Macroctenus herbicola, Henrard & Jocqué, 2017

Henrard, Arnaud & Jocqué, Rudy, 2017, Morphological and molecular evidence for new genera in the Afrotropical Cteninae (Araneae, Ctenidae) complex, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 180 (1), pp. 82-154 : 103-107

MACROCTENUS HERBICOLA SP. NOV. ( FIGS 11A – D , 12A – C, 13A, B , 14A – D )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D0C551A3-653F-444F-9933-355DD48C6076

Type material

Holotype, male: GUINEA: Mt. Nimba , campsite SMFG, 7 ° 42 0 N, 8 ° 24 0 W, 587 m asl, 12.III.2012, hand collecting on the ground at night, Van den Spiegel D., Henrard A., Allard C., Bimou P. & Sidibe M. ( DNA-N29 , MRAC 238945 ).

Paratype: 1 ♀1 ♀: GUINEA: Mt. Nimba, Kpeleyi Savannah , 7 ° 39 0 N, 8 ° 27 0 W, 572 m asl, 21.II.2012, savannah, hand collecting on the ground, Van den Spiegel D., Henrard A., Allard C., Bimou P. & Sidibe M. ( DNA-N10 , MRAC 238914 ) .

Other material

GUINEA: 1 ♀: Mt. Nimba, Mine camp of Gbakore , 7 ° 42 0 N, 8 ° 23 0 W, 700 m asl, 27.IX.2008, transition forested valley and montane grassland, Kpoghomou E. ( MRAC 225535 ) .

Etymology

Lives among grasses hence its name ‘herbicola’; grassland-inhabiting Ctenidae are rare.

Diagnosis

Males of Macroctenus herbicola are recognized by the palp ( Figs 12A, B, 13A, B ), with a short, conical RTA pointing outward, a fairly long MA and an embolus with a slightly widened tip; the female is characterized by the epigyne ( Figs 12C, 14A, B ), with a broad MS with concave frontal and incised lateral margins, preceded by a hairy, sclerotized, inverted triangle.

Description

Male (holotype). Total length 13.2. Carapace 6.8 long and 5.0 wide. Clypeus 0.23 high. Eye diameters: AME 0.33, ALE 0.26, PME 0.46, PLE 0.33. Coloration ( Fig. 11A, B ): carapace pale brown with yellow central band from PME to posterior margin and sublateral bands, interrupted by faint darker brown radiating striae; with short greyish and blackish pilosity; chelicerae and mouthparts dark brown; legs uniform pale brown, with femora darker and faintly banded; abdomen: dorsum dark grey with pale narrow median bar in frontal half; four apodemes; sides dark grey with many lines of pale anastomosing blotches; venter dark grey four rows of white blotches. Chelicerae with three promarginal teeth, median larger; four retromarginal teeth, proximal distant from the remaining three, basal smallest; intermarginal denticles present. Leg measurements: I: femur 7.4/ patella 3.1/ tibia 7.1/ metatarsus 7.4/ tarsus 2.8/ total 27.8; II: 6.1/ 2.3/ 6.2/ 6.7/ 2.6/ 23.9; III: 6.2/ 2.4/ 5.2/ 5.1/ 2.3/ 21.2; IV: 7.9/ 2.7/ 6.5/ 9.1/ 2.8/ 29.0. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: femur I pl1-1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1, II pl1-1- 1 d1-1 rl1-1-1, III pl1-1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1, IV pl1-1- 1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1; patella I pl1 rl1, II pl1 rl1, III pl1 rl1, IV pl1 rl1; tibia I v2-2-2-2 pl1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1, II v2-2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1, III v2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1- 1 rl1-1, IV v2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1; metatarsus I v2- 2-1 pl1-1-1 rl1-1-1, II v2-2-1 pl1-1-1 d1-1 rl1-1-1, III v2-2-2 pl1-1-1 d1-1-1-1 rl1-1-1, IV v2-1-1-2-1 pl1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1; Mt IV unmodified, with long overlapping spines. Palp ( Figs 12A, B, 13A, B ): tibia long and slender, with three spines, small ventral projection on distal margin; RTA dorsolateral, short, conical, with sharp tip, pointing outward; cymbium with dense hair cover in distal part; with retrolateral concavity delimited by small dorsal and ventral swellings. MA cup-shaped; twice as long as wide. Embolus with broad base; flat distal part slightly widened at tip.

Female paratype ( DNA-N 10, MRAC 238914). Total length 26.3. Carapace 11.4 long and 7.7 wide. Clypeus 0.49 high. Eye diameters: AME 0.43, ALE 0.39, PME 0.66, PLE 0.56. Coloration ( Figs 11C, D ): very similar to male but lacks blackish pilosity on carapace; legs uniform medium brown; abdomen: dorsum pale greyish brown with pale brown bar in anterior half and numerous faint darker spots; some dark setae on front; venter cream with nine longitudinal grey bands; two rows of small apodemes. Chelicerae with three promarginal teeth, median larger; four retromarginal teeth, proximal distant from the remaining three, basal smallest; intermarginal denticles present. Leg measurements: 9.9/ patella 5.0/ tibia 9.1/ metatarsus 8.5/ tarsus 3.3/ total 35.8; II: 9.2/ 4.7/ 8.1/ 7.8/ 2.6/ 32.4; III: 7.9/ 4.0/ 6.5/ 6.1/ 1.8/ 26.3; IV: 10.2/ 3.8/ 8.7/ 10.9/ 2.8/ 36.4. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: femur I pl1-1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1, II pl1-1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1, III pl1-1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1, IV pl1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1-1; patella I, II none, III pl1 rl1, IV pl1 rl1; tibia I v2-2-2-2 pl1-1 rl1, II v2-2-2-2 pl1-1 rl1, III v2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1, IV v2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1; metatarsus I v2-2 pl1 rl1, II v2-2 pl1 rl1, III v2-2-2 pl1-1 d1-1 rl1-1, IV v2-1-1-2-1 pl1-1-1 d1-1-1 rl1-1-1; Mt IV unmodified. Epigyne ( Figs 12C, 14A, B ): MS broad with concave frontal margin; posterior and lateral margins convex, the latter with incisions accommodating LP; anterior part a densely hairy triangle. Vulva ( Fig. 14C, D ) with short, straight copulatory ducts; spermathecae ovoid; fertilization ducts transverse, procurved.

Distribution

Only known from Mt. Nimba in Guinea.

Figures

Figure 11. Macroctenus herbicola sp. nov.: A, B, Ht male (DNA-N29, MRAC 238945); C, D, Pt female (DNA-N10, MRAC 238914); A, male, habitus, dorsal view; B, as previous, lateral view; C, female, carapace, dorsal view; D, eye region, dorsal view. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Figure 13. Macroctenus herbicola sp. nov., Ht male (DNA-N29, MRAC 238945): A, male palp, ventral view; B, as previous, retrolateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figure 14. Macroctenus herbicola sp. nov., Pt Female (DNA-N10, MRAC 238914): A, epigyne, ventral view; B, as previous, digested; C, as previous, dorsal view; D, as previous, dorsolateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.