Spermophora ziama, Huber, Bernhard A. & Kwapong, Peter, 2013

Huber, Bernhard A. & Kwapong, Peter, 2013, West African pholcid spiders: an overview, with descriptions of five new species (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 59, pp. 1-44 : 34-38

Spermophora ziama sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0ACE7F4F-6D69-4F46-A1D3-ED54AAE3846D

Figs 34 , 92-105

Spermophora cf. tonkoui – Dimitrov et al. 2013 (DNA data).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from S. tonkoui (the only similar species and probably closest known relative; see below) by relatively shorter palpal elements (femur, tibia, bulb; Figs 100-101 ), by large hooked apophysis on bulb ( Fig. 100 ; in S. tonkoui pair of small apophyses distally on long bulb), by shorter proximal frontal apophyses on male chelicerae ( Fig. 103 ), and by pair of small pockets in posterior epigynal plate ( Fig. 104 ).

Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Type material

Holotype ♂, in ZFMK ( Ar 10532 ) .

Type data

GUINEA: Guinée Forestière: Forêt Classée de Ziama (8°24.2’N, 9°19.3’W), 640 m a.s.l., 2 Dec. 2008 (B.A. Huber).

Other material examined

GUINEA: Guinée Forestière: 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀ in ZFMK ( Ar 10533 ), same data as holotype ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀ in ZFMK ( Ar 10534 ), same data, taken alive and died from heat ; 4 ♀♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol in ZFMK ( Gui 67 ), same data .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.0, carapace width 0.9. Leg 1: 19.3 (4.6 + 0.4 + 5.0 + 7.1 + 2.2), tibia 2: 3.0, tibia 3: 2.1, tibia 4: 2.8; tibia 1 L/d: 57. Distance PME-PME 345 µm, diameter PME 70 µm, distance PME-ALE 35 µm, no AME.

COLOR. Carapace and clypeus mostly light brown except lighter median band, sternum dark brown, legs ochre-yellow, abdomen mostly dark except dorsal median mark and book-lung covers pale gray.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 92-93 ; ocular area barely elevated, each triad on short stalk directed laterally, with pair of elongate furrows behind each stalk; carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (0.65/0.50), unmodified. Chelicerae as in Figs 102-103 , with pair of lateral processes proximally, pair of frontal apophyses proximally close together, and pair of frontal apophyses distally provided with five tiny modified (conical) hairs each; without stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 94-95 and 100-101 , coxa unmodified, trochanter with retrolateral apophysis curved towards dorsally, femur with retrolatero-dorsal process proximally, widened distally, tibia very long, dorso-distal rim slightly projecting, procursus complex, apparently with two hinges in proximal part, with long membranous process arising from hinge retrolaterally, distal whitish part provided with many short pseudotrichia ventrally; bulb elongated, with hooked apophysis and long weakly sclerotized embolus.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs (most hairs missing); retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 14%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with>30 very indistinct pseudosegments.

VARIATION. Tibia 1 in 2 other males: 4.8, 5.4.

Female

In general similar to male but triads closer together (distance PME-PME 185 µm), furrows behind ocular area less distinct ( Fig. 96 ). Tibia 1 in 2 females: 4.6 (both). Epigynum large bulging area with median internal tube-like structure, posterior narrow plate with pair of small pockets ( Figs 97, 98 , 104 ); internal genitalia as in Figs 99 , 105 .

Relationships

Several unique characters indicate that S. ziama sp. nov. is closely related to S. tonkoui : curved retrolateral apophysis on male palpal trochanter; procursus with long transparent retrolateral process and distinctive prolateral sclerite between two putative hinges; distal whitish part of procursus with many short pseudotrichia ventrally; male cheliceral armature (proximal frontal apophyses close together); and tube-like internal structure in female genitalia.

The relationships of these two species to other taxa remain obscure. Spermophora tonkoui was explicitly assigned tentatively to the genus ( Huber 2003b), and recent analyses of molecular data of S. ziama sp. nov. ( Dimitrov et al. 2013: 12S, 18S, h3) provided contradicting results, mostly poorly supported but suggesting an affinity to a group consisting of African Spermophora and the genera Buitinga Huber, 2003 , Paramicromerys Millot, 1946 , Spermophorides Wunderlich, 1992 , and Belisana Thorell, 1898 ( Dimitrov et al. 2013: supplement fig. S2).

Natural history

The spiders were found in crevices in the ground, between soil and roots or between soil and rocks.

Distribution

Known from type locality only ( Fig. 34 ).

Figures

Figs 33 - 34. Known distributions of the genera Smeringopus Simon, 1890 and Spermophora Hentz, 1841 in West Africa.

Figs 92 - 99. Spermophora ziama sp. nov. 92 - 93. ♂, dorsal and lateral views. 94 - 95. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 96 - 97. ♀, dorsal and ventral views. 98 - 99. Cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale lines: 92 - 93, 96 - 97 = 1 mm; 94 - 95, 98 - 99 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 100 - 105. Spermophora ziama sp. nov. 100 - 101. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views (ba = bulbal apophysis; e = embolus; pr = procursus). 102 - 103. ♂ chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 104 - 105. Cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Arrows point at pockets in posterior epigynal plate. Scale lines: 100 - 101, 104 - 105 = 0.5 mm; 102 - 103 = 0.3 mm.