Selenops saldali, Corronca, J. A., 2002

Corronca, J. A., 2002, A taxonomic revision of the afrotropical species of Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Araneae, Selenopidae), Zootaxa 107, pp. 1-35 : 28

Selenops saldali sp. nov. ( Figs. 72­73 )

Type. Female holotype from Ghana, Achimota, February­March 1962, C. P. Hinckley (in house) Col., deposited in MCZ.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an arbitrary combination of letters.

Diagnosis. S. saldali sp. nov. resembles S. radiatus in the general shape of the epigynum and spermathecae, but the females of S. saldali can be distinguished by having lateral lobes of the epigynum wider than in S. radiatus and situated close to the midline, and the middle field that is not heart­shaped ( Fig. 72 ). The spermathecae of S. saldali sp. nov. ( Fig. 73 ) are wide as in S. radiatus .

Female (holotype). Total length 13.70. Prosoma length 5.51, width 7.07. Opisthosoma length 8.11, width 6.76. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.23, ALE 0.19, PME 0.23, PLE 0.34, AME­AME 0.30, AME­ALE 0.68, AME­PME 0.23, PME­PME 1.24, PME­PLE 0.75, PLE­PLE 2.81, ALE­ALE 2.33. Leg formula 2341. Leg measurements: I­ Fe 6.45, Pat+Tib 8.01, Mt 4.68, Ta 1.66, total 20.80; II­ 7.90, 9.88, 5.62, 1.77, total 25.17; III­ 8.01, 9.26, 5.62, 1.77, total 24.66; IV­ 7.49, 8.63, 5.41, 1.77, total 23.30. Leg spination: Fe. I­II­ pr1.1.0, d1.1.1, rt0.0.1, III­IV­ d1.1.1, rt0.01; Tib. I­II­ v2.2.2, III­ IV­ v2.2.0; Mt. I­IV­ v2.2. Prosoma pale reddish­brown. Chelicerae reddish­brown. Legs pale red­brown, tibiae I­IV with a grey incomplete prolateral median ring, metatarsi and tarsi dark brown. Opisthosoma pale yellowish­brown without markings but with tufts of white hairs posteriorly, venter yellowish. Epigynum and spermathecae as in Figs. 72­73 .

New record. NIGERIA: Ogoja Province, 1 female, 7/I/49, B. Malkin Col., CAS.

Known distribution. Nigeria and Ghana.

Figures

FIGURES 62 ­ 73. 62 ­ 66. Selenops radiatus Latreille, 62. Epigynum, ventral view. 63. Vulva, dorsal view. 64. Colour pattern of opisthosoma, dorsal view. 65. Male palp, ventral view. 66. Male palp, lateral view. 67 ­ 68. Selenops sabulosus Benoit, female holotype, 67. Epigynum, ventral view. 68. Vulva, dorsal view. 69 ­ 71. Selenops tenebrosus Lawrence, female lectotype. 69. Epigynum, ventral view. 70. Vulva, dorsal view. 71. Colour pattern of opisthosoma, dorsal view. 72 ­ 73. Selenops saldali sp. nov., female holotype, 72. Epigynum, ventral view. 73. Vulva, dorsal view. Scale: genitalia = 0.25 mm, other drawings = 1 mm.