Anansus, 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

Anansus , n. gen.

Type species. Anansus aowin , n. sp.

Etymology. Named for Anansi, one of the most important gods of west African lore, depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof. Gender male.

Diagnosis. Small, short-legged, six-eyed pholcines (proximo-lateral cheliceral apophyses!), distinguished from other known pholcines by combination of following characters: small male palpal femur but extremely large and thick tibia (Figs. 33, 40, 58); bulb with single process (embolus) (Figs. 32, 39, 47); procursus with distinctive sclerite provided with retrolateral brush of long hairs (Figs. 33, 40, 53); unique pattern on sternum in males and females ( Fig. 8 ); male cheliceral apophyses without modified hairs ( Fig. 44 ); epigynum without scape (Figs. 35, 41, 60); eye triads close together ( Figs. 4, 6 ); presence of several ALS spigots (versus two) ( Fig. 49 , 55 ).

Description. See species descriptions below.

Relationships. As indicated above, Anansus is either resolved as representative of a mainly African group of genera characterized by the dorsal rather than prolateral attachment of the genital bulb to the cymbium, or as a much more “basal” taxon within pholcines ( Figs. 1 A, B). The latter topology considers posteriorly directed cheliceral apophyses as plesiomorphic for pholcines, while upward pointing cheliceral apophyses are a synapomorphy of the sister group of Anansus (clade 8 in Fig. 1 B). Both solutions make sense biologically, so the phylogenetic position of this genus within pholcines remains open.

Distribution. The three species described below are from Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Congo DR ( Fig. 74 ). The MRAC has a further closely related species from Cameroon (Mbam near Koutoupi, MRAC 167.984). The single male specimen is very poorly preserved and therefore not described herein.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cladograms of pholcines, using equal character weights (A) and successive weighting (B) in NONA. Wedge-shaped branches represent multiple taxa in a clade. Numbered clades are supported as follows: 1. (Pholcinae) proximo-lateral apophyses on male chelicerae, six eyes, embolus tubular and membranous. 2. Male palpal tibia-tarsus joints shifted to prolateral side. 3. Male palpal trochanter with retrolateral apophysis. 4. Genital bulb attached dorsally. 5. ALS “ piriform gland spigots ” absent. 6. Eye triads widely separated. 7. Like 2 above, plus male palpal tibia spindleshaped. 8. Proximo-lateral apophyses on male chelicerae directed upwards, not backwards.

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 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).