Martensikara, Jäger, 2021

Jäger, Peter, 2021, Two new enigmatic genera of huntsman spiders from Madagascar (Araneae Sparassidae), Zootaxa 4984 (1), pp. 335-346 : 336

Martensikara gen. nov.

Type species. Martensikara jocheni spec. nov.

Etymology. Named in honour of Jochen Martens on the occasion of his 80 th birthday. The generic name is a combination of the family name “Martens” and the Malagasy word for Madagascar “ Repoblikan’i Madagasikara ”. The gender is feminine.

Diagnosis. Martensikara gen. nov. may be distinguished from all other Heteropodinae by the following combination of characters: 1. Tibiae I–II with 5–7 pairs of ventral spines (usually 3 pairs; Spariolenus Simon, 1880 with 5 pairs, Berlandia Lessert, 1921 with 9–10 pairs, but both genera with posterior eye row distinctly recurved). 2. Chelicerae with 4 escort setae sensu Ramirez (2014) (all other Heteropodinae with 1 escort seta). 3. Posterior eye row straight to slightly procurved (other Heteropodinae with posterior eye row recurved). 4. Chelicerae with more than 4 retromarginal teeth as in Thunberga Jäger, 2020a , Platnickopoda Jäger, 2020b , or the South American Anaptomecus Simon, 1903b (distinguished from these by points 1–2 of this diagnosis). 5. Unique pattern of transverse stripes and chevrons on the dorsal side of the opisthosoma ( Fig. 10 ; no such pattern in other Heteropodinae ).

Notes. Beside the characters mentioned in the diagnosis above, the simple internal duct system of the vulva in combination with the presence of more than two promarginal cheliceral teeth is unique within the entire family. Even similarly simple duct systems of e.g. Cebrennus kochi (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) , C. tunetanus Simon, 1885 or Olios lucieni Jäger 2020c (all of them Sparassinae Bertkau, 1872 with 2 promarginal teeth) have glandular appendages or some windings or a generally more structured duct system. The presence of 4 promarginal teeth on the cheliceral furrow is another exceptional character state. If congeners will be found with the same character state, it could serve as a diagnostic character for the genus as well.

Description. See description of the type species below.

Species included. Only the type species.

Distribution. Presently known only from the type locality of the type species in southern Madagascar (Toliara Province) ( Fig. 36 : green triangle).

Figures

FIGURES 10–13. Martensikara jocheni gen. & spec. nov., holotype female (Madagascar, Fort Dauphin, Mt. Vasiha, MRCA 202.868), habitus (10 dorsal, 11 ventral, 12 frontal, 13 lateral). Arrows indicating position of bite marks.

FIGURES 30–36. 30–35 Deelemanikara christae gen. & spec. nov., females from Madagascar (30–33 holotype from Beparasy, MRCA 142.748; 34–35 female from Antsirabe, MRCA 142.587), habitus (30 dorsal, 31, 35 ventral, 32, 34 frontal, 33 lateral). 36 Localities of Martensikara jocheni gen. & spec. nov. (green triangle) and of Deelemanikara christae gen. & spec. nov. (red circles) on Madagascar.