Revision and cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical endemic genus Smeringopus Simon, 1890 (Araneae: Pholcidae)
Author
HUBER, BERNHARD A.
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-09-07
3461
1
1
138
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3461.1.1
journal article
53629
10.11646/zootaxa.3461.1.1
664d9cee-5b75-4788-a394-6b35a37de652
11755334
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0704C43A-73D8-4A28-915A-7FF8611C8606
Smeringopus carli
Lessert, 1915
Figs. 748, 753–754
,
761–763
,
782–790
,
801–804
Smeringopus carli
Lessert 1915: 6–8
, pl. 1, figs. 1–2.
Smeringopus madagascariensis
Millot, 1946: 150–153
, figs. 25b, 26a–d, 27, 28a–c.
New synonymy.
Types.
Smeringopus carli
:
Male
holotype
from
Uganda
,
Central Region
,
Entebbe
[~
0°03’N
,
32°28’E
], no date (
J. Carl
), in
MHNG
, examined
.
Smeringopus madagascariensis
(all types collected by J. Millot, in MNHN, examined):
♂
paralectotype
(designated herein) and
2♂
1♀
3 juvs.
paralectotypes
from Bas-Sambirano [
13°36’S
,
48°27’E
];
1♀
paralectotype
from Anaborano [
13°33’S
,
48°49’E
];
1 juv.
paralectotype
from Andranoboka [
15°38’S
,
46°53’E
];
1♀
paralectotype
from Ankarana [
12°57’S
,
49°06’E
];
2♀
5 juvs.
paralectotypes
from Ankify [
13°32’S
,
48°21’E
];
1♀
paralectotype
from Majunga [
15°43’S
,
46°19’E
];
1♀
1 juv.
paralectotypes
from Nossi-Bé [
13°24’S
,
48°18’E
];
1♂
1♀
1 juv.
paralectotypes
from Nossi-Komba [
13°28’S
,
48°20’E
].
Justifications of synonymy and
lectotype
designation. There is slight genital variation among Millot’s specimens, with some of them (including the
lectotype
) identical to the
S. carli
holotype
and others with a genital bulb that reminds of
S. sambesicus
and a procursus that reminds of
S. roeweri
. The identity of these latter specimens (especially those from Nossi-Komba, Ankify, and Anaborano) requires further collecting and study.
Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar species with proximal and distal cheliceral apophyses (
S. roeweri
,
S. sambesicus
,
S. lubondai
) by shapes of procursus (distal blade-shaped apophyses,
Figs. 782–784
), bulb (processes of embolus,
Figs. 785–787
), cheliceral apophyses (
Figs. 788, 789
); from
S. roeweri
and
S. lubondai
also by long frontal epigynal plate (
Figs. 761, 762
,
801
).
FIGURES 782–790.
Smeringopus carli
. 782. Left cymbium and procursus, retrolateral view. 783–784. Left procursus, prolateral and dorsal views. 785–787. Left embolus, prolateral, prolatero-ventral, and retrolatero-ventral views. 788–789. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 790. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (782–787, 790), 0.5 mm (788–789).
FIGURES 791–804.
Smeringopus roeweri
(791–800) and
S. carli
(801–804). 791. Male prosoma, frontal view. 792–793. Left procursus, prolateral and dorsal views. 794. Left embolus. 795. Male gonopore. 796. Male ocular area. 797. Cymbial macrotrichia. 798. Epigynum. 799. Female ALS. 800. Female PMS. 801. Epigynum. 802. Left palp, retrolateral view. 803–804. Male and female ALS. Scale lines: 20 µm (799–800, 803–804), 50 µm (797), 80 µm (792–793), 100 µm (794–795), 200 µm (796, 798, 801–802), 500 µm (791).
Male (
Dar es Salaam
). Total body length 7.4, carapace width 2.2. Leg 1: 49.6 (13.5 + 0.9 + 12.8 + 20.0 + 2.4), tibia 2: 9.3, tibia 3: 6.9, tibia 4: 9.6; tibia 1 L/d: 52. Habitus as in
Fig. 748
. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown median and indistinct lateral marks, clypeus with pair of brown stripes, sternum brown with light marks near coxae 2–4 and more medially, legs light brown, tips of femora and tibiae lighter, darker rings on femora and tibiae distally and in patella area, abdomen ochre-gray with distinct dorsal and ventral pattern. Distance PME-PME 150 µm, diameter PME 195 µm, distance PME-ALE 70 µm, distance AME-AME 45 µm, diameter AME 185 µm. Ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with indistinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; deep thoracic pit. Chelicerae as in
Figs. 788 and 789
, with slender proximal apophyses and distal apophyses. Palps as in
Figs. 753 and 754
, coxa with distinct retrolateral apophysis and shallow wide furrow, trochanter barely modified, femur with retrolateral furrow with ventrally distinct rim (
Fig. 802
), procursus with distinctive distal blade-shaped processes (
Figs. 782–784
), bulb with distinctive complex embolus (
Figs. 785–787
). Legs without spines, few vertical hairs, with curved hairs ventrally on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1. Gonopore with two epiandrous spigots; ALS with eight spigots each (
Fig. 803
).
Variation. Tibia
1 in
18 males
: 8.1–12.7 (mean 10.7). In the
holotype
, the blade-shaped apophyses distally on the left procursus are broken and this artifact was illustrated by
Lessert (1915
, fig. 1) and used by
Kraus (1957)
in his identification key. Otherwise the
holotype
is in fair condition, all legs and both palps are detached, the carapace pattern is largely lost; tibia 1: 11.2.
Female. In general similar to male; tibia
1 in
34 females
: 7.7–11.2 (mean 9.1). Epigynum a simple, distinctively long plate, round pockets posteriorly deeper but also anteriorly with distinct rim (
Figs. 761, 762
,
801
); internal genitalia as in
Figs. 763
and
790
. ALS as in male (
Fig. 804
).
Distribution. Apparently widely distributed in eastern Africa, the
Comoros
, and northern
Madagascar
(
Fig. 718
), but all mainland localities are in urban areas. For
Madagascar
,
Millot (1946)
noted that this species is rather found in natural habitats (in forests, under large rocks, in caves and crevices, under bridges) suggesting that
S. carli
may actually have originated from
Madagascar
.
Material
examined.
UGANDA
:
Central Region
:
Entebbe
:
1♂
type
above
.
TANZANIA
:
Dar es Salaam Region
:
Mbagala
[
6°52.6’S
,
39°15.2’E
], on outer wall of building,
1.ii.1952
(
Knipper
),
3♂
2♀
in
SMF
(“
Knipper
44”)
.
Dar es Salaam
,
U.D.S.M. Campus
[
6°46.5’S
,
39°12.5’E
], grassland behind
Science Faculty
workshop,
30.vi.1978
(
K.M. Howell
),
1♂
1♀
in
MRAC
(159270 part)
.
Dar es Salaam
, in botanical garden near museum [
6°48.7’S
,
39°17.6’E
], at base of
Ficus
tree,
19.i.1952
(
Knipper
),
2♀
in
SMF
(“
Knipper
18”)
.
Dar es Salaam
,
2.vii.1980
(
M. Stoltze
,
N. Scharff
),
1♀
in
ZMUC
.
Zanzibar Urban
/
West Region
:
Zanzibar
airport [
6°14’S
,
39°13’E
],
21.xi.1975
(
M. Saaristo
),
1♂
in
ZMT
(
AA 3379
part).
Unknown
locality (
Tanzania
?, “
Knipper
117”),
1♂
1♀
in
SMF
.
COMOROS
:
Grand Comore
:
Bahani-Koimbani
[
11°37’S
,
43°20’E
],
Coulée
, under stones,
31.v.2003
(R.
Jocqué, D.
van den
Spiegel
),
1♂
1♀
in
MRAC
(213150)
.
Anjouan
:
Bazimini
[
12°11’S
,
44°27’E
], under bridge,
6.xii.1983
(R.
Jocqué
),
1♂
in
MRAC
(161080)
.
Mutsamudu
[
12°10’S
,
44°24’E
],
xi.–xii.1983
(“recolté par élèves du lycée”, R.
Jocqué
),
3♂
4♀
(2 vials) in
MRAC
(161021, 22)
.
Anjouan
, no further locality data,
v.2003
(R.
Jocqué, D.
van den
Spiegel
),
1♀
in
MRAC
(213430).
MADAGASCAR
:
4♂
8♀
+ juvs
types
of
S. madagascariensis
above.
Ankarana
,
ix.1946
(
J. Millot
)
,
4♂
5♀
1 juv.
in
MNHN
.
Ankarana
, maison, 1946 (
J. Millot
),
1♀
in
MNHN
. “
Mahilaka
”,
ix.1946
(
J. Millot
)
,
8♂
3♀
in
MNHN
.
Region de Diego
[~
12°17’S
,
49°17’E
], tronc d’arbre, 1946 (
J. Millot
),
1♂
1♀
in
MNHN
.
Hell-Ville
, Nossi-Bé [
13°24’S
,
48°16’E
], sous pierres, 1946 (
J. Millot
),
1♀
in
MNHN
.
Majunga
[=
Mahajanga
]
Prov.
:
9 km
E Marovoay
[~
16°06’S
,
46°44’E
],
31.x.1962
(
E.D. Cashatt
),
1♂
in
USNM
. “NW
Madagascar
”,
Hildebrandt
leg., no further data
,
16♂
31♀
in
ZMB
.