Anansus aowin, Huber, Bernhard A., 2007

Huber, Bernhard A., 2007, Two new genera of small, six-eyed pholcid spiders from West Africa, and first record of Spermophorides for mainland Africa (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 1635, pp. 23-43 : 30-32

Anansus aowin , n. sp.

( Figs. 4, 5 , 32–37, 43–51)

Type material. Male holotype from Ivory Coast, Appouesso, FC Bossematie (6°35’N, 3°28’W), rain forest, Winkler extraction of sieved litter, February 13–15, 1997 (R. Jocqué, L. Baert), in MRAC (205.397).

Etymology. Named for the Aowin , an Akan people living in southern Côte d'Ivoire.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from known congeners by the morphology of the procursus (Figs. 33, 37) and the internal female genitalia (Fig. 36). Otherwise very similar (including male chelicerae).

Anansus aowin Left palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 35, 36. Cleared epigynum, ventral and dorsal views. b, genital bulb; e, embolus; ep, epigynal pocket; p, procursus; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.1 mm (34), 0.2 mm (32, 33, 35, 36).

Male (holotype). Total length 1.04, carapace width 0.48. Leg 1: 3.87 (0.97 + 0.20 + 0.97 + 1.20 + 0.53), tibia 2: 0.67, tibia 3: 0.50, tibia 4: 0.77. Tibia 1 L/d: 17. Habitus as in Figs. 4, 5 ; carapace brown, mottled with black, sternum with distinctive pattern of four black lines on each side (cf. Fig. 8 ), legs light brown to ochreyellow, abdomen gray with distinct black line dorsally reaching the spinnerets ( Fig. 4 ); distance PME–PME 25 µm; diameter PME ~80 µm (slightly oval shape); distance PME–ALE 15 µm; AME missing. Sternum wider than long (0.38/0.30), unmodified. Clypeus with tiny median projection on ventral rim ( Fig. 43 ); chelicerae with pair of simple frontal apophyses (Figs. 34, 44), with proximo-lateral apophyses directed backwards ( Fig. 46 ), without stridulatory ridges. Palps as in Figs. 32, 33; coxa unmodified, trochanter with distinct ventral apophysis, femur small, with prominent ventral and small prolateral projections, tibia very large, procursus ( Figs. 37 , 45 ) consisting of proximal part with ventral pointed projection and distinctive sclerite set with brush of hairs, and large distal part, the latter complex and hinged towards proximal part; bulb simple, consisting of globular part and weakly sclerotized curved embolus ( Fig. 47 ); palpal tarsal organ capsulate. Legs without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 25%, prolateral trichobothrium apparently absent on tibia 1, present on other legs; tarsus 1 with about 12 pseudosegments, only distally fairly distinct; tarsus 4 with complex comb-hairs ventrally ( Figs. 50, 51 ). Male gonopore with four epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 48 ). ALS with one widened, one pointed, and five cylindrically shaped spigots ( Fig. 49 ).

Variation. Tibia 1 in other males: 1.03, 1.07. No other variation seen.

Female. In general similar to male but clypeus unmodified. Tibia 1: 0.87 (missing in other female). Epigynum a simple dark frontal plate with pair of small pockets close together near posterior rim, and narrow posterior plate (Fig. 35; externally similar to A. ewe , cf. Fig. 9 ); internally with conspicuous dark structures of unknown significance and pair of small pore plates (Fig. 36).

Distribution. Known from type locality in Ivory Coast only ( Fig. 74 ).

Material examined. IVORY COAST: Appouesso, FC Bossematie: type above; same data but Feb. 13, 1997, rain forest, sieved litter, 3ɗ2Ψ in MRAC (205.452).

Figures

FIGURE 74. Map showing the known distributions of Nyikoa n. gen. and Anansus n. gen., as well as the only known record of Spermophorides in Africa.

FIGURES 2 – 12. Photographs of habitus and female abdomens. 2, 3. Nyikoa limbe, male in dorsal and lateral views. 4, 5. Anansus aowin, male in dorsal and lateral views. 6 – 8. Anansus ewe, male in dorsal, lateral, and ventral views. 9. Anansus ewe, female abdomen, ventral view. 10. Spermophorides africana, female abdomen, ventral view. 11, 12. Spermophorides africana, male in dorsal and lateral views.

FIGURES 43 – 49. Anansus aowin n. sp. 43. Male prosoma, frontal view; arrow points to tiny clypeus projection. 44. Male chelicerae, distal area in frontal-ventral view. 45. Details of right male palp, retrolateral view. 46. Male prosoma and chelicerae, oblique view; arrow points to proximo-lateral cheliceral apophysis. 47. Embolus. 48. Male gonopore with epiandrous spigots. 49. Male ALS (four of the five “ piriform gland spigots ” damaged). Scale lines: 10 µm (48, 49), 30 µm (44, 47), 100 µm (43, 45, 46).

FIGURES 37 – 42. Anansus aowin n. sp. (37) and A. ewe (38 – 42). 37, 38. Left procursus, retrolateral views (same magnification). 39, 40. Left palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 41, 42. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. b, genital bulb; e, embolus; ep, epigynal pocket; p, procursus; pp, pore plate. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 50 – 56. Anansus aowin (50, 51) and A. ewe (52 – 56). 50, 51. Comb hairs on male tarsus 4, lateral and ventral views. 52. Details of left male palp, retrolateral view. 53. Distinctive sclerite of procursus set with brush of hairs (hairs lost in this specimen). 54. Male gonopore with four epiandrous spigots. 55. Male ALS. 56. Dorsal view of cleared female internal genitalia. p, procursus; pp, pore plate; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 10 µm (53, 55), 20 µm (50, 51, 54), 100 µm (52, 56).