West African pholcid spiders: an overview, with descriptions of five new species (Araneae, Pholcidae)
Author
Huber, Bernhard A.
Author
Kwapong, Peter
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2013
2013-10-18
59
1
44
journal article
10.5852/ejt.2013.59
66a4827c-34cd-46a0-aceb-4bbaf4166a65
1406590
F3B32952-A769-4A41-92EB-3EBF52AD7F7F
Spermophora akwamu
sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D0DB384E-4A3F-4EB1-80D6-48278C31EB82
Figs 11-13
,
34
,
77-91
Diagnosis
Distinguished from the very similar
S. dieke
and from a similar undescribed species from Congo DR (in MRAC) by pair of processes on male clypeus (
Fig. 80
; only one median process in
S. dieke
; bifid process in species from Congo DR); from other congeners by armature of male chelicerae (only one pair of weakly sclerotized proximal processes;
Fig. 89
), by shapes of procursus (ventral sclerotized flap, distal flagellum;
Figs 87-88
) and bulb (shape of hooked apophysis;
Fig. 87
), and by shape of epigynum (rectangular plate without pockets;
Figs 85
,
90
).
Etymology
The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the
Akwamu
(or Akuambo), an Akan kingdom in the 17th and 18th centuries whose founders settled in the area of modern-day Kakum National Park.
Type
material
Holotype
♂
, in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10522
)
.
Type
data
GHANA
:
Central Region
:
Kakum National Park
(
5°20.9’N
,
1°23.0’W
),
160 m
a.s.l.,
forest near entrance
,
day collecting
,
19 Feb. 2013
(
B.A. Huber
).
Other material examined
GHANA
:
Central Region
:
15 ♂♂
25 ♀♀
8 juvs
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10523-24
),
Kakum National Park
, same data as holotype
;
7 ♂♂
7 ♀♀
2 juvs
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10525
), same data but
20 Feb. 2013
;
1 ♂
8 ♀♀
2 juvs
in pure ethanol in
ZFMK
(
Gha 145
), same data
;
6 ♂♂
6 ♀♀
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10526-27
), same data but
night collecting
,
20 Feb. 2013
;
11 ♂♂
28 ♀♀
in
MRAC
(
217694, 698, 712, 725, 737
),
Kakum Forest
,
fogging
in primary forest
,
16-25 Nov. 2005
(
R. Jocqué
,
D. De Bakker
,
L. Baert
)
;
8 ♂♂
20 ♀♀
in
MRAC
(
217687, 701, 703, 708
), same data but
secondary forest
,
12-19 Nov. 2005
;
1 juv.
in
MRAC
(
217292
), same data but
beating
in secondary forest
,
23 Nov. 2005
;
3 ♂♂
2 ♀♀
in
MRAC
(
217261, 277
), same data but
beating
between primary and secondary forest
,
11-12 Nov. 2005
;
1 ♂
2 ♀♀
1 juv.
in
MRAC
(
217173
), same data but
sieving
of
forest litter
,
10 Nov. 2005
.
Eastern Region
:
2 ♂♂
1 ♀
1 juv.
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10528
),
Atewa
Hills,
Atewa
Atwirebu Reserve
at
500 m
a.s.l. (
6°13.8’N
,
0°32.4’W
),
degraded forest along road
,
24 Feb. 2013
(
B.A. Huber
)
;
1 ♀
5 juvs
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10529
),
Atewa
Atwirebu Reserve
at
740 m
a.s.l. (
6°13.8’N
,
0°33.5’W
),
25 Feb. 2013
(
B.A. Huber
)
;
1 juv.
in pure ethanol in
ZFMK
(
Gha 139
), same data
.
Western Region
:
5 ♂♂
4 ♀♀
2 juvs
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10530
),
Ankasa
National Park
(
5°13.0’N
,
2°39.1’W
),
180 m
a.s.l.,
forest near entrance
,
day collecting
,
22 Feb. 2013
(
B.A. Huber
)
;
2 ♂♂
2 juvs
in pure ethanol in
ZFMK
(
Gha 159
), same data
;
1 ♂
2 ♀♀
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 10531
),
Ankasa
National Park
,
forest along Big Tree Trail
(~
5°15.1’N
,
2°38.4’W
), ~
100 m
a.s.l.,
23 Feb. 2013
(
B.A. Huber
)
.
Description
Male (
holotype
)
MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.1, carapace width 0.7. Leg 1: 22.3 (5.3 + 0.4 + 5.4 + 9.2 + 2.0), tibia 2: 3.1, tibia 3: 2.0, tibia 4: 3.0; tibia 1 L/d: 76. Distance PME-PME 115 µm, diameter PME 95 µm, distance PME-ALE 35 µm, no AME.
Figs 77-86.
Spermophora akwamu
sp. nov.
77-79
. ♂, dorsal, lateral, and ventral views.
80
. ♂ prosoma, oblique frontal view.
81-82
. ♀, ventral and dorsal views.
83-84
. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views.
85-86
. Cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale lines: 77-79, 81-82 = 1 mm; 80, 83- 84 = 0.5 mm; 85-86 = 0.2 mm.
Figs 87-91.
Spermophora akwamu
sp. nov.
87-88
. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views (hp: hinged process).
89
. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view.
90-91
. Cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale lines: 87-88 = 0.5 mm; 90-91 = 0.3 mm; 89 = 0.2 mm.
COLOR. Carapace pale gray with narrow black margins and indistinct median line (
Fig. 77
), ocular area and clypeus dark brown to black, sternum pale gray (
Fig. 79
), legs ochre-yellow, with indistinct dark rings subdistally on femora and tibiae, abdomen mostly pale gray, with black transversal mark at posterior tip, further black marks posteriorly above spinnerets and near gonopore.
BODY. Habitus as in
Figs 77-79
; ocular area slightly elevated, each triad on low hump; carapace without median furrow (only dark line); clypeus with distinctive pair of dark processes, about 100 µm long (
Fig. 80
); sternum wider than long (0.55/0.45), unmodified. Chelicerae as in
Fig. 89
, with pair of weakly sclerotized processes proximally, distally without modification, without stridulatory ridges.
PALPS. As in
Figs 83-84
and
87-88
, coxa with indistinct ventral process, trochanter with long ventral and shorter retrolateral apophyses, procursus with ventral sclerotized flap, prolatero-dorsal hinged process and thin distal flagellum; bulb with hooked apophysis and long weakly sclerotized embolus.
LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 8.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with>20 indistinct pseudosegments.
VARIATION. Tibia
1 in
35 other males: 4.3-5.6 (mean 4.8). Some males from
type
locality with additional small black marks dorsally on abdomen; in both males from
Atewa
Hills, these marks are present and larger; in males from
Ankasa
N.P. the abdomen is almost monochromous, without ventral marks, without marks above spinnerets, only mark at posterior tip.
Female
In general similar to male but sternum in most females dark brown or black (
Fig. 81
), abdomen dorsally with more and larger black marks (
Fig. 82
), clypeus unmodified, carapace with small median process acting against indistinct sclerotized plate above pedicel. Tibia
1 in
42 females
: 3.5-4.4 (mean 3.9). Epigynum simple rectangular plate, anteriorly with dark transversal internal structure, without pockets (
Figs 85
,
90
); internal genitalia as in
Figs 86
,
91
.
Relationships
Judging from the very similar morphology, this species is probably closely related to
S. dieke
from Guinea (cf. figures in
Huber 2009
) as well as to a further very similar (undescribed) species from Congo DR (in MRAC).
Natural history
The spiders were found both under green leaves where they built slightly domed sheets that extended beyond the leaves (
Fig. 13
; with the spider resting under a leaf), and in the leaf litter, under curved dead leaves, in small webs apparently not extending beyond the leaf.
Distribution
Known from several localities in southern Ghana (
Fig. 34
).