Smeringopina ibadan, Huber, Bernhard A., 2013

Huber, Bernhard A., 2013, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Guineo-Congolian spider genus Smeringopina Kraus (Araneae, Pholcidae, Zootaxa 3713 (1), pp. 1-160 : 27-28

Smeringopina ibadan new species

Figs. 363–371 , 384–389

Type. ♂ holotype from Nigeria, Ibadan , IITA [International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, 7°29.4’N, 3°53.4’E], fallow bush, 28.x.1974 (A. Russell-Smith), in ZFMK (Ar 10248).

Other material examined. NIGERIA: Ibadan , same locality as holotype, 22.iv.1974 (A. Russell-Smith), 1♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10249); same locality, secondary forest, 17.iv.1981 (A. Russell-Smith), 1♂ in ZFMK (Ar 10250); same locality, sweeping at road verges, 17.v.1974 (A. Russell-Smith), 1♂ in BMNH.

Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from known congeners by huge distal male cheliceral apophyses ( Figs. 364 , 387 ), by distinctive shape of procursus ( Figs. 384–385 ), and by longer than wide epigynum with flat and deeply indented anterior plate ( Figs. 368 , 389 ).

Male (holotype). Total body length 4.2, carapace width 1.6. Leg 1: 38.4 (9.0 + 0.5 + 9.3 + 18.0 + 1.6), tibia 2: 5.7, tibia 3: 4.1, tibia 4: 6.1; tibia 1 L/d: 70. Distance PME-PME 205 µm, diameter PME 140 µm, distance PME- ALE 55 µm, distance AME-AME 45 µm, diameter AME 135 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with darker triangular mark posteriorly and lateral margins; ocular area ochre-yellow, clypeus with dark rim, sternum light brown; legs pale ochre-yellow, without darker rings; abdomen pale ochre-gray with barely visible darker pattern (specimen probably bleached). Habitus as in Figs. 365–367 , ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with indistinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; clypeus unmodified except longer than usual hairs; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Figs. 364 and 387 , with lateral proximal apophyses, small frontal projections, and distinctively exaggerated distal apophyses bent upwards at their tips, without modified hairs ( Fig. 388 ). Palps as in Figs. 369–371 ; coxa with distinct retrolateral projection weakly sclerotized; trochanter with ventral sclerotized rim but without projection; femur with whitish ventral area bordered retrolaterally by weakly sclerotized flap, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint shifted toward ventrally (though not extremely); tarsus without stronger hairs; procursus with several distinctive processes ( Figs. 384–385 ; distal part appears hinged: Fig. 370 ); bulb with weakly sclerotized conical embolus ( Fig. 386 ). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs (many hairs missing), retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible. Gonopore apparently with two epiandrous spigots (not confirmed by SEM).

Variation. The other two males are bleached and in poor condition, with abdomens and tibiae 1 missing.

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus with shorter hairs. Tibia 1 missing. Epigynum longer than wide, with flat and deeply indented anterior plate and large posterior plate fitting into this indentation ( Fig. 368 ); internal genitalia as in Figs. 363 and 389 .

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 293 ).

Figures

FIGURE 293. Known distributions of the attuleh and ankasa species groups, and of S. fon and S. ngungu.

FIGURES 359 – 371. Smeringopina ankasa n. sp. (359 – 361), S. bomfobiri n. sp. (362), and S. ibadan n. sp. (363 – 371). 359 – 360, 362, 368. Female abdomens, ventral and lateral views. 361, 363. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views. 364. Male prosoma, frontal view. 365 – 367. Male, dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. 369 – 371. Left male palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow points at procursus hinge.

FIGURES 384 – 389. Smeringopina ibadan n. sp. 384 – 385. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 386. Left embolus, prolateral view. 387. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 388. Tip of left cheliceral apophysis, frontal view. 389. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.2 (386), 0.5 (384 – 385, 387, 389).