Thyenula cheliceroides, Wesołowska & Azarkina & Russell-Smith, 2014

Wesołowska, Wanda, Azarkina, Galina N. & Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2014, Euophryine jumping spiders of the Afrotropical Region-new taxa and a checklist (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae), Zootaxa 3789 (1), pp. 1-72 : 50-52

Thyenula cheliceroides sp. nov.

Figs184–188

Holotype: male, SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Durban, Bluff , 29°53′S: 31°03′E, on shrubs, coastal dune scrub, 17 April 1976, leg. A. Russell-Smith ( NHM).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, nr Park Rynie , 30°16'S: 30°34'E, 2 males, 25 March 1985, leg. R. Maartens ( NCA 86 /586); same locality, afromontane forest, leaf litter, 1 male, 26 November 2012, leg. J.A. Neethling ( NCA 2013 /665); Oribi Gorge, 30º42'S: 30º18'E, 1 male, 20 December 1980, leg. A. Russell-Smith ( NHM) .

Diagnosis. This species, one of the largest in the genus, is closely related to T. magna Wesołowska & Haddad, 2009 , but may be distinguished by the characteristic shape of the retrolateral tooth of chelicerae, which is very broad (compare Fig. 186 herein with Wesołowska & Haddad 2009: fig. 200).

Etymology. The name refers to the large chelicerae of this species.

Description. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 5.3, width 3.4, height 1.6. Abdomen: length 5.6, width 3.3. Eye field: length 1.9, anterior width 2.7, posterior width 2.9.

Male. General appearance as in Fig. 184 . Large spider, one of the largest in the genus. Carapace oval, almost black, slightly lighter in foveal area, clothed in brown hairs, long brown bristles at anterior eyes. Clypeus very low, dark. Chelicerae large, robust, dark brown, with two teeth on promargin and very broad tooth on retromarginal edge ( Figs 185, 186 ). Labium and endites brown with whitish tips; sternum dark. Abdomen dark, with traces of serrate lighter streak medially, dense golden fawn hairs cover dorsum, among them scarce long bristles. Venter dark. Legs dark brown, first pair stouter and longer than others, covered - especially tibiae - with dense long dark hairs. Pedipalps relatively small, dark, clothed in dense long brown hairs. Femur of palp long, bulb short, without proximal lobe, embolus thin, with close basal loop ( Fig. 187 ).

Female unknown.

Distribution. Known only from southern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 184–188. Thyenula cheliceroides sp. nov. 184 male holotype, dorsal view; 185, 186 cheliceral dentition; 187 palpal organ, ventral view; 188 palpal organ, retrolateral view.