Anelosimus torfi Agnarsson

Agnarsson, Ingi, Jencik, Brian B., Veve, Giselle M., Hanitriniaina, Sahondra, Agostini, Diego, Goh, Seok Ping, Pruitt, Jonathan & Kuntner, Matjaz, 2015, Systematics of the Madagascar Anelosimus spiders: remarkable local richness and endemism, and dual colonization from the Americas, ZooKeys 509, pp. 13-52 : 27-28

Taxon classification Animalia Araneae Theridiidae

Anelosimus torfi Agnarsson sp. n. Fig. 7

Type material.

Holotype female from Ambohitantely Special Reserve (18.161°S, 47.302°E), 1500 m alt, Analamanga region, Ankazobe district, Madagascar, 28.iv.2008, montane forest, col. Agnarsson and Kuntner, in NMNH.

Other material.

Only known from holotype.

Etymology.

The species epithet is a noun in apposition and honors Torfi Agnarsson, the senior author´s brother.

Diagnosis.

Anelosimus torfi can be diagnosed from all other Anelosimus based on the distinctly dark coloration and from all but Anelosimus vondrona based on its pendulum-like septum. Anelosimus torfi can be diagnosed from other Madagascan Anelosimus on the basis of the following unique mtDNA nucleotide substitutions at the following standard DNA barcode alignment positions: G (43), C (620), A (764), G (952), T (953), G (955). It can also be readily diagnosed from most other Anelosimus based the following partially shared nucleotide substitutions, and all other species by their unique combination: A (46, except Anelosimus nazariani ), A (256, except Anelosimus salut and Anelosimus hookeri ), T (364, except Anelosimus darwini ), T (370, except Anelosimus salut ), T (412, except Anelosimus salut ), A (469, except Anelosimus salut ), T (484, except Anelosimus may and Anelosimus nazariani ), A (622, except Anelosimus salut ), G (625, except Anelosimus ata and Anelosimus huxleyi ), A (754, except Anelosimus salut ), G (817, except Anelosimus huxleyi ), G (841, except Anelosimus nazariani ), T (940, except Anelosimus salut ), A (943, except Anelosimus moramora ), A (961, except Anelosimus salut ).

Description.

Female: Total length 4.1. Cephalothorax 1.95 long, 1.4 wide, 1.06 high, dark black-brown. Sternum 1.13 long,. 99 wide, extending half way between coxae IV, brown. Abdomen 2.67 long, 1.76 wide, 1.67 high.black base with yellow patterns. Eyes subequal in size about 0.12 in diameter. Clypeus height about 2.1 times one AME diameter. Chelicerae with one large tooth, three denticles not visible on specimen. Leg I femur 2.21, patella 0.76, tibia 2.81, metatarsus 2.47, tarsus 1.08. Leg formula 3214, with leg 4 significantly longer than leg 1. Legs primarily black-brown with yellow bands, dark at junction between each leg segment. 4 small trichobothria dorsally on all tibia. Trichobothria on all metatarsi (2), single tricobothria on tarsi. Four dorsal trichobothria on female palpal tibia.

Variation: Total length 4.1-4.32. Abdomen 2.67-2.84 long, 1.76-1.9 wide, 1.67-2.04 high. Femur 2.21-2.47.

Distribution.

Only known from type locality.

Natural history.

Unknown, predicted to be subsocial.