Maghreba djabalija, 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 : 94-98

Maghreba djabalija gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:933904E7-301A-4E9E-8B07-7EE5D21DD8EA

Figs 163B , 263–264 , 331–350

Diagnosis

Distinguished from most known congeners (except M. gharbija gen. et sp. nov.) by sclerite on procursus tip between ventral sclerite and transparent process (arrow in Fig. 336 ); from M. gharbija and other species also by the combination of: procursus with long and slightly curved ventral sclerite ( Fig. 336 ); dorsal process of distal (main) bulbal sclerite only slightly longer than ventral part, ventral part with three teeth of different sizes ( Figs 339–342 ); epigynum short trapezoidal and with pair of whitish processes ( Figs 345–347 ).

Etymology

The species name is an adjective derived from the Arab ‘ djabalija ’ = ‘mountain-dwelling’.

Type material

Holotype MOROCCO – Marrakesh-Safi • ♂; NE of Tizi n’Test; 30.897° N, 8.339° W; 2075 m a.s.l.; 12 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; among rocks near ground; ZFMK Ar 22388.

Other material examined

MOROCCO – Marrakesh-Safi • 3 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 22389, Ar 22390 • 3 ♀♀, 1 juv. (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mor 73 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Tizi n’Test ; 30.87° N, 8.38° W; 2200 m a.s.l.; May 1939; L. Berland leg.; MNHN Ar 10341 • 1 ♂, 1 juv.; same collection data as for preceding; MNHN Ar 10342 .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.2, carapace width 1.3. Distance PME–PME 110 µm; diameter PME 95 × 115 µm; distance PME–ALE 25 µm; diameter AME 70 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 25.3 (7.2 + 0.5 + 7.0 + 8.8 + 1.8), tibia 2: 4.8, tibia 3: 3.6, tibia 4: 4.2; tibia 1 L/d: 58; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.25, 0.22, 0.21, 0.21.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow, medially partly darker (brown V-mark behind ocular area; posterior part of pit darkened); clypeus not darkened; sternum dark brown, with black radial marks; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with black marks on femora and tibiae, few also on metatarsi; abdomen gray, densely covered with dark and whitish marks; ventrally with wide dark brown band, band behind gonopore divided by two light longitudinal lines.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 263 . Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, rim not more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (0.90/0.65), unmodified. Abdomen posteriorly rounded, barely elongated beyond spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 337–338 , with pair of frontal lateral apophyses, each with one large modified cone-shaped hair; distance between tips of modified hairs: 360 µm; with pair of light proximal frontal protrusions set with brushes of long hairs; lateral stridulatory ridges barely visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As is Figs 331–333 ; coxa with distinct retrolateral-ventral process; trochanter barely modified (low ventral rounded hump); femur not curved towards dorsal, distally widened and with low rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), without retrolateral transversal line, with distinct retrolateral-ventral proximal process and distinct dorsal process; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia relatively long and slender, tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 334–336 ) with dorsal hairs slightly curved; on prolateral side with proximal ridge followed distally by distinct hump, free of hairs; distally with small ventral flap; procursus tip with strong ventral sclerite, semitransparent process, and distinctive apophysis inbetween (arrow in Fig. 336 ), main branch strongly curved towards dorsal, with semitransparent hairlike process and simple tip; genital bulb ( Figs 339–342 ) basal sclerite with dorsal apophysis; distal (main) sclerite large, with deep retrolateral pocket, strong dorsal process without teeth, ventral part with three teeth of different sizes, sperm duct opening in membranous area on prolateral side.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~20 ventral spines; without curved hairs; with slightly higher than usual density of short vertical hairs prolaterally on tibiae 3–4; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments irregular and indistinct except ~5–8 distally.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in six males (incl. holotype): 5.7–7.0 (mean 6.3).

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 264 ) but without spines on legs; with indistinct stridulatory apparatus between prosoma and abdomen: barely visible whitish processes on carapace and light brown areas frontally on abdomen; cheliceral stridulatory ridges not seen. Tibia 1 in ten females: 5.4–7.2 (mean 6.0). Epigynum as in Figs 345–347 , main epigynal plate trapezoidal, weakly protruding, with pair of low processes; with pair of indistinct round pockets (distance ~340 µm); posterior plate short and wide, simple; indistinct plate in front of epigynum, not elevated. Internal genitalia ( Figs 343–344 , 348–350 ) with elongate pore plates in transversal position, widening medially; dorsal arc with distinctive median elements, ventral arc with indistinct ventral rounded pocket.

Natural history

The specimens were found under large rocks along a dry riverbed. They were very fast at escaping, very different from the otherwise similar M. stifadma gen. et sp. nov. at Setti-Fatma.

Distribution

Known from the Tizi n’Test area only, in the Moroccan High Atlas ( Fig. 163B ).

Figures

Fig. 163. Known distribution of Maghreba gen. nov. A. Complete known distribution, including an undescribed Algerian species in CRB; the approximate extent of the Atlas Mountains is shown (1000 m altitude isolines, taken from https://www.britannica.com/). B. Known distributions of named species. Asterisk: specimens tentatively assigned to M. aurouxi gen. nov.

Figs 257–264. Maghreba gen. nov., live specimens. 257–259. M. gharbija gen. et sp. nov., male and female from Morocco, E of Ghazoua. 260–262. M. aurouxi (Barrientos, 2019) gen. nov., male and female from Morocco, SE of Zebzat. 263–264. M. djabalija gen. et sp. nov., male and female with eggsac from Morocco, NE of Tizi n’Test.

Figs 331–333. Maghreba djabalija gen. et sp. nov.; male from Morocco, NE of Tizi n’Test (ZFMK Ar 22389); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 334–344. Maghreba djabalija gen. et sp. nov.; male and female from Morocco, NE of Tizi n’Test (ZFMK Ar 22389, Ar 22390). 334–336. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: dark process between ventral sclerite and transparent process. 337–338. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 339–342. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, retrolateral, and ventral views. 343– 344. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets (pits). Abbreviations: dp = dorsal process; pr = epigynal process; tp = transparent process; vs = ventral sclerite; vt = ventral teeth. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 345–350. Maghreba djabalija gen. et sp. nov.; female from Morocco, NE of Tizi n’Test (ZFMK Ar22390).345. Abdomen, ventral view.346–347. Epigynum, lateral and ventral views.348–350. Cleared female genitalia, ventral view, regular dorsal view, and dorsal view with dorsal arc tilted backwards. Abbreviations: po = pocket; pr = epigynal process. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.