Trachecymbius felis, Haddad & Lyle, 2024

Haddad, Charles R. & Lyle, Robin, 2024, Three new genera of arboreal dark sac spiders from southern Africa (Araneae: Trachelidae), Zootaxa 5399 (5), pp. 451-504 : 493-494

Trachecymbius felis sp. nov.

Figs 189–197 , 216, 217 , 224–227

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin for “cat”, and refers to the type locality, Katberg, which is Afrikaans for “cat mountain”; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. The male of this species can be recognised by the tuft of dense setae distally on the tegulum cavity behind the embolus, the gentle curvature of the distally-tapering embolus and the short, blunt RTA ( Figs 195–197 , 224, 225 ). The female is easily recognised by the strongly curved ridges of the copulatory openings that form a heart-shaped atrium in the centre of the epigynal plate ( Fig. 226 ), with the connecting ducts of the spermathecae running over the ventral surface of the copulatory ducts internally, close to the copulatory opening ( Fig. 227 ).

Male (holotype, Katberg, TMSA 23904). Measurements: CL 1.29, CW 1.11, AL 1.43, AW 1.02, TL 2.67, FL 0.12, SL 0.84, SW 0.64, AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.015, ALE-ALE 0.21, PME-PME 0.08, PME-PLE 0.08, PLE-PLE 0.37. Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 1.21 + 0.58 + 0.94 + 0.78 + 0.47 = 3.98; II 0.94 + 0.45 + 0.76 + 0.67 + 0.42 = 3.24; III 0.75 + 0.36 + 0.56 + 0.62 + 0.33 = 2.62; IV 1.08 + 0.43 + 0.94 + 0.93 + 0.41 = 3.79.

Carapace deep yellow-brown, with faint black mottling ( Fig. 216 ); carapace finely wrinkled dorsally, with small tubercles on slopes; fovea short, narrow, at ⅔ CL. Eye region with black rings around eyes; AER procurved; clypeus height equal to ¾ AME diameter; ALE slightly larger than AME; AME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance equal to ¼ AME diameter; PER strongly recurved; PLE slightly larger than PME; PME separated by distance equal to their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae and labium deep yellow-brown, sternum and endites yellow-brown, sternum darker around borders; surface smooth, sparsely covered with short, fine setae. Abdomen subhexagonal, dorsum creamy-grey with dense grey mottling, darker on anterior surface and along midline in posterior half ( Fig. 216 ); dorsal scutum absent; two pairs of elongate-oval sigilla, first pair at ¼ AL and second pair at midpoint of abdomen; dorsum covered in fine appressed setae, longer along midline; venter creamy-grey, with grey mottling. Legs I to IV yellow-brown, I and II darker than III and IV; femora and patellae with broad grey mottled bands in distal half, mottling also proximally and distally on tibiae and dorsal surface of metatarsi. Palp brown; embolus originating distally on tegulum, curving gently anticlockwise, with tip directed distally; with closely associated finger-like pale conductor; patch of dense thickened setae distally on the tegulum cavity behind embolus tip; RTA ventrally positioned, a short blunt tubercle; cymbial apophysis large, with protruding triangular tip in ventral view ( Figs 195–197 , 224, 225 ).

Female (paratype, Hogsback, NCA 2012/1887). Measurements: CL 1.09, CW 0.85, AL 1.29, AW 0.79, TL 2.40, FL 0.10, SL 0.71, SW 0.54, AME-AME 0.02, AME-ALE 0.01, ALE-ALE 0.16, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.09, PLE-PLE 0.32. Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 0.65 + 0.33 + 0.43 + 0.40 + 0.27 = 2.08; II 0.56 + 0.29 + 0.38 + 0.38 + 0.24 = 1.85; III 0.48 + 0.25 + 0.29 + 0.37 + 0.19 = 1.58; IV 0.65 + 0.29 + 0.46 + 0.51 + 0.21 = 2.12.

Carapace yellow-brown, with black mottling ( Fig. 217 ); carapace surface winkled dorsally, finely granulate on slopes; fovea indistinct, shallow, at ¾ CL. AER procurved; clypeus height equal to ½ AME diameter; ALE larger than AME; AME separated by distance slightly larger than ¼ their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance equal to ⅕ AME diameter; PER strongly recurved; PLE larger than PME; PME separated by distance equal to ⅞ their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance approximately equal to 1¼ PME diameter. Chelicerae deep yellow-brown, with faint black mottling; labium and endites pale yellow-brown; sternum bright yellow-orange, with black mottling, yellow-brown around borders. Abdomen oval, dorsum mottled dark grey, with pair of narrow longitudinal cream lines anteriorly, converging with transverse cream band at midpoint ( Fig. 217 ); two pairs of oval orange-brown sigilla, first pair at ¼ AL, second pair at midpoint of abdomen; venter uniform pale creamy-grey. Legs I yellow-brown, II to IV yellow; all segments with black mottling, except at bases of femora and tarsi. Epigyne with broad, strongly curved oblique ridges medially in epigyne, forming shallow heart-shaped atrium, with broad copulatory duct curving laterally, bending back mesally, terminating in small elongate-oval ST II; connect ducts of spermathecae curving along anterior margin of copulatory duct, looping over anterior corner at copulatory opening, continuing over ventral side of copulatory duct before entering bilobed lateral ST I, separated by almost double their width ( Figs 226, 227 ).

Type material. Holotype ♁: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Katberg State Forest , 32°28.220'S, 26°40.028'E, 1240 m a.s.l., 8.I.2011, leg. C. Haddad, C. Griswold & H. Wood (canopy fogging, indigenous forest) ( TMSA 23984 ).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: 2♁, together with holotype ( TMSA 23984 ) ; Amatola mountains, Ashfield-on-Hogsback, Hogsback , 32°34.993'S, 26°55.472'E, 1330 m a.s.l., 30.IX.2011, leg. J. Neethling & C. Luwes (canopy fogging, Afromontane forest ), 3♀ ( NCA 2012 /1887) ; Same locality, Pine plantation, 32°35.508'S, 26°56.538'E, 1210 m a.s.l., 1.IV.2012, leg. C. Haddad & J. Neethling (canopy fogging, Podocarpus falcatus ), 3♁ ( NMBA 16268 ) ; Same locality, Amatola Forestry Company offices, 32°35.276'S, 26°55.911'E, 1270 m a.s.l., 22.IV.2012, C. Haddad (active search, under overhanging vegetation), 1♁ ( NCA 2014 /607) ; Mpofu Nature Reserve , 32°36.383'S, 26°35.846'E, 27.I.2009, leg. S.L. Peinke (beating, thornveld, SLP9), 1♀ ( NCA 2011 /827) .

Other material. None.

Distribution. Recorded from three localities in the Amatola Mountains ( Fig. 236 ).

Figures

FIGURE 236. Distribution of Trachecymbius felis sp. nov. (blue circles), T. peterwebbi sp. nov. (green triangle) and T. tyume sp. nov. (yellow triangles) in southern Africa. Black star indicates Hogsback, where T. bosselaersi sp. nov., T. felis sp. nov., T. tyume sp. nov. and T. umbella sp. nov. occur sympatrically.

FIGURES 189–197. Scanning electron micrographs of Trachecymbius felis sp. nov. male. 189. Carapace, dorsal view; 190. Eye region, dorsal view; 191. Mouthparts; 192. Detail of serrula; 193. Sternum; 194. Right palp, retrolateral view of patella, arrow indicating lyriform organ; 195. Same, retrolateral view of tibiae and tarsus; 196. Right palp, ventral view of tarsus; 197. Same, detail of embolus. Abbreviations: CA—cymbial apophyses; E—embolus; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; TR—trichobothrium.

FIGURES 215–221. Digital microscope photographs of dorsal habitus of Trachecymbius spp. 215. T. bosselaersi sp. nov., female; 216, 217. T. felis sp. nov., male (216) and female (217); 218. T. peterwebbi sp. nov., male; 219, 220. T. tyume sp. nov., male (219) and female (220); 221. T. umbella sp. nov., female. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 224–229. Trachecymbius felis sp. nov., male (224, 225) and female (226, 227), and T. peterwebbi sp. nov. male (228, 229): 224, 228. Left palps, ventral view; 225, 229. Same, retrolateral view; 226. Epigyne, ventral view; 227. Same, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.