Hortipes delphinus, 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 delphinus , new species Figures 19l–n , 22b ; Map 2

TYPES: Male holotype: elev. 1600 m, Mazumbai, West Usambara mountains, Tanzania (1 August 1980; M. Stoltze and N. Scharff) ( ZMUC). Paratypes: 26 together with holotype ; 1♀, elev. 1900 m, same data ( ZMUC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named delphinus , dolphin, because the RTA of the male palp resembles a dolphin’s tail.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of H. delphinus are recognized by the peculiar shape of the RTA, which reminds that of a dolphin tail, in combination with the large, roughly oval tegular swelling at the base of the embolus. Females are recognized by the ID describing a full circle followed by a hairpin loop pointing backward.

72 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 256

I 0.78, II 0.86, III 0.68, IV 0.92. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 6; mt: III plt 1 vt 0 rlt 0–1; IV plt 1 vt 1–2 rlt 1. Coloration. Carapace yellow, lighter at the fovea. Chelicerae yellow, sternum lemon yellow. Legs yellow. Abdomen pale yellow, no pattern. Palp. RTA a lateral extension, widened and twisted at its extremity, shaped as a dolphin’s tail; cymbium fairly elongate, with long and fairly deep retrolateral concavity without series of curved hairs; sperm duct fairly broad in proximal part of its course, gradually narrowing into roughly oval tegular swelling at base of embolus; MA originating on frontal part of tegulum, fairly broad and with a small constriction at base, curved around tegulum, then tapered and slightly curved in distal part, tip reaches extremity of RTA; embolus originating from retrolateral part of tegulum, whiplike, fairly long, looped over almost 360° (fig. 19m, n).

FEMALE: Measurements. Total length 2.48; carapace 1.08 long, 0.81 wide; length of fe: I 0.95, II 1.00, III 0.78, IV 1.08. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 7; mt: III plt 1 vt 0 rlt 0–1; IV plt 1 vt 2 rlt 1. Coloration. Carapace yellow, lighter at the fovea. Chelicerae yellow, sternum lemon yellow. Legs yellow. Abdomen yellowish white, no pattern. Genitalia. Vulva: IDs running parallel to each other in frontal direction, then describing full circle and connect­ ed to elongate ST1 by hairpin loop pointing backward (figs. 19l; 22b).

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality, between elev. 1600 m and 1900 m.

Figures

Map 2. Distribution of Hortipes species in Tanzania. Hortipes angariopsis z, H. bjorni v, H. castor •, H. creber h, H. cucurbita ^, H. delphinus., H. exoptans, H. fastigiensis #, H. narcissus Δ, H. leno, H. libidinosus * H. mulciber, H. ostiovolutus n, H. platnicki D, H. pollux O, H. salticola V, H. scharffi, and H. stoltzei y.

Figs. 19. a–c. Hortipes merwei, new species. a, b. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. c. Epigyne. d. Hortipes atalante, new species, epigyne. e–g. Hortipes leno, new species. e, f. Male left palp, partly expanded, ventral and retrolateral views. g. Epigyne. h. Hortipes mulciber, new species, epigyne. i–k. Hortipes libidinosus, new species. i, j. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. k. Epigyne. l–n. Hortipes delphinus, new species. l. Epigyne. m, n. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. Scale line: 0.25 mm.

Fig. 22. a. Hortipes amphibolus, new species, vulva, ventral view. b. Hortipes delphinus, new species, vulva, ventral view. Arrow indicates ID entrance. c, d. Hortipes hastatus, new species. c. Vulva, ventral view. d. Vulva, schematic representation. e, f. Hortipes horta, new species. e. Vulva, ventral view. f. Vulva, schematic representation. Scale line: 0.1 mm.