Hortipes contubernalis, 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 contubernalis , new species Figures 14l—n , 16e ; Map 4

TYPES: Male holotype: sieved from litter in montane forest, elev. 1400 m, Soutpansberg , Entabeni , Louis Trichardt , South Africa S22°59', E30°17' (30 November 1996; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC). Paratypes: 16, 1♀ sieved from litter in montane forest, elev. 1500 m, Soutpansberg , Hanglip, Louis Trichardt, South Africa (30 November 1996; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) ; 36 sieved from litter in montane forest, elev. 1350 m, Soutpansberg, Entabeni, Louis Trichardt, South Africa S22°59', E30°17' (November 1996; C. Griswold) ( MRAC; one in AMNH; one in CAS) ; 16, same data, elev. 1360 m (1–2 December 1996; C. Griswold) ( CAS) ; 16, same data, elev. 1400 m (30 November1996; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The species’ epithet contubernalis , housemate, is used as a noun in apposition. The species is named that way because specimens of it were bred for over a year in the first author’s house.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of H. contubernalis are recognized by the RTA with two sharp, opposed prongs, one pointing up, the other one pointing outward. Females can be recognized by the large, globular, sessile ST2 and by the relatively simple second part of the ID, which consists of an outward loop followed by a straight section running in posterior direction.

MALE: Measurements. Total length 1.67; carapace 0.84 long, 0.70 wide; length of fe: 5; mt: III plt 0 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 0 vt 1 rlt 0. Coloration. Carapace orange yellow. Chelicerae and legs yellow. Sternum pale yellow. Abdomen golden yellow, no pattern, sparsely covered with long, pointed grey setae. The living animals are vivid orange, with a pelargonium red abdomen. Palp. RTA a ventrolateral swelling, its retrolateral side provided with two sharp, opposed prongs, one pointing up, the external one pointing outward; cymbium fairly elongate, without retrolateral concavity or series of long curved setae; sperm duct fairly narrow over entire course, slightly more narrowed toward embolus, with sharp turn before entering subcircular swelling at base of embolus; MA originating in center of tegulum, with fairly narrow, short, transverse base, sharply curved downward, then backward, ending in evenly curved, flattened part pointing forward; embolus originating on subcircular swelling on posterior part of tegulum, whiplike, looped over slightly less than 360° (fig. 14l, m).

FEMALE: Measurements. Total length 2.46; carapace 0.95 long, 0.78 wide; length of fe: I 0.76, II 0.78, III 0.62, IV 0.92. 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 and legs orange brown. Chelicerae and sternum pale orange. Abdomen pale yellow, no pattern. The living animals are vivid orange, with a pelargonium red abdomen. Genitalia. Vulva: first stretches of IDs fused into one weakly sclerotized entrance chamber with entrance toward posterior side. Anterior end of this weakly sclerotized part split in two more heavily sclerotized, forward­pointing tips attached to the sessile, globular ST2. From this point on, second, normally sclerotized part of ID first makes outward U­loop and then runs in posterior direction before entering the small, ellipsoidal ST1 (figs. 14n; 16e).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: South Africa: Following material was bred in captivity from egg case laid by a single female sieved from litter in montane forest, elev. 1400 m, Louis Trichardt , Entabeni, Soutpansberg, S22°59', E30°17' (30 November 1996; R. Jocque´, specimen fixed for microscopy) ( MRAC) ; 1 male, died 16 June1997; 1 fe­

2000 BOSSELAERS AND JOCQUÉ: HORTIPES 53

in forest, elev. 1300 m, Lajuma farm, Soutpansberg, S23°02', E29°26' (9 August 1997; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) ; 1♀ from forest near waterfall, same data (R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) ; 1♀ sieved from leaf litter in forest, same locality and elevation (10 August 1997; R. Jocque´) ( MRAC) .

VARIABILITY: The transparency of the vulva and details in the shape of the thin­walled entrance chamber and the ID course are variable.

DISTRIBUTION: Louis Trichardt, Soutpansberg, South Africa, elev. 1300–1500 m.

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 ^.

Figs. 14. a, b. Hortipes stoltzei, new species, male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. c–e. Hortipes creber, new species. c, d. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. e. Epigyne. f–k. Hortipes orchatocnemis, new species. f, g. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. h. Male palpal ti, dorsal view. i, j. Epigynes. k. Eye arrangement, dorsal view. l–n. Hortipes contubernalis, new species. l, m. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. n. Epigyne. Scale lines: 0.25 mm.

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: