Crossopriza kandahar, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 168-172

Crossopriza kandahar sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AC7041F8-BC5B-4600-A5E1-A8C05BE8673F

Figs 353A , 664–680

Diagnosis

Males are easily distinguished from known congeners by presence of small pair of apophyses frontally on male chelicerae ( Fig. 669 ); also by details of male palp ( Figs 668, 671 ; procursus tip with small dorsal flat process; distal bulbal sclerite with two large prolateral apophyses), and by shape of epigynum ( Fig. 677 ; short and wide plate, pair of large pockets close together but not on median rim; similar to C. sengleti sp. nov.).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype AFGHANISTAN • ♂; Kandahar Province, W of Kandahar; 31.62° N, 65.60° E; 1000 m a.s.l.; 31 Jul. 1975; A. Senglet leg.; MHNG.

Other material examined

AFGHANISTAN • 10 ♂♂, 15 ♀♀, 4 juvs (2 vials); same collection data as for holotype; MHNG .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 5.3, carapace width 1.65. Distance PME–PME 70 µm; diameter PME 110 × 150 µm; distance PME–ALE 30 µm; diameter AME 95 µm; distance AME–AME 30 µm. Leg 1: 37.5 (10.8 + 0.7 + 10.3 + 13.3 + 2.4), tibia 2: 7.2, tibia 3: 5.6, tibia 4: 6.8; tibia 1 L/d: 61; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.26, 0.23, 0.22, 0.24.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow, anteriorly in median pit light brown; sternum with many small brown spots partly arranged in radial marks; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with small black lines on femora and (few) on tibiae; abdomen pale gray, with whitish internal marks and indistinct dark band posteriorly above spinnerets; ventrally with broken dark band, with three indistinct parallel longitudinal marks behind gonopore.

BODY. Habitus similar to C. tiwi sp. nov. (cf. Figs 393–394 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, only rim slightly more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (1.1/0.75), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, dorso-posteriorly angular to conical.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 669–670 , with two pairs of frontal apophyses; proximal pair small and simple; distal pair larger, at tip with one large modified cone-shaped hair each; distance between tips of modified hairs 180 µm; lateral stridulatory ridges clearly visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As in Figs 664–666 ; coxa with rounded retrolateral hump; trochanter barely modified; femur distally strongly widened, with rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick, without retrolateral transversal line, without retrolateral proximal process; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia-tarsus joints slightly shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 667–668 ) straight, dorsal hairs not curved, prolateral proximal hump set with many hairs, procursus tip with strong ventral sclerite, small dorsal sclerite with prolateral-dorsal ridge, and membranous elements; genital bulb ( Figs 671–673 ) with simple basal sclerite connected to distal (main) sclerite, sperm duct opening not seen; distal sclerite with retrolateral ridge and distinctive set of two prolateral apophyses and ridge.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~18 ventral spines; without curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments not seen.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 11 males (incl. holotype): 9.6–10.8 (mean 10.0). Some males with few indistinct dark marks dorsally on abdomen; ventral abdominal marks behind gonopore variable (2–4 parallel bands).

Female

In general similar to male but without spines on legs, apparently without stridulatory files on chelicerae, and with stridulatory organ consisting of pair of weakly sclerotized but distinct processes posteriorly on carapace and pair of distinct light brown plates anteriorly on abdomen. Tibia 1 in 15 females: 8.1–10.0 (mean 9.1). Epigynum as in Figs 676–677 , main epigynal plate triangular, short but wide, weakly protruding, only posteriorly heavily sclerotized; with pair of large pockets 80 µm apart; internal sclerotized arcs and median anterior internal sclerite visible in uncleared specimens; posterior plate light brown, short but wide. Internal genitalia ( Figs 674–675 , 678–680 ) with large oval pore plates converging anteriorly, pores arranged in groups, dorsal arc strong but simple, ventral arc with median sclerite (rather than pouch or pocket) of unknown function.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Afghanistan, Kandahar Province ( Fig. 353A ).

Figures

Fig. 353. Known distribution of Crossopriza Simon, 1893; autochthonous species part 2 (cf. Fig. 352): species with main cheliceral apophyses in frontal position and epigynal pockets close together. The figure is split into two to avoid too much overlap; the split is not meant to reflect any natural grouping of species. The single record of C. maculipes from China is not shown (see text).

Figs 664–666. Crossopriza kandahar sp. nov.; non-type male from Afghanistan, W of Kandahar (MHNG); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 667–675. Crossopriza kandahar sp. nov.; non-type male and female from Afghanistan, W of Kandahar (MHNG). 667–668. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 669–670. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views; arrows: distinctive pair of apophyses. 671–673. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: retrolateral ridge. 674–675. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 676–680. Crossopriza kandahar sp. nov.; female from Afghanistan, W of Kandahar (MHNG). 676–677. Abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 678–680. Female internal genitalia, dorsal view (with dorsal arc tilted backwards), ventral view, and regular dorsal view. Scale bars: 676 = 1.0 mm; 677–680 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 391–398. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 391–392. C. sahtan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Wadi Ghul. 393–395. C. tiwi sp. nov., males and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Tiwi. 396–398. C. dhofar sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ain Razad, and female from Oman, Wadi Nahiz.