Spermophora mau, Bernhard A. Huber & Charles M. Warui, 2012

Bernhard A. Huber & Charles M. Warui, 2012, East African pholcid spiders: an overview, with descriptions of eight new species (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 29 (29), pp. 1-44 : 27-29

Spermophora mau sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4717BA27-3070-47BB-A588-EB037A4F6294

Figs 9 , 40-44 , 87-91

Spermophora Ken 39: Dimitrov, Astrin & Huber 2012 (DNA sequence data).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from very similar S. maathaiae sp. nov. by shape of female epigynal scape (longer; tip pointed; Fig. 90 ) and by details of procursus tip (slightly different shapes of sclerites; Figs 87, 88 ). From other species by male cheliceral armature (shapes of frontal apophyses; Fig. 89 ) and by pointed tip of female epigynal scape.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype

♂, in ZFMK ( Ar 8747 ) .

Paratypes

3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, in ZFMK (2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀: Ar 8748 ) and NMKE (1 ♂, 1 ♀) .

Type locality

KENYA, Rift Valley, Mau Escarpment near Elburgon (0°25.3’S, 35°47.3’E), 2930 m a.s.l., 5 Feb. 2010 (B.A. Huber).

Other material examined

KENYA: Rift Valley: 2 ♀♀, 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ( Ken 145 ), Mau Escarpment near Elburgon , same data as types above .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.6, carapace width 1.3. Leg 1: 20.4 (5.2 + 0.5 + 5.1 + 6.9 + 2.7), tibia 2: 3.3, tibia 3: 2.6, tibia 4: 3.4; tibia 1 L/d: 41. Distance PME-PME 175 µm, diameter PME 125 µm, distance PME-ALE 55 µm, no AME.

COLOR. Prosoma ochre-yellow with large lateral black marks and Y-mark behind ocular area, ocular area laterally darkened, clypeus with pair of darker smudges below eye triads, sternum monochromous black, legs ochre-yellow, with darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally, subdistally), abdomen grey with distinctive black pattern dorsally and laterally, ventrally mostly black.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 40 and 41 ; ocular area elevated, with pair of horns between triads ( Fig. 44 ); carapace only anteriorly with shallow thoracic furrow; clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae as in Fig. 89 , each frontal apophysis forming a cup-shaped depression, without modified hairs. Sternum wider than long (0.94/0.72), unmodified.

PALPS. As in Figs 87 and 88 , coxa with retrolatero-ventral apophysis, trochanter with retrolateral apophysis, femur barely modified (except dorsal apophysis proximally), procursus with ventral flap and several complex distal elements that appear hinged to proximal part, distinctive spine-like process visible in retrolateral view, bulb with three cone-shaped projections and long embolus.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 10%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with>30 pseudosegments, distinct distally.

VARIATION. Tibia 1 in 3 other males: 4.8, 4.9, 5.3.

Female

In general similar to male but triads closer together (distance PME-PME 135 µm), without horns. Tibia 1 in 6 females: 4.2-4.4. Epigynum a simple plate with long posterior scape ending in scorpion-tail-like tip ( Fig. 90 ); internal genitalia as in Fig. 91 .

Distribution

Known from type locality only ( Fig. 27 ).

Figures

Figs 1 - 15. — 1. Artema atlanta Walckenaer, 1837 from Mbutali, Kenya. — 2. Leptopholcus tipula (Simon, 1907) from Semuliki, Uganda. — 3. Smeringopus mpanga Huber, 2012 from Kalinzu F. R., Uganda. — 4. Pholcus taita Huber, 2011 from Taita Mountains, Kenya. — 5. Quamtana kabale Huber, 2003 from Ruwenzori, Uganda. — 6. Quamtana nyahururu sp. nov. from Thompson Falls, Kenya. — 7 - 8. Spermophora minotaura Berland, 1920 from Mt. Kenya (7: dark morph; 8: light morph). — 9. Spermophora mau sp. nov. from near Elburgon, Kenya. — 10. Spermophora kirinyaga sp. nov. from Mt. Kenya, Kenya. — 11. Buitinga nigrescens (?) (Berland, 1920) from Ol Donyo Sabuk, Kenya. — 12. Buitinga ruhiza Huber, 2003 from Buhoma, Uganda. — 13. Buitinga batwa sp. nov. from Mgahinga Gorilla N. P., Uganda. — 14. Buitinga ruwenzori Huber, 2003 from Ruwenzori, Uganda. — 15. Buitinga griswoldi Huber, 2003 from Buhoma, Uganda. Photos BAH.

Figs 28 - 49. — 28 - 31. Crossopriza johncloudsleyi Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001, ♂ (28, 29) and ♀ (30, 31). — 32 - 35. Buitinga wataita sp. nov., ♂ (32 - 34) and ♀ (35). — 36 - 39. Buitinga batwa sp. nov., ♂ (36 - 38) and ♀ (39). — 40 - 44. Spermophora mau sp. nov., ♂ (40, 41, 44) and ♀ (42, 43). — 46. Spermophora maathaiae sp. nov., ♂. — 45, 47 - 49. Spermophora bukusu sp. nov., ♂.

Figs 87 - 91. Spermophora mau sp. nov. 87 - 88. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 89. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view. 90 - 91. ♀ genitalia, ventral and cleared dorsal views. b: genital bulb; e: embolus; pr: procursus. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (89 - 91), 0.5 mm (87 - 88).

Figs 24 - 27. Known distributions of the genera Physocyclus, Quamtana, Smeringopus and Spermophora in East Africa. For detailed maps of Quamtana see Huber (2003 b), of Smeringopus see Huber (2012) and of Spermophora see Huber (2003 a). Squares: unidentified / undescribed specimens.