Wadicosa sordidecolorata ( Strand, 1906 ) Kronestedt, 2023

Kronestedt, Torbjörn, 2023, Species of Wadicosa (Araneae, Lycosidae): transfer of four species from Africa currently placed in Pardosa, Zootaxa 5227 (5), pp. 531-548 : 542-547

Wadicosa sordidecolorata ( Strand, 1906) comb. nov.

Figs 5E , 8A–C , 9A–I , 10 ; Table 1

Lycosa sordide-colorata Strand, 1906: 677 (♀).— Strand 1908: 349 (♁ ♀), pl. 8 fig. 16 (♀).

Pardosa sordidecolorata: Roewer 1959: 75 , fig. 30 a–d (♁ ♀).

Lycosa darolii Strand, 1906: 678 (♀).— Strand 1908: 354, pl. 8 fig. 9 (♀). Syn. nov.

Pardosa darolii: Roewer 1959: 63 , fig. 20 (♀).

Type material. Neotype ♀ from ETHIOPIA, Mole-Tal, O. Neumann ( ZMB 10519 ), examined and designated here (see Missing type material below).

Other material examined. CAMEROON. North Region: Koum, Mayo Rey , 8°23′N, 14°31′E, campement du Rhinoceros, 20 Jan. 1976, F. Puylaert, 2♀ ( MRAC 148326 ) . — ETHIOPIA. Addis Ababa: Bole Stream near ILCA compound, [9°01′N, 38°49′E], on boulders in stream valley, 18 Jul. 1982, A. Russell-Smith, 4♁ 2♀ ( CARS) ; do., 1 Aug. 1982, A. Russell-Smith, 1♁ 1♀ ( CARS) . Oromia Region: Awash National Park, on edge of River Awash , [8°51′N, 40°01′E], below falls, 18. Nov. 1986, A. Russell-Smith, 1♁ ( CARS) : Lake Langano , [7°37′N, 38°46′E], under stones in Cynodon grassland, 1 Jan. 1984, A. Russell-Smith, 2♁ 1♀ ( CARS) . Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region: Gamo Gofa , 49 km SE of Sodo, 6º29′N, 37º40′E, 19 Aug. 1997, W. J. Pulawski, 1♁ ( CASENT 9046030 ) (referred to as “presumably undescribed species” in Kronestedt (2015: 14)) .— IVORY COAST. Lagunes: Lamto forest , 6°12′N, 5°20′W, 5 Aug. 1968, J. Van Mol, 1♀ ( MRAC 173108 ) .— UGANDA. Western Region: Ruwenzori Mts , [ca. 0°19′N, 29°57′E], 1952, G. O. Evans, 2♁ 2♀ ( BMNH) .

Missing type material. Lycosa sordidecolorata Strand, 1906 : ETHIOPIA: Only the female sex is mentioned in the original description on material from “Daroli, Fluss Mane (v. Erlanger)”. Both sexes were described in more detail on material from Daroli, Feb. 1901 (♁ ♀♀) and Mane River, March 1901 (♀♀) (v. Erlanger) ( Strand 1908). Daroli, 1♁ 2♀ were considered syntypes but not examined by Roewer (1959). They were housed in the Königlichen Naturalienkabinett in Stuttgart, but destroyed during World War II ( Renner 1988). “Daroli“ refers to Daroli River where von Erlanger had his camp (“am Flusse Daroli bei Ginir“) between January and March 1901 ( Erlanger 1905) [Daroli (of Erlanger) = Actuma river 7º18′N 40º45‘E “ ( Yalden et al. 1980)]. Mane River is presently known as Mena River. Both localities situated in Oromia Region according to Atkins (2009).

Roewer (1959) stated that the original type material was lost and designated a male and a female from MoleTal as “ Neotypus ”. According to Moritz (1992), both specimens should then have been present but today only a juvenile lycosid is present together with the female. The ICZN (1999) requires that a single specimen is designated as a neotype. Therefore, following the Recommendation 75D of the ICZN (1999), Roewer’s remaining female “ Neotypus ” is herein designated as neotype. This decision is based on the necessity of clarifying the taxonomic status of W. sordidecolorata . The Mole river is situated west of Gidole town in the present Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (map in Neumann 1902).

Lycosa darolii Strand, 1906 : ♀ holotype from ETHIOPIA:Daroli (v. Erlanger), described in more detail in Strand (1908). According to Roewer (1959) it was housed in ZMB, but not included in the list of lycosid types deposited there ( Moritz 1992). This specimen was listed among the types deposited in the Königlichen Naturalienkabinett in Stuttgart which were destroyed during World War II ( Renner 1988).

The illustrations of the epigynes from Lycosa darolii ( Fig. 1E ) and L. sordidecolorata ( Fig. 1D ) in Strand (1908) suggest that these two species are conspecific. Differences in the illustrations may at least partly be due to epigynal plugs, which are known to occur in species of Wadicosa ( Kronestedt 1987, 2015) and which were found in one of the females from Ruwenzori and in another one from Lake Langano. Moreover, both species were collected in the same area.

Diagnosis. The male differs from other Wadicosa species in the shape of the embolus and the configuration of the conductor. The female differs from other species in Wadicosa in the shape of the epigyne: behind the two foveolae there is a cavity divided by a median septum widening backwards.

Description. Male ( Ethiopia: Lake Langano). Total length 5.5. Carapace 2.90 long, 2.30 wide.

Cephalothorax ( Fig. 8A–B ). Carapace dusky brown with yellowish jagged median field around fovea. Lateral band broken into yellowish patches, the two posterior ones usually confluent, forming a long slightly curved patch. Carapace with whitish appressed pubescence and short dark hairs. Clypeus greyish medially, greyish yellow laterally. Chelicerae greyish yellow. Sternum yellowish.

Eyes. Width of row I 40 (slightly procurved when seen from front), row II 65, row III 84, row II–III 63. Diameter of AME 12, ALE 9, PME 24, PLE 20. Distance between AME 6, between AME and ALE 2.

Abdomen ( Fig. 8A–B ). Dorsally greyish brown with pattern of yellowish spots. Paired yellowish spots with median dark dot aside of posterior part of lanceolate stripe and backwards aside of midline. Venter light yellowish with recumbent white pubescence and numerous scattered thin dark hairs.

Legs ( Table 1). Greyish brown with yellowish brown annulation, Ta yellowish.

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Palp ( Fig. 9A–D ). Pt 0.60, Ti 0.70, Cy 1.15. Greyish yellow, Fe with darker markings, Pt and Ti darker proximally, Cy brown, distally yellow, apically with 2–3 spines. Tegular apophysis with distal part turned ventrad, at about half its length with small more or less distinct protrusion ( Fig. 9D ). Anterior retrolateral tegular process moderately protruding, a distinct posterior retrolateral tegular process not discernible ( Fig. 9C ). Conductor with elongated narrow process resting in a corresponding grooved process ( Fig. 9C ). Embolus stout, wide in anterior view ( Fig. 9D ).

Female ( Ethiopia: Lake Langano). Total length 6.8. Carapace 3.50 long, 2.65 wide.

Cephalothorax and abdomen ( Fig. 8C ). Colouration and pattern similar to male.

Eyes. Width of row I 57 (slightly procurved when seen from front), row II 76, row III 98, row II–III 76. Diameter of AME 14, ALE 11, PME 28, PLE 22. Distance between AME 8, between AME and ALE 2.

Legs ( Table 1). Brownish with yellowish annulation, Ta yellowish.

Female genitalia ( Figs 5E , 9E–I ). Epigyne with median cavity longer than wide, divided by septum gradually widening rearwards to the width of the cavity. Anterior to median cavity two foveolae. Spermathecae oval ( Fig. 9F ).

Size variation. Carapace lengths of material measured: males 2.85–3.40 (N=10), females 3.00–3.90 (N=10).

Distribution ( Fig. 10 ). Known from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Uganda. Probably widespread but unnoticed in other countries.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–C. Wadicosa manubriata (Simon), male. A. Right palp in retrolateral view, from Simon (1898: fig. 356). B–C. Holotype, right palp in retrolateral view (B), and left palp in antero-ventral view (C). Photographs by C. Hervé, MNHN. D–E. W. sordidecolorata (Strand), epigynes, from Strand (1908): D pl. 8, fig. 16 (“Lycosa sordide-colorata”) and E pl. 8, fig.9 (“Lycosa darolii”). F. W. enucleata (Roewer), epigyne, from Roewer (1959, fig. 62b). G–I. W. manubriata (Simon), from Roewer 1959, fig. 63a–c), G. Right palp in retrolateral view. H. Left palp in ventral view. I. Epigyne. (G and H obviously drawn from microslide SMF 13616 (RII 4914/252) in which the embolus in ventral view is distorted similarly to that shown in H.) K. W. mabweana (Roewer), epigyne, from Roewer (1959, fig. 54a). L–M. W. sordidecolorata (Strand), from Roewer (1959, fig. 30a–c). L. Right male palp. M. “Lamella characteristica”= tegular apophysis. N. Epigyne. O. Pardosa darolii (Strand). from Roewer (1959, fig. 20).

FIGURE 5. Epigyne, ventral view. A. Wadicosa enucleata (Roewer) from Tanzania: Kyela. B, C. W. mabweana (Roewer), from DR Congo: Mikembo. D. W. manubriata (Simon), from Zimbabwe: Umguza River. E. W. sordidecolorata (Strand), from Cameroon: Koum. Scale bar: 0.2 mm (A–E).

FIGURE 8. Wadicosa sordidecolorata (Strand), habitus, dorsal view. A. ♁ from Ethiopia: Awash NP. B. ♁ from Uganda: Ruwenzori. C. ♀ from Uganda: Ruwenzori. Scale bar: 2 mm (A–C).

FIGURE 9. Wadicosa sordidecolorata (Strand). A. Right male palp, ventral view (from Ethiopia: Addis Ababa). B–D. Left male palp in ventral (B), retrolateral (C) and frontal (D) view (from Ethiopia: Lake Langano). E–F. Epigyne in ventral (E from Ethiopia: Addis Ababa) and female genitalia in dorsal (F from Ethiopia: Lake Langano) view G–I. Epigyne, ventral view (G neotype, H from Cameroon: Koum, I from Ivory Coast: Lamto). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A), 300 µm (B–F), 0.2 mm (G–I).

FIGURE 10. Collection localities for Wadicosa enucleata (Roewer), W. mabweana (Roewer), W. manubriata (Simon) and W. sordidecolorata (Strand).