Hortipes coccinatus, BOSSELAERS & JOCQUÉ, 2000

BOSSELAERS, JAN & JOCQUÉ, RUDY, 2000, Hortipes, A Huge Genus Of Tiny Afrotropical Spiders (Araneae, Liocranidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (256), pp. 4-4 : 4-

Hortipes coccinatus , new species Figures 15e–g , 16g ; Map 4

TYPES: Male holotype: humus in Woodbush Forest , Pietersburg district, Transvaal, South Africa S23°54', E29°27' (September 1960; N. Leleup) ( MRAC 131.947 ). Paratypes: 2♀ together with holotype ( MRAC) ; 16, 1♀ from humus at Helpmekaar spring, Pietersburg District, Transvaal, South Africa S23°54', E29°27' (September 1960; N. Leleup) ( MRAC) ; 36, 4♀, and three juveniles: sieving litter in forest, elev. 2000 m, Forest Hideaway Farm , Magoebaskloof, Transvaal, South Africa S23°37', E29°37' (11 August 1997; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC; 16, 1♀ in AMNH) ; 1♀, ten juveniles from sieving litter in forest, elev. 2150 m, 6 km E of farm B11, Wolkberg , 30 km from Haenertsburg, Transvaal, South Africa S23°52', E29°52' (12 August 1997; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The species’ epithet refers to the scarlet color of living specimens.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of H. coccinatus are recognized by the RTA with two tips pointing upward in combination with the flattened MA which is broadened and twisted toward the tip. Males differ from those of H. schoemanae by the latter character. Females can be recognized by the elongate entrance chamber of the vulva in combination with the elongate ST1 and the recurved ST2 that is the stalk is attached to the anterior end of ST2.

MALE: Measurements. Total length 2.05; carapace 0.89 long, 0.73 wide; length of fe: I 0.65, II 0.73, III 0.57, IV 0.81. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 5; mt: III plt 0 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 0 vt 1 rlt 0. Coloration. Carapace and legs brownish yellow. Chelicerae and sternum yellow. Abdomen pale yellow, no pattern. When alive, the whole animal is a bright pelargonium red. Palp. RTA extended downward with three sharp prongs, one extended down, second pointing up; cymbium fairly elongate, without retrolateral concavity or series of long curved setae; sperm duct with wide basal simple with fairly narrow base, thicker main part, tapered into flat, strongly curved and twisted distal part; embolus originating on posterior part of tegulum, base not widened, long, whiplike, looped over slightly less than 360° (fig. 15e, f).

FEMALE: Measurements. Total length 2.65; carapace 1.03 long, 0.84 wide; length of fe: I 0.76, II 0.81, III 0.62, IV 0.95. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 6; mt: III plt 0 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 0 vt 1 rlt 0. Coloration. Carapace, chelicerae, and legs orange yellow, sternum yellow. Abdomen pale apricot, no pattern. When alive, the whole animal is a bright pelargonium red. Genitalia. Vulva: first stretches of IDs fused into one weakly sclerotized elongate entrance chamber with entrance toward posterior side. Anterior ends of this weakly sclerotized stretch merge into two more heavily sclerotized, outward­pointing tips, attached to the stalked, recurved, subglobular ST2. From this point on, second, normally sclerotized stretch of the ID first makes U­loop in posterior direction, followed by straight stretch also running in posterior direction, in turn connected to the small, elongate ST1 (figs. 15g; 16g).

DISTRIBUTION: Pietersburg area, from Pietersburg to Tzaneen, Northern Transvaal, South Africa.

Figures

Map 4. Distribution of Hortipes species in South Africa. Hortipes aelurisiepae V, H. atalante h, H. coccinatus •, H. contubernalis O, H. griswoldi., H. hyakutake, H. irimus, H. licnophorus D, H. luytenae Δ, H. merwei *, H. mesembrinus, H. rothorum v, H. schoemanae n, and H. wimmertensi ^.

Fig. 15. a–c. Hortipes luytenae. a, b. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. c. Epigyne. d. Hortipes irimus, new species, epigyne. e–g. Hortipes coccinatus, new species. e, f. Male left palp, ventral

Figs. 16. a. Hortipes echo, new species, vulva, ventral view. b. Hortipes creber, new species, vulva, ventral view. c. Hortipes orchatocnemis, new species, vulva, ventral view. d. Hortipes mesembrinus, new species, vulva, ventral view. e. Hortipes contubernalis, new species, vulva, ventral view. f. Hortipes luytenae, vulva, ventral view. g. Hortipes coccinatus, new species, vulva, ventral view. Scale line: