairs dorsally; procursus with fairly distinct hinge dividing proximal from distal part ( Fig. 541 ), with wide and weakly sclerotized tip; bulb with widened but weakly sclerotized proximal part of embolus ( Fig. 544 ). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible.

Variation. Number of modified hairs frontally on male chelicerae slightly variable. Tibia 1 in other male from near Douala: 16.1. Holotype in fair condition, very bleached, both palps detached; tibia 1 missing (femur 1: 15.2); with 2 and 4 modified hairs respectively on each cheliceral basis.

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus with shorter hairs; sternum and clypeus variably dark. Tibia 1 in 4 females: 12.1, 12.5, 12.5, 13.3. Epigynum relatively small, consisting of trapezoidal anterior plate with small central projection and large posterior plate ( Figs. 509–510 , 545 ); internal genitalia as in Figs. 525 and 546 . Natural history. The newly collected specimens were found in a small patch of degraded swampy forest. They were not rare and built their large domed webs in sheltered spaces very close to the ground.

Distribution. Known from four localities in southwestern Cameroon ( Fig. 468 ).

Figures

FIGURE 468. Known distribution of the simplex species group. The square in western Cameroon denotes the probably misidentified juvenile paralectotypes of S. africana (Thorell) from Kitta in NHRS.

FIGURES 469 – 478. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus (469 – 473) and S. djidji n. sp. (474 – 478). 469 – 470, 474 – 475. Males, dorsal and ventral views. 471 – 473, 476 – 478. Left male palps, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Arrow points at ventral sclerotized ridge.

FIGURES 509 – 524. Female abdomens in ventral and lateral views, simplex group. 509 – 510. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 511 – 512. S. djidji n. sp. 513 – 514. S. ogooue n. sp. 515 – 516. S. bioko n. sp. 517 – 518. S. etome n. sp. 519 – 520. S. africana (Thorell). 521 – 522. S. simplex Kraus. 523 – 524. S. bwiti n. sp.

FIGURES 525 – 533. Cleared female genitalia in dorsal view, simplex group. 525. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 526. S. djidji n. sp. 527. S. ogooue n. sp. 528. S. bioko n. sp. 529. S. etome n. sp. 530. S. africana (Thorell). 531. S. simplex Kraus. 532. S. bwiti n. sp. 533. S. luki n. sp.

FIGURES 541 – 546. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 541 – 542. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views; arrow points at hinge. 543. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 544. Left embolus, prolateral view. 545. Epigynum, ventral view. 546. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5.