Leroya silva, Honiball Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014

Honiball Lewis, Allet S. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S., 2014, Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 3873 (2), pp. 101-144 : 136-138

Leroya silva sp. n.

Figs 128–136, 139 , 143–144 , 147

Type material: Holotype: ♂, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): Bas Congo-Region , Mayombe, Luki Forest Reserve [5°37’S, 13°05’E], fogging, 5–10 November 2006, D. De Bakker & J.P. Michiels (MRAC 222238a).

Paratypes: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): 2 ♂, 1 ♀, collected with holotype (MRAC 222238b) ; 1 juvenile ♀, 2 ♂ same locality data as holotype (MRAC 220995) . RWANDA: Est Province , 1 ♀, Ibanda Makera [02°09’S, 30°55’E], October 1993, T. Wagner (ZFMK AR 1320) . UGANDA: Masindi Province, 1 ♂, Budongo forest [01°45’N, 31°25’E], 15–25 January 1997, T. Wagner (ZFMK AR 1321). Etymology. “ Silva ” is the Latin word that means forest, and it refers to the habitat where all known individuals were sampled. Noun in apposition .

Diagnosis. Body without patterns ( Figs 133, 135 ). Differs from L. unicolor in slightly darker body, shape of copulatory organs and carapace that is wider than long. Epigyne visible as two sclerotised areas ( Figs 136 , 143 ), in L. unicolor visible as one large sclerotised area. Male bulb as in Figs 134 , 141, 142 .

Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 4.10 (3.89–4.22); CL: 1.98 (1.91–2.04); CW: 2.00 (1.96–2.05); CI: 0.99 (0.97–1.03); CH: 0.99 (0.74–1.11); CLL: 0.20 (0.19–0.23); MOQ-L: 0.37 (0.34–0.37). Colour. Carapace with metallic-shine to copper-brown; eye tubercles copper; abdomen dorsally and ventrally pale brown ( Fig. 135 ). Carapace. Slightly wider than long. Clypeus. With numerous thick, long setae on edge. Chelicerae. With short setae ( Fig. 128 ). Sternum. SL: 0.85; SW: 0.84; SI: 1.02. Eye s. Eye spots on all eyes or only on LE; ALE and PLE situated on very flatish tubercles; eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.57; ALE–AME: 0.60; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.94; PME–PME: 0.72; PLE–PME: 0.68; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.07; ALE/AME: 1.07; PLE/PME: 0.94; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.97; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.46; Clyp/AME–AME: 0.36. Legs. With trichobothria, tarsal claws with long tufts that extend densely towards claws ( Figs 129–132 ); leg formula: I:II:III:IV; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 1.47, Pat 0.57, Tib 1.39, Mt 1.14, Ta 0.81, total 5.38; II—Fe 1.48, Pat 0.46, Tib 1.28, Mt 1.15, Ta 0.80, total 5.17; III—Fe 1.10, Pat 0.38, Tib 0.78, Mt 0.62, Ta 0.51, total 3.40; IV—Fe 1.04, Pat 0.37, Tib 0.81, Mt 0.67, Ta 0.50, total 3.39. Abdomen. With numerous long and shorter setae, spiniform setae scattered in between, all embedded in distinct tubercles; sigillae bigger than other species. AL: 2.12; AW: 2.05; AI: 1.03. Epigyne. Spermathecae and intromittent canals as in Figs. 143, 144 .

Male. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 3.39 (3.04–3.92); CL: 1.63 (1.42–1.94); CW: 1.68 (1.49–2.00); CI: 0.97 (0.95–0.99); CH: 0.82 (0.68–0.93); CLL: 0.20 (0.15–0.26); MOQ-L: 0.31 (0.28–0.35). Resemble females but differ as follows: Colour. Metallic-shine, copper or blackish-turquoise; abdomen dorsally and ventrally dark brown ( Fig. 133 ). Clypeus. As in Fig. 139 . Sternum. SL: 0.67 SW: 0.70 SI: 0.96. Eyes. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.47; ALE–AME: 0.50; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.93; PME–PME: 0.56; PLE–PME: 0.59; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 0.95; ALE/AME: 1.08; PLE/PME: 1.05; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.83; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.37; Clyp/AME– AME: 0.41. Legs. Leg formula: II:I:III:IV; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.99, Pat 0.28, Tib 1.00, Mt 0.84, Ta 0.54, total 3.65; II—Fe 1.50, Pat 0.41, Tib 1.44, Mt 1.20, Ta 0.77, total 5.32; III—Fe 0.97, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.71, Mt 0.57, Ta 0.45, total 2.98; IV—Fe 0.86, Pat 0.28, Tib 0.72, Mt 0.56, Ta 0.45, total 2.87. Abdomen. AL: 1.75; AW: 1.67; AI: 1.05. Palp. Bulb with slight swelling laterally; tibia with long setae; RTA and VTA long ( Figs 134 , 141, 142 ).

Natural history. This species lives in the canopy of rainforests. Adults and juveniles were collected from October until January.

Distribution. Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC), Rwanda, Uganda ( Fig. 147 ).

Figures

FIGURES 128–132. SEM photographs of Leroya silva sp. n. from the DRC, Mayombe. 128 Chelicerae; 129–132 Tarsal claws and tufts (129 leg I, 130 leg II, 131 leg III, 132 leg IV). Scale lines = 100 µm (128, 129, 132), 10 µm (130, 131).

FIGURES 133–140. Photographs of the body, copulatory organs, eye pattern and clypeal length of Leroya gen. n. 133–136. L. silva sp. n. from DRC, Mayombe (133 male dorsal view, 134 male right palp ventral view, 135 female dorsal view, 136 female epigyne ventral view); 137–138. L. unicolor (Simon, 1895) comb. n. from DRC, Rwankwi (137 female dorsal view, 138 epigyne ventral view); 139 L. silva male frontal view; 140 L. unicolor female frontal view.

FIGURES 141–146. Line drawings of female and male copulatory organs in Leroya gen. n. 141–144. L. silva sp. n. (141 male left palp ventral view, 142 male left palp retro-lateral view, 143 epigyne ventral view, 144 epigyne dorsal view,); 145–146. L. unicolor (Simon, 1895) comb. n. (145 epigyne ventral view, 146 epigyne dorsal view). Scales lines = 10mm.

FIGURES 147–148. Recorded geographical distributions of Leroya gen. n. 147 L. silva sp. n.; 148 L. unicolor (Simon, 1895) comb. n. Scale lines = 1800 km (147), 2000 km (148).