Pulcherula magna, Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2022

Wesołowska, Wanda & Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2022, Jumping spiders from Ivory Coast collected by J. - C. Ledoux (Araneae, Salticidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 841 (1), pp. 1-143 : 99-100

Pulcherula magna gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D861CAE4-B058-4972-9227-406FE2CD76D1

Figs 56–57

Diagnosis

This species has a characteristic reddish fawn colouration. The male is distinguished by the unique form of the pedipalp with a very large anterior process of a complex shape and a strongly sclerotized retrolateral side of the bulb ( Fig. 57B ).

Etymology

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘large’, and refers to the palpal size.

Material examined

Holotype IVORY COAST • ♂; Man , Mt Tonkoui; 7°27′ N, 7°38′ W; 900–1000 m a.s.l.; 4 Mar. 1975; “litière”; MNHN.

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.3, width 1.0, height 0.9. Eye field length 0.6, anterior and posterior width 0.9. Abdomen length 1.1, width 0.9. General appearance as in Fig. 56A–B . Very tiny spider with relatively large palps.

CARAPACE. High, with slope starting around middle of thoracic part, posteriorly carapace slope steep ( Fig. 56B ). Carapace clothed in dense reddish fawn hairs, thin whitish streak along edges, eyes surrounding by black area, anteriors encircled by fawn scales, long bristles at first row of eyes. Clypeus high, black with white hairs. Chelicerae dark yellow, long, with single tooth on retromargin and two teeth on promargin, fang short. Endites, labium and sternum light brown.

ABDOMEN. Oval, black and shining, with two transverse thin white streaks, anterior third clothed in dense orange reddish hairs, among them some long brown bristles ( Fig. 56A ). Venter yellowish. Spinnerets black.

LEGS. With femora and patellae brown, tibiae yellowish with brown rings at both ends, distal segments yellow. First leg with two spines on femur dorsally, tibia with four pairs of ventral spines (distal pair shorter), metatarsus with two pairs ventrally.

PEDIPALPS. Relatively large ( Fig. 56B ), densely covered with white hairs, their structure in Figs 56C–F , 57 . Cymbium with a narrow apical part, curved towards the bulb ( Fig. 56C ). With a single pointed tibial apophysis. Bulb large, strongly sclerotized retrolaterally ( Fig. 56E ), with a large peculiar outgrowth on the distal part ( Fig. 56C, E ) enveloping embolus ( Fig. 57B ).

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

Only known from the type locality, Mt Tonkoui, Ivory Coast.

Figures

Fig. 56. Pulcherula magna gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MNHN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Palpal organ, prolateral view. D–E. Palpal organ, ventral view. F. Palpal organ, retrolateral view.

Fig. 57. Pulcherula magna gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MNHN). A. Palpal organ, prolateral view. B. Palpal organ, ventral view. C. Palpal organ, ventroretrolateral view. D. Palpal organ, retrolateral view. E. Embolic division.