Crossopriza sanaa, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 164-168

Crossopriza sanaa sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BD71FF3D-A3B9-4830-ACCC-A1DB61C7BAD6

Figs 353A , 643–663

Crossopriza pristina (misidentification) – Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten 2001: 195 (part; see Remark below), figs 1–4, 7–9.

Remark

The redescription of C. pristina in Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten (2001) is based largely on specimens from Sana’a that are here identified as C. sanaa sp. nov. However, in their “Studied material” section

they also list specimens from Khamis Bani Sa’d and Little Aden. These represent a different species, C. manakhah sp. nov. Most of the figures in Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten (2001) that are supposed to represent C. pristina do in fact represent C. sanaa sp. nov. The only exception is their figure 10, which is copied from Denis (1945), and which Denis thought represented C. semicaudata (which is also wrong).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by details of male palp ( Figs 646–651 ; procursus with strong ventral sclerite, distal bulbal sclerite with pointed dorsal and ventral tips and two prolateral apophyses), and by female genitalia ( Figs 654–663 ; median ridge forming a ‘T’); from many congeners also by male chelicerae ( Figs 652–653 ; relatively small apophyses pointing toward median line, no lateral processes).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype YEMEN • ♂; Sana’a; 15.350° N, 44.217° E; Jun. 1998; A. van Harten leg.; NMNL ARA 15023.

Other material examined

YEMEN • 3 ♂♂; Sana’a, Plant Protection Department ; 15.350° N, 44.217° E; 19 May 1999; NMNL ARA 15213 • 3 ♀♀; same locality as for preceding; Dec. 1997; A. van Harten leg.; NMNL ARA 15215 • 5 ♀♀; same locality as for preceding; Jan. 1998; A. van Harten leg.; NMNL ARA 15214 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; Feb. 1998; A. van Harten leg.; MRAC 214308 • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; near Sana’a, “564”; 3 Dec. 1998; A. van Harten leg.; NMNL .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 4.2, carapace width 1.6. Distance PME–PME 120 µm; diameter PME 105 × 120 µm; distance PME–ALE 40 µm; diameter AME 90 µm; distance AME–AME 40 µm. Leg 1: 32.9 (9.6 + 0.7 + 9.1 + 11.4 + 2.1), tibia 2: 6.4, tibia 3: 4.9, tibia 4: 5.6; tibia 1 L/d: 52; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.26, 0.24, 0.24, 0.24.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow, median pit and posterior part of ocular area light brown; sternum mostly dark brown, laterally lighter; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with elongate black marks on femora and tibiae; abdomen pale gray, with few indistinct dark marks dorsally, ventrally with darker marks near pedicel and near spinnerets and three indistinct longitudinal bands behind gonopore.

BODY. Habitus similar to C. ghul sp. nov. and C. sahtan sp. nov. (cf. Figs 391 , 481 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Wide and deep thoracic pit and pair of furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified but rim more strongly sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (1.15/0.75), unmodified. Abdomen dorso-posteriorly slightly angular.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 652–653 , with pair of converging apophyses close to median line, each with one strong modified (cone-shaped) hair at tip, distance between tips of modified hairs 80 µm; with very fine stridulatory ridges and pair of low but dark frontal lateral humps.

PALPS. As in Figs 643–645 ; coxa with very low rounded retrolateral hump; trochanter barely modified; femur proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), without retrolateral process, with indistinct transversal retrolateral line, without dorsal process; distally widened, with low ventral protrusion; femur-patella joints close together and shifted towards prolateral; tibia large relative to femur; tibia-tarsus joints shifted towards retrolateral; procursus ( Figs 646–648 ) proximally with strong prolateral hump with many hairs, dorsal hairs barely curved, procursus tip with strong ventral sclerite, rounded prolateral lamella, and further distinctive partly membranous elements; genital bulb ( Figs 649– 651 ) with simple basal sclerite connected to distal (main) sclerite, sperm duct opening not seen; distal

sclerite with retrolateral ridge, two distinctive processes pointing in opposite directions and pair of distinctive prolateral apophyses.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~20 ventral spines, also femur 2 distally with ~10 stronger hairs in one ventral row; without curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 4%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsi without regular pseudosegments but with indistinct platelets.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in five males (incl. holotype): 8.9–11.0 (mean 9.6). Ventral dark band on abdomen variably complete (cf. female, Figs 656, 658 ).

Female

In general similar to male but without spines on legs, apparently without (or with extremely fine) stridulatory files on chelicerae, and with stridulatory organ consisting of pair of weakly sclerotized but distinct processes posteriorly on carapace and pair of light brown plates anteriorly on abdomen ( Fig. 660 ). Tibia 1 in eight females: 8.1–10.4 (mean 9.4). Epigynum as in Figs 656–659 , main epigynal plate triangular, weakly protruding, with pockets very close together on both sides of median ridge (distance ~45 µm); internal arcs and median anterior structure variably visible in uncleared specimens; posterior plate short but wide, simple; with pair of small brown plates in front of epigynum, not elevated. Internal genitalia ( Figs 654–655 , 661–663 ) with pair of elongate pore plates converging and narrowing anteriorly, ventral arc with distinctive median cleft and ventral median process (pocket?).

Distribution

Known from type locality only ( Yemen, Sana’a) ( Fig. 353A ).

Figures

Fig. 353. Known distribution of Crossopriza Simon, 1893; autochthonous species part 2 (cf. Fig. 352): species with main cheliceral apophyses in frontal position and epigynal pockets close together. The figure is split into two to avoid too much overlap; the split is not meant to reflect any natural grouping of species. The single record of C. maculipes from China is not shown (see text).

Figs 643–645. Crossopriza sanaa sp. nov.; non-type male from Yemen, near Sana’a (NMNL); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 646–655. Crossopriza sanaa sp. nov.; holotype male from Yemen, Sana’a (646–651; NMNL ARA 15023), non-type male from near Sana’a (652–653; NMNL, unnumbered), and female from Sana’a (654–655; NMNL ARA 15215). 646–648. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 649–651. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: retrolateral ridge. 652– 653. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 654–655. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 656–663. Crossopriza sanaa sp. nov.; females from Yemen, Sana’a (656–657, 660: NMNL ARA 15214; 658–659, 661–663: NMNL ARA 15215). 656–659. Abdomens and epigyna, ventral views. 660. Abdomen, frontal view; arrows: stridulatory plates. 661–663. Female internal genitalia, dorsal view (with dorsal arc tilted backwards), ventral view, and regular dorsal view. Abbreviations: da = dorsal arc; e = epigynum; va = ventral arc. Scale bars: 656, 658, 660 = 1.0 mm; 657, 659, 661–663 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 391–398. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 391–392. C. sahtan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Wadi Ghul. 393–395. C. tiwi sp. nov., males and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Tiwi. 396–398. C. dhofar sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ain Razad, and female from Oman, Wadi Nahiz.

Figs 475–482. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 475–478. C. moqal sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Moqal Cave. 479–480. C. kittan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ibri, Al Kittan Cave. 481–482. C. ghul sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Ghul.