Amblyothele albocincta Simon, 1910

Russell-Smith, Tony, Jocqué, Rudy & Alderweireldt, Mark, 2009, A revision of the African wolf spider genus Amblyothele Simon, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 149-180 : 158-161

Amblyothele albocincta Simon, 1910

Figs 10-13 , Map 1

Amblyothele albocincta Simon, 1910: 207 , description ♁; Roewer 1960: 955, description ♁.

Diagnosis. The posteriorly widened palpal tibia with ventral brush of short setae and the shape of the median apophysis of the male palp, with a tiny nipple-shaped projection on the basal lobe are distinctive.

Type material. Holotype. Male. BOTSWANA: Kalahari , between Lehututu and Kokong, 23°58’S 021°52’E ( ZMB).

Other material examined. BOTSWANA: 1 ♀: Maxwee, Okavango Delta, 19°28’S 023°39’E, 28.IV.1976, Mopane woodland, in pitfall, A.Russell-Smith leg. ( MRAC 223296).

Notes. The type specimen is in poor condition, lacking one palp, three legs and one jaw. The colours have been largely lost due to long immersion in alcohol. It is with some hesitation we assign the female here described to this species, given the wide separation (530 km) of the locality from that of the type locality. However, the distinctive line of light spots on the abdomen corresponds well with Simon’s original description of the appearance of the male (before decolouration in alcohol) and no other species in the genus has a similar appearance.

Description. Holotype. Male. Total length. 4.00 mm. Carapace. Length 2.08 mm, width 1.67 mm. Colour chestnut brown with faint darker lines radiating from fovea. Fovea only moderately long. Head region not at all raised but sharply narrowed and clearly distinct from thoracic region. Eyes. Anterior row very slightly procurved. AME separated from each other by 0.6 × their own diameter and by 0.4 × their own diameter from the very small ALE. Eyes of middle row 1.4 × diameter of AME’s and separated from each other by 0.7 × their own diameter. PLE 0.7 × diameter of PME, separated by

4 × their own diameter. Immediate region of eyes with dark pigmentation. Chelicerae. Coloured as the carapace, long and relatively thin. Dentition not seen. Maxillae and labium. Maxillae ca 2 × length of labium, strongly truncate at distal end. Coloured as the carapace. Labium sub-quadrate, as long as broad, coloured as the maxillae. Sternum. Shield-shaped but longer than in other species of the genus and strongly produced between the hind coxae. Coloured as the carapace. Legs. Relatively shorter and more robust than in many other species of the genus. Ratio of length to breadth of tibia IV 12:1. Leg IV 1.45 × length of leg I. Ventral spines of leg I; metatarsus 2-2-(2), tibia 2-2-(2). Pale yellow brown, without annulations. Paired claws of tarsi relatively short, teeth not seen, the central claw minute, on a raised pad and having two long serrated bristles adjacent. Abdomen. Dark brown, paler spots mentioned in original description no longer visible. Ventrally pale yellowish brown. Spinnerets. Long and thin. PLS ca 2 × length of AMS. Second segment of PLS 0.5 × length of basal segment. Coloured as the abdomen. Male palp ( Figs 10-11 ). Tibia widened at base, with retroventral brush of short setae in basal half. Median apophysis situated terminally. Anterior lobe of median apophysis broadly sickle-shaped, posterior lobe with a minute nipple-shaped apical projection. Tip of embolus thin and partly obscured by median apophysis.

Female. Total length 3.84 mm. Carapace. Length 1.84 mm, width 1.33 mm. Colour as in male. Eyes. Anterior row straight. AME eyes larger than those of male, separated by 0.2 × their diameter and touching the ALE’s. Chelicerae. Smaller than those of male, with two minute teeth on posterior margin and no visible teeth on anterior margin. Maxillae and labium. As in male. Sternum. 1.12 long, 0.89 wide. Legs. Only one fourth leg survives. Similar in colouration and spination to that of male. Abdomen. Dorsally dark greyish brown with four pairs of pale spots along its length. Otherwise as in male. Spinnerets. PLS ca 2.5 × length of AMS. Second segment of PLS as long as first. Dorsally dark greyish brown. Epigyne ( Figs 12-13 ). Ventral view with vague pattern consisting of two oblique asymmetrical v-shaped stripes in front and a rounded inversed v in centre of posterior part; entrance to duct openings visible in transparency as darker spots on either side of inverted v. Dorsal view of cleared epigyne with largely separated entrance openings near posterior margin; short S-shaped entrance ducts directed forward to small oval spermathecae.

Distribution. Botswana ( Map 1 ).

Figures

Map 1. Localities of A. albocincta.

Figures 10-13. Amblyothele albocincta Simon (holotype). 10 right male palp, ventral view 11 right male palp, retrolateral view 12 epigyne, ventral view 13 epigyne, dorsal view, cleared. Scales: 10-11 0.5 mm 12-13 0.1 mm.