Geraesta congoensis ( Lessert, 1943 ) Benjamin, 2015

Benjamin, Suresh P., 2015, On the African crab spider genus Geraesta Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Thomisidae), African Invertebrates 56 (2), pp. 309-309 : 313

Geraesta congoensis ( Lessert, 1943) , comb. n.

Figs 5–8 , 12–15

Stephanopis congoensis Lessert, 1943: 333 , figs 35–37.

Diagnosis: Males of G. congoensis can be distinguished from congeners by the combined presence of the following characters: needle-shaped C with slight bend just before the tip, spatUlate MA with an elongated stalK, and the filiform E that winds once around the tegulum.

Description:

Male (syntype).

Measurements: total length: 7.5; prosoma length: 3.3, width: 2.9. Leg I: femur 3.8, patella 1.2, tibia 3.8, metatarsus 2.9, tarsus 1.2.

Leg formula 1243, ALE> PLE> PME> AME. AER, PER recurved, eyes on light-brown protuberances, but not touching. Palps as in Figs 5 , 15 : single tibial apophysis, C needle-shaped with slight bend just before the tip, MA spatulate with an elongated stalk. E originates at distal end of the tegulum, winding once around it.

Female (syntype).

Measurements: total length: 5.4; prosoma length: 2.7, width: 2.6.

In general similar to male. Epigynum and vulva as in Figs 6–8 . Further, see Lessert (1943) for a detailed description.

Type material: 1♂ 1♀ syntypes (eXamined): D.R. CONGO: Flandria : Leg. R.P. Hulstaert, det. Lessert 1943, no more label data, material badly preserved, male legs separated, left palp removed/missing, chelicerae missing, MRAC 239288 ; 1♀ syntype, together with 1 palp and 2 chelicerae, legs separated, epigynum dissected (not examined): D.R. CONGO: Sankuru: Komi, probably lost, see remarks below .

Other material examined: BOTSWANA: Okavango Delta : Shakawe Fishing Camp, 18°25'S 21°53'E, 12.Xii.2006. leg. C. Haddad, beating short shrUbs, 1♂ (NCA 2007/1088) . CÔTE D’IVOIRE: Bingerville : 00°20'S 19°06'E, 1.ii.1963, leg. J. Decelle, 1♂ (MRAC 239297). D.R . CONGO: Bokuma : x.1936, leg. R.P. HUlstaert, 1♀, damaged and in a fragile condition (MRAC 239299) . SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu- Natal : NdUmo Game Reserve, 26°52'S 32°12'E, 9.i.2002, leg. C. Haddad, grass, sweep net, 1♀ (NCA 2002/599); Tembe Elephant ParK, 27°01'S 32°24'E, 8.i.2002, leg. C. Haddad, beating short shrUbs, 2♂ 2♀ (NCA 2006/1401) .

Remarks: The specimens cited in the original description as types are housed in MRAC (239288). The palp and two chelicerae that were originally in MHNG were probably from the aforementioned male syntype. These parts and a single female, probably the female from Komi mentioned in the original description, were loaned some years ago to Pekka Lehtinen (formally of the Zoological Museum, University of Turku, Finland) and never returned (Peter Schwendinger, in litt.). They are now believed lost.

Distribution: Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, South Africa.

Figures

Figs 4–8. (4) Geraesta ansieae sp. n. (MRAC 239298) and (5–8) G. congoensis (Lessert, 1943) (MRAC 239299): (4, 5) left male palp, ventral view; (6) epigynum, ventral view; (7) vulva, dorsal view; (8) vulva, ventral view.Abbreviations: C – conductor; CD – copulatory duct; CO – copulatory opening; E – embolus; MA – median apophysis; RTA – retrolateral tibial apophysis; S – spermatheca. Scale bars = 0.1 mm (5), 0.2 mm (4, 6–8).

Figs 9–16.(9, 10, 11, 16) Geraesta hirta Simon,1889 and(12–15) G.congoensis (Lessert,1943), male from Côte d’Ivoire, MRAC 239297 (12) and syntypes, MRAC 239288 (13–15): (9, 10, 12–14) habitus, dorsal; (11) left palp, ventral view; (15) right palp, ventral view; (16) epigynum, ventral view.Scale bars: (11, 16) = 0.2 mm, (15) = 0.5 mm, (9, 10, 13, 14) = 1.0 mm, (12) = 2.0 mm.