Euophrys falciger, 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 : 15-18

Euophrys falciger sp. nov.

Figs 40–46

Holotype: male, SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Champagne Castle Hlathikulu For., 29°02'S: 29°23'E, 1550 m a.s.l., bases of grasses and ferns in forest, 20 January 2011, leg. C. Haddad ( NCA 2010 / 2717).

Paratypes: same data, 2 females ( NCA 2010 /2718) .

Diagnosis. The species resembles E. difficilis (Simon, 1868) from the Mediterranean area but differs from it in the longer tibial apophysis and the shorter proximal lobe of the bulb. It is also similar to E. meridionalis described below, but the male is larger. It may be recognized by the presence of the outgrowth on the ventral surface of the palpal tibia, the more elongated bulb and clearly longer embolus. The structure of the epigyne resembles that in E. gracilis described below in having a knot in the distal parts of the seminal ducts, which are also longer in this species.

Etymology. The specific name is Latin, meaning sickle bearing and refers to the shape of embolus.

Description. Measurements (male/female). Cephalothorax: length 1.9/1.1, width 1.4/0.9, height 0.8/0.5. Abdomen: length 1.8/1.2, width 1.5/0.8. Eye field: length 0.8/0.4, anterior and posterior width 1.3/0.9.

Male. General appearance as in Fig. 40 . Carapace oval, moderately high, dark brown, clothed in colourless and grey hairs, eye field black, with longer bristles near eyes. Clypeus low, dark. Chelicerae dark brown, with two promarginal teeth and single tooth on retromargin. Labium and endites dark, sternum black. Abdomen oval, black with pattern composed of light patches, and with a few darker chevrons posteriorly ( Fig. 40 ), brown hairs on dorsal surface. Venter with mosaic of dark spots. Spinnerets dark. Legs dark brown, basal parts of patellae, tibiae and metatarsi orange. First pair of legs almost black. Pedipalps brown. Embolus thin, broader at base, small bump on the tibia ventrally ( Figs 41–43 ), resembling one found in members of Chalcoscirtus .

Female. Smaller than male, slightly lighter coloured. Abdomen greyish brown with five pairs of light patches, in the second specimen the patches joined in two irregular streaks, venter yellowish. Spinnerets light. Legs greyish yellow with darker rings. Epigyne with two rounded depressions ( Fig. 45 ). Internal structure as in Fig. 46 , seminal ducts with knot in front of the inlets to spermathecae, accessory glands in spermatheca wall.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 40–46. Euophrys falciger sp. nov. 40 male holotype, dorsolateral view; 41 palpal organ, ventrolateral view; 42 palpal organ, ventral view; 43 palpal organ, retrolateral view; 44 embolus, ventroapical view; 45 epigyne; 46 internal structure of epigyne.