Acanthinozodium sahelense, Rudy Jocqué & Arnaud Henrard, 2015

Rudy Jocqué & Arnaud Henrard, 2015, Revalidation of Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966 with description of three new species and discovery of a remarkable male palpal character (Araneae, Zodariidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 114, pp. 1-23 : 8-14

Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:01A0026D-5A5E-4CCD-A6CE-241708236D18

Figs 4–9 , 13

Diagnosis

The male of this species is recognized by the shape of the RTA, which is about as long as the length of the tibia, slightly curved down and dorsoventrally Fattened; it has a typical large ventral bulge; extremity of the MA is slightly indented ( Fig. 8 A). Females are characterized by the epigyne ( Figs 5 G–H, 6C) in which the three sections of the frontal margin are strongly curved.

Etymology

The name refers to the wide area of distribution in the Sahel zone of western Africa.

Type material

Holotype

CAMEROON: Ƌ, Waza , 11°25’ N 14°34’ E, 28 Aug. 1972, Geraert E. ( MRAC 144790 ) .

Other material examined

CAMEROON: 3 ƋƋ, 4 ♀♀: Faro Game Reserve , 8°24’ N 12°49’E, 4 May 2007, wooded savanna, pitfall, Jocqué R., Loosveldt K., Baert L., Alderweireldt M. ( MRAC 221205 ) ; 2 ♀♀: as previous, 1 May 2007 ( MRAC 221147 ) ; 1 ♀: as previous, 5 May 2007, gallery forest, pitfall ( MRAC 221183 ) . IVORY COAST: 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀: N of Korhogo, Bandama river , 9°27’ N 5°38’ W, 4 Feb. 1980, edge of riverine forest, Everts J. ( MRAC 174271 ) ; 1 Ƌ: Bouaké, Mbé, WARDA The Africa Rice Centre , 7°52’ N 5°06’ W, 22 Aug. 1992, pitfall trap, hydromorphic rice, Russell-Smith A. ( MRAC 235937 ) . BURKINA FASO: 1 Ƌ: Sissamba , 13°30’ N 2°28’ W, 19 Oct. 1993, pitfalls, treated C1, De Visscher M.-N. & Balança G. ( MRAC 207576 ) . SENEGAL: 1 ♀: S. of Richard Toll , 16°20’ N 15°30’ W, 28 Aug. 1989, pitfall, savanna, Everts J. ( MRAC 170712 ) ; 1 ♀: as previous, 20 Aug. 1989 ( MRAC 170716 ) ; 2 ƋƋ: as previous, 2 Sep. 1989 ( MRAC 170719 ) .

Description

Male

TOTAL LENGTH 3.55.

CARAPACE. ( Figs 4 A, C–E, 5A–B). 1.85 long and 1.49 wide.

COLOUR. ( Figs 4 , 5 A–B). Carapace and chelicerae yellow; brown suffusion on cervical grooves; fovea dark reddish brown; sternum and mouthparts pale yellow; legs uniform yellow. Abdomen: dorsum dark sepia with large white spot in front of pale yellow spinnerets, the latter surrounded by ill-deFned dark ring; sides turning into pale along pale cream venter.

CLYPEUS. 0.31 high.

EYES. ( Fig. 4 F). AME large, round; anterior eye row straight, posterior row strongly procurved; AME: 0.20; ALE: 0.10; PME: 0.10; PLE: 0.08; AME-AME: 0.10; AME-ALE: 0.03; PME-PME: 0.20; PME-PLE: 0.07. MOQ: width 0.49 in front, 0.44 at the back; 0.39 long.

STERNUM. 1.42 long, 0.99 wide.

LEGS. Spination: all femora with one dorsal spine and two rows of long ventral setae.

ABDOMEN. With row of thin modiFed setae in front of spinnerets.

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

PALP. ( Figs 6 A–B, 7–8, 9A–D). Tibia protruding dorsally; RTA about as long as length of tibia, slightly curved down and dorso-ventrally Fattened; with conspicuous ventral bulge; cymbium with large plugpit just in front of tibial bulge; embolus curved, Fat, distal part with dorsal and ventral lamellae; MA strongly curved backward, distal extremity slightly indented; conductor rounded, membranous.

Female

TOTAL LENGTH. 5.04.

CARAPACE. ( Fig. 5 C) 2.34 long and 1.85 wide.

COLOUR. ( Fig. 5 C–F). Similar to male, but cephalic area more strongly suffused with dark brown.

CLYPEUS. 0.26 high.

EYES. AME: 0.20; ALE: 0.10; PME: 0.08; PLE: 0.10; AME-AME: 0.10; AME-ALE: 0.03; PME-PME:

0.33; PME-PLE: 0.08. MOQ: width 0.46 in front, 0.43 at the back; 0.39 long.

STERNUM. 1.28 long, 1.07 wide.

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

EPIGYNE. ( Figs 5 G–H, 6C). Wider than long; with two atria divided by thin median septum; anterior atria margin with three sections, one central, two lateral; all curved; spermathecae visible in transparency at extremities of central section.

Variation

Intensity of suffusion in cephalic area is variable. Total length of females varies between 3.4 and 5.1; that of males between 3.3 and 3.5.

Distribution

Very wide, from northern Cameroon in the east, to Senegal in the west ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

Fig. 4. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov., holotype Ƌ. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Idem, ventral view. C. Idem, frontal view. D. Idem, lateral view. E. Idem, dorsolateral view. F. Carapace, eye region, dorsal view. Scale bars: A – E = 1 mm; F = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 5. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov. A – B. Ƌ from Faro Game Reserve (MRAC 221205). C – H. ♀♀ from same sample. A. Male habitus, dorsal view. B. Idem, ventral view. C. Female habitus, dorsal view. D. Idem, ventral view. E. Female, mouthparts and palps, ventral view. F. Female, abdomen, modiFed setae in front of tracheal spiracle, ventral view. G. Epigyne, ventral view. H. Epigyne, other specimen; arrow indicates plug. Scale bars: A – D = 1 mm; E – F = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 6. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov. A – B. Holotype Ƌ. A. Palp, ventral view. B. Idem, retrolateral view. C. ♀ from Faro Game Reserve (MRAC 221205), epigyne, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 7. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov., holotype Ƌ, palp. A. Prolateral view. B. Ventral view. C. Retrolateral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 8. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov., Ƌ from Faro Game Reserve (MRAC 221205), palp. A. Detail of bulbus with MA in expanded position, ventral view; arrow indicates the indentation of the MA tip. B. Tibia and base of bulbus, prolateral view; arrow indicates position of the crater-like plug pit. C. Retrolateral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 9. Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov. SEM photos of Ƌ and ♀ from Faro Game Reserve (MRAC 221183). A. Male palp, base of cymbium, dorsal view. B. Detail of previous showing “ plug pit ”, dorsal view. C. Male palp, ventral view. D. Detail of previous, showing MA in expanded position. E. Male, femoral organ. F. Epigyne, after digestion, dorsal view; arrows indicate the two spermatheca chambers; star indicates the atria. G. Detail of previous showing spermatheca with two chambers. Scale bars: A, C – D, F – G = 100 μm; B, E = 10 μm.

Fig. 13. Distribution map of A. crateriferum sp. nov. (●), A. sahelense sp. nov. (■) and A. quercicola sp. nov. (▲).