Loxosceles pilosa Purcell, 1908

Lotz, L. N., 2012, Present status of Sicariidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 3522, pp. 1-41 : 27

Loxosceles pilosa Purcell, 1908

( Figs. 9F, 10F, 15A)

Loxosceles pilosa Purcell, 1908: 225 ; Newlands, 1986: 68, f. 40–42.

Loxosceles spinulosa, Newlands, 1975: 144 , f. 2–5, 8, 10–13 (syn.).

Types: ♀ Lectotype (here designated) and 1♀ paralectotype (here designated) from South Africa: Little Namaqualand, Steinkopf, [2915'S, 1744'E], L. Schultze, July and August 1904; 2juv.♀ Paralectotypes (here designated) from Namibia: Southern Hereroland (1 from Otjimbingwe), L. Schultze, September and October 1903 [ SAMC collection] [examined in part, see note] .

Note: Purcell’s (1908) description mentions two female and two juvenile female specimens. A vial with two female specimens in the SAMC collection (SAM-ENW-X 150512) was found with a label that read: Loxosceles pilosa Purc. / ♀ (ex type) / Steinkopf, CP. Nam. / L. Schultze No. 717. These are here designated the new lectotype (complete specimen) and first paralectotype (at present consisting of only a cephlothorax and legs). The other paralectotypes could not be located. Newlands (1975) synonymized the species with L. spinulosa , but in 1986 he suggested revalidating the species, a revalidation confirmed here.

Diagnosis: Male palp cymbium and tibia short, similar to L. bergeri , L. simillima , L. smithi and L. spinulosa ; differing from L. bergeri in the palp cymbium being 1.5 times as long as the patella; differing from L. simillima in the cymbium being only 1.2 times as long as tibia; differing from L. smithi in the palp femur length being equal to the patella+tibia length; differing from L. spinulosa in the structure of the embolus ( Fig. 9F). Female spermathecae consist of two round sacs; median sac large; lateral sac small; two copulatory tubes joined at the base; medial tube thin; lateral tube wide at base, narrowing to base of spermathecae; differing from all other species in this respect, the closest species being L. bergeri from which it differs in the lateral spermathecae having a longer copulatory tube ( Fig. 10F).

Female: (SAM-ENW-150512): TL = 6.0; CL = 2.6; CW = 2.2; CLL = 0.35. AME-LE 0.10; Eye diameter 0.15.

Leg measurements:

Distribution: Loxosceles pilosa is distributed along the coast from central Namibia to north-western South

Africa ( Fig. 15A).