Ballomma haddadi, Jocqué, Rudy & Henrard, Arnaud, 2015

Jocqué, Rudy & Henrard, Arnaud, 2015, Ballomma, a new Afrotropical genus in the Cryptothelinae (Araneae, Zodariidae): eyes on the run, European Journal of Taxonomy 163 (163), pp. 1-24 : 10-14

Ballomma haddadi gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:20DEADCF-E2D1-47AA-AC36-29DF62B1A304

Figs 6 A–F, 7A–C, 8A–D, 14

Diagnosis

The male of B. haddadi gen. et sp. nov. is easily recognized by the peculiar palp with the long, thin, sinuous embolus provided at its base with a large, sharp process pointing forward. The female has a characteristic epigyne with dark central area from where procurved cul-de-sac tubes originate, followed by well-separated spermathecae.

Etymology

The species name is a patronym in honor of Charles Haddad for his many contributions on African arachnology.

Type material

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♂, Transvaal (now Limpopo Province), Pietersburg District, Woodbush Forest , 23°54’ S 29°27’ E, Sep. 1960, Leleup N. ( MRAC 132646 )

Other material examined

SOUTH AFRICA: 2 ♀♀, Transvaal, Lydenburg District, Ohrigstad, 24°50’ S 30°20’ E, 27 Mar. 1962, in forest litter , Leleup N. ( MRAC 132641 ) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 5.47; carapace 2.84 long, 1.78 wide, narrowed to 0.92 in eye region.

COLOUR. Carapace ( Fig. 6 A) medium brown without silvery setae; chelicerae, sternum and posterior leg pairs brownish orange ( Fig. 6 B); anterior leg pairs yellowish orange; abdomen ( Fig. 6 A–B): dorsum and sides grey with complex pale pattern; venter pale with faint grey pattern, yellow in front of epigastric furrow; spinnerets yellow.

CARAPACE. Reticulated; flat, profile without dip. Chilum double, each sclerite 0.07 high, 0.07 wide; no setae. Sternum shield-shaped, 0.92 long, 0.71 wide.

EYES. AME: 0.07; ALE: 0.13; ALE–ALE: 0.00; AME–ALE: 0.05; PME: 0.12; PLE: 0.13; PME– PME: 0.05; PME–PLE: 0.18. Clypeus 0.38 or 2.9 times width of ALE.

LEGS. Without hinged hairs.

SPINATION.

	F	P	T	Mt
I	d1	-	v2-1	v1-2 -1
II	d1	-	v1-1 -2	v2-2 -2
III	d1	rl1	pl2d3rl2 v2-2 -2	10ispdw6
IV	d2	d1rl1	pl3d3rl3 v2-2 -2	14dispdw6

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

	F	P	T	Mt	t	total
I	1.68	0.70	1.40	1.19	0.91	5.88
II	1.40	0.63	0.91	0.91	0.63	4.48
III	1.26	0.77	0.63	0.91	0.56	4.13
IV	2.10	0.84	1.12	1.40	0.77	6.23

ABDOMEN. Epiandrum well developed with oval membranous patch with two comma shaped marks along posterior margin and two tiny darker spots along frontal margin.

MALE PALP ( Figs 7 A–B, 8A–B). Patella with pro- and retrolateral hair tufts. tibia with dorsolateral apophysis, roughly triangular and pointed, retrolaterally concave; cymbium with basolateral slightly indented protrusion, seven distolateral spines; tegulum high, in the middle with retrolateral protrusion with rounded tip; distally with membranous part ending in long, sickle-shaped apophysis (could be homologous to MA); embolus originating on posterior part of tegulum, thin, slender, curved over central part of tegulum, with large sickle-shaped sclerite at base.

Female (largest of additional material)

MESUREMENTS. Total length 7.46; carapace 3.34 long, 2.13 wide, narrowed to 0.92 in eye region.

COLOUR. Carapace ( Fig. 6 C–F) pale orange brown; chelicerae, sternum and legs yellowish; abdomen ( Fig. 6 C–D): dorsum and sides grey with complex dark pattern; venter pale with faint grey pattern, spinnerets pale yellow.

CARAPACE. Smooth. Clypeus with dispersed setae. Chilum double, each sclerite 0.07 high, 0.10 wide; no setae. Sternum shield-shaped, 1.28 long, 1.14 wide.

EYES. AME: 0.09; ALE: 0.13; ALE–ALE: 0; AME–ALE: 0.02; PME: 0.11; PLE: 0.12; PME–PME: 0.07; PME–PLE: 0.26. Clypeus 0.33 or 3.6 times width of ALE.

LEGS. Hinged hairs absent.

SPINATION.

	F	P	T	Mt
I	d2	-	-	-
II	d2	-	v1-1 -1	2-2-2
III	d2	d1rl1	pl3d3rl3 v1-2 -2	8disp dw6
IV	d2	d1rl1	pl3d3rl3 v2-3 -2	9disp dw6

LEG MEASUREMENTS.

	F	P	T	Mt	t	total
I	1.89	0.84	1.47	1.26	0.91	6.37
II	1.40	0.77	0.98	0.98	0.70	4.83
III	1.40	0.70	0.77	0.84	0.77	4.48
IV	1.96	0.91	1.40	1.54	0.91	6.72

PALP ( Fig. 6 E). Claw with three small teeth; turned inward over <30°. Tarsus triangular with ventral side flat, provided with 10 prolateral, four retrolateral spines.

EPIGYNE ( Figs 7 C, 8C–D). Flat, poorly sclerotized area, with internal structure and cul-de-sac tubes visible in transparency.

Distribution

Known from the Limpopo Province in South Africa ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

Fig. 6. Ballomma haddadi gen. et sp. nov. A – B. Holotype, ♂. C – F. ♀ (MRAC 132641). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. As preceding, ventral view. C. Habitus, dorsal view. D. As preceding, ventral view. E. Prosoma, frontal view. F. Prosoma, dorsolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 7. Ballomma haddadi gen. et sp. nov. A – B. Holotype, ♂. C. ♀ (MRAC 132641). A. Male palp, retrolateral view. B. As preceding, ventral view. C. Epigyne, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Fig. 14. Distribution of species of Ballomma gen. nov.: B. erasmus gen. et sp. nov. (), B. haddadi gen. et sp. nov. (), B. legala gen. et sp. nov. () and B. neethlingi gen. et sp. nov. ().