Madagascarchaea legendrei (Platnick, 1991) Platnick, 1991

Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017, A review of the Madagascan pelican spiders of the genera Eriauchenius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 and Madagascarchaea gen. n. (Araneae, Archaeidae), ZooKeys 727, pp. 1-96 : 1

Madagascarchaea legendrei (Platnick, 1991) comb. n. Figs 24, 33

Archaea legendrei Platnick, 1991: 137, figs 7-14.

Eriauchenius legendrei (Platnick, 1991): Wood 2008: 286, figs 2E,12B,18A,20 A–D (new combination).

Type material.

Male holotype: as Archaea legendrei Platnick, 1991: Madagascar, Fianarantsoa, 7 km W Ranomafana, 1100 m, 1-7 Nov 1988, montane rainforest, pyrethrin fogging of dead leaves on fallen tree, W.E. Steiner (deposited in USNM, examined; USNMENT00879968)

Other material examined.

MADAGASCAR: Female paratype, same data as holotype (USNMENT00879968); Fianarantsoa, Parc National Ranomafana: 2M,8F, 4 eggcases, Vohiparara, Sahamalaotra forest, 41.1 km 54° NE Fianarantsoa, 21°14'19.9"S, 47°23'39.2"E, 1200 m, 26 Dec 2005 - 14 Jan 2006, montane rainforest, general collecting day, beating vegetation: in clumps of dead dry foliage, H. Wood, J. Miller, J.J. Rafonomezantsoa, E. Rajeriarison, V. Andriamananony (USNMENT01377217, USNMENT01377218, USNMENT01377219, USNMENT01377210, USNMENT01377211); 2M,10F,16Juvs, 5 eggcases, Talatekely forest, 42.3 km 58° NE Fianarantsoa, 21°15'28.0"S, 47°25'21.8"E, 1050 m, 24 Dec 2005 - 14 Jan 2006, montane rainforest, general collecting day and night, H. Wood, J. Miller, J.J. Rafonomezantsoa, E. Rajeriarison, V. Andriamananony (USNMENT01377212, USNMENT01377213, USNMENT01377214, USNMENT01377205); 2M,4F,3Juvs,1 eggcase, Vohiparara, 3.6 km W Ranomafana, 21°14.243'S, 47°23.842'E, 1150 m, 13-14 Jan 2009, primary montane rainforest, general collecting day and night, C. Griswold, A. Saucedo and H. Wood (USNMENT01377206, USNMENT01377207, USNMENT01377208, USNMENT01377209); 1F, Talatakely, 21°14.9'S, 47°25.6'E, 5-18 Apr 1998, C. Griswold, D. Kavanaugh, N. Penny, M. Raherilalao, J. Ranorianarisoa, J. Schweikert, D. Ubick (CASENT9012347); 1M, same data as previous except 19-30 Apr 1998 (CASENT9010075); 2M,4F,3Juv, Vatoharanana, 21°16.7'S, 47°26.1'E, 1200 m, 15 Apr 1998, primary forest, C. Griswold, D. Kavanaugh, N. Penny, M. Raherilalao, J. Ranorianarisoa, J. Schweikert, D. Ubick (CASENT9012349, CASENT9010076); 1F,1juv, 2.3 km N Vohiparara village, 21°12.8'S, 47°23.0'E, 1100 m, 18 Apr 1998, C. Griswold, D. Kavanaugh, N. Penny, M. Raherilalao, E. Rajeriarison, J. Ranorianarisoa, J. Schweikert, D. Ubick (CASENT9012345); 1F, same data as previous except 10-11 Apr 1998 (CASENT9012348); 1M,2F, Vohiparara, Piste Touristique, 21°13.6'S, 47°24.0'E, 1000 m, 23 Apr 1998, C. Griswold, D. Kavanaugh, N. Penny, M. Raherilalao, E. Rajeriarison, J. Ranorianarisoa, J. Schweikert, D. Ubick (CASENT9012333); 1M, Talatakely, 21°15'S, 47°26'E, 915-1000 m, 30 Oct - 20 Nov 1998, V.F. Lee, K.J. Ribardo (CASENT9010074); 1M, Vatoharanana River, 4.1 km 231° SW Ranomafana, 21°17'24"S, 47°26'00"E, 1100 m, 27-31 Mar 2003, montane rainforest, EB20 yellow pan trap, Griswold, Fisher et al (CASENT9018908); 1M,2F, Talatakely, 21°15'S, 47°25'E, 900 m, 5-7 Dec 1993, N. Scharff, S. Larcher, C. Griswold, and R. Andriamasimanana (CASENT9046586); 1M,1F,2juvs, Trail FF, 14 May 1992, sifting litter 1 hr sample, B. Roth (CASENT9012334); 1F,1juv, 7 km W Ranomafana, 1100 m, 23-28 Feb 1990, montane rainforest, W.E. Steiner (USNMENT00879971); 1F, 7 km W Ranomafana, 21°12'S, 47°27'E, 1000 m, 1-7 Mar 1990, montane rainforest, W.E. Steiner (USNMENT00879987).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from all other archaeids, except M. vadoni , M. rabesahala sp. n., M. fohy sp. n., and M. borimontsina (presumably, because the male is unknown) by having a retrolateral apophysis on the distal side of the male pedipalpal femur and patella (see fig. 12B in Wood 2008), and by the shape of the FSGP that is highly reduced and lacks “wings” (Fig. 24B). M. legendrei is distinguished from M. vadoni by having a rounded cephalon with the cephalic spines not on protrusions (Fig. 24A), rather than the larger protrusions seen in M. vadoni (compare figs 18A and 18C in Wood 2008); from M. borimontsina by having less than 6 teeth on the cheliceral retromargin, by having a rounded bulge that the AME rests upon, and by lacking a bulge on the posterio-basal side of the chelicerae (see fig. 18D in Wood 2008); from M. fohy sp. n. by lacking a heavily sclerotized rod-shaped sclerite on the palpal bulb (Fig. 23H,J, arrow), and by lacking setae on the retrolateral cymbial protrusion (Figs 23C, 24C, arrow); and from M. rabesahala sp. n. by having a more rounded cephalon, and by having a comparatively smaller and less sclerotized triangular basal portion of the conductor (compare basal “c” in Figs 24G, 25G).

Description.

Male (based on CASENT9012333, from Parc National Ranomafana, Madagascar). Total length 1.67, carapace 0.74 long, 0.58 wide. Abdomen 0.90 long, 1.13 high. Carapace tilt angle 61.9°, tilt height (CtH) 1.42, constriction 0.28, head length 0.58, neck length 0.84. CtH divided by carapace length 1.92. Cephalon with AME on large bulge, and with 6 short post-ocular spines at the crown, not on protrusions, and 1 short spine between the LE and AME (on each side, for a total of 2; see fig. 18A in Wood 2008). Chelicerae 1.53 long, and with a small spine 0.34 from base of chelicerae and projecting downward (Fig. 24A). Femur I 2.35 long. Sternum 0.49 long, 0.29 wide. Carapace, chelicerae, sternum and legs reddish brown with white setae. Legs with darker annulations on tibiae and metatarsi. Abdomen dark brown with lighter circular patches throughout, with white setae (Fig. 24A). Pedipalpal bulb of the " vadoni group" form (Fig. 24 D–I): pedipalpal bulbs elongated with conductor swirling around a mostly membraneous embolus; conductor base triangular (Fig. 24D,G), with remainder of conductor elongate and cradling embolus, and with a curved tip; MA translucent and fans out (Fig. 24 E–F, H–I). Cymbium with small retrolateral protrusion that lacks setae (Fig. 24C, arrow).

Female (based on CASENT9012333, from Parc National Ranomafana, Madagascar). Total length 1.92, carapace 0.79 long, 0.63 wide. Abdomen 1.13 long, 1.40 high. Carapace tilt angle 54.4°, tilt height (CtH) 1.63, constriction 0.36, head length 0.71, neck length 0.90. CtH divided by carapace length 2.06. Cephalon as in male. Chelicerae 1.61 long, and with short spine 0.34 from base of chelicerae and projecting downward (Fig. 24A). Femur I 2.26 long. Sternum 0.53 long, 0.31 wide. Colors as in male. Genitalia of the " vadoni -group" form (Fig. 24B): with one group of poreplates on each side of the bursa anterior, and with FSGP highly reduced, lacking “wings.”

Variation.

Total length 1.46-1.67 (males; n=5), 1.81-2.02 (females; n=5); Carapace length 0.66-0.77 (males; n=5), 0.76-0.82 (females; n=5); Femur I 3.01-3.66 times the length of carapace in males (n=5), 2.71-3.05 in females (n=5); CtH divided by carapace length 1.93-2.24 in males (n=5), 2.01-2.21 in females (n=5); Average femur I length 2.32 in males (n=5), 2.29 in females (n= 5).

Natural history.

Specimens were collected in montane rainforest from 915-1200 m in elevation by beating clumps of dead, dry foliage, by sifting litter, in yellow pan traps, and by general collecting day and night.

Distribution.

Known only from Parc National Ranomafana in central eastern Madagascar (Fig. 33).