Opopaea berlandi (Simon & Fage, 1922)

Tong, Yanfeng, Liu, Shijia, Kioko, Esther N., Kioko, Grace M. & Li, Shuqiang, 2019, Taxonomic studies on seven species of the genus Opopaea (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Kenya, African Invertebrates 60 (2), pp. 255-289 : 255

Opopaea berlandi (Simon & Fage, 1922) Figs 1 , 2 , 3 , 21 A–C , 23A, B , 25A, H

Gamasomorpha berlandi Simon & Fage, 1922: 535, figs 4.4-6 (syntypes 1 ♀ and 3 ♂ from Kenya, Coast Province, "Grotte A de Shimoni, provo de Seyidié” [Shimoni caves, near to 4°38'S, 39°23'W], 9.XI.1911, in Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, not examined).

Opopaea berlandi : Brignoli 1975: 230; Saaristo and Marusik 2008: 20, figs 8-10 (♂).

Material examined.

1 ♂ ( NMK Ar-25102), 2 ♀ ( NMK Ar-25103-25104), Kenya, Kilifi County, Watamu Town, Jilore Sites, 03°16.239'S, 39°55.611'E, 43 m, 21.VII.2016, Kioko G.M., Yao Z. & Zhao Q. 2 ♂ ( NMK Ar-25105-25106), 3 ♀ ( NMK Ar-25107-25108-25109), Kwale County, Ukunda Town, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Sheldrick falls, 04°17.121'S, 39°25.886'E, 127 m, 18.VII.2016, Kioko G.M., Yao Z. & Zhao Q.

Diagnosis.

Males can be recognized by the tubercle-shaped ridges on posterior part of sternum (arrow in Fig. 1F ), the very small booklung covers ( Fig. 1H ), and the truncate tip of cymbiobulbus ( Fig. 2E ); females are recognized by the dark, linguiform projection on the epigastric scutal ridge (lpr in Fig. 23A ).

Description.

Male. Yellow. Habitus as in Fig. 1A, C, E . Body length 1.20. Carapace ( Fig. 1B ): wide oval in dorsal view; sides with longitudinal streaks; dorsal area finely reticulate, with some setae at lateral edges, several setae on the posterior margin of dorsal surface with very large hair base. Eyes: ALE largest, PLE smallest; posterior eye row recurved viewed from above, procurved from front; ALE separated by less than their radius, ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Clypeus height about 0.9 times ALE diameter ( Fig. 1G ). Sternum as long as wide, fused to carapace; surface finely reticulate, with medium sized pits, with a pair of tubercle-shaped ridges on posterior part (arrows in Fig. 1F ); radial furrows present only between coxae I-II, II-III. Anterior end of endites with a small, sharply pointed projection. Legs light yellow. Abdomen: booklung covers very small, ovoid, without setae. Pedicel tube short, ribbed, with small, dorsolateral, triangular extensions, scuto-pedicel region as high as diameter of pedicel, with arched scutal ridges and curved anterior scutal ridge ( Fig. 1I ). Palp ( Figs 2 , 21 A–C ): reddish brown; femur slightly shorter than half the length of patella and inserted at the patella submedially; patella very large; cymbiobulbus shorter than the patella, tip of the cymbiobulbus broad.

Female. As in male except as noted. Habitus as in Fig. 3A, C, E . Body length 1.42. Endites without projections. Copulatory organ ( Figs 3H , 23A, B ): in the middle of the epigastric scutal ridge there is a dark, linguiform projection; postgynal depression extremely narrow; there is a paddle-like sclerite (pls) dorsally, with thin, smoothly curved arms; nail-like process (nlp) well separated.

Measurements.

Male. TL: 1.20; CL: 0.55; CW: 0.49; AL: 0.70; AW: 0.56; ALE: 0.07; PME: 0.07; PLE: 0.06; EGW: 0.21; ALE-ALE: 0.02; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0; CBL: 0.21; CBW: 0.07; PTL: 0.26; FI: 0.12; FML: 0.11.

Female. TL: 1.42; CL: 0.64; CW: 0.53; AL: 0.89; AW: 0.76; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.07; PLE: 0.05; EGW: 0.21; ALE-ALE: 0.03; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0.

Distribution.

Kenya.

Figures

Figure 1. Opopaea berlandi, male. A, C, E habitus, dorsal, lateral and ventral views B, D, F, G prosoma, dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior views H, I abdomen, lateral and anterior views. Abbreviations: boc = booklung covers; dte = dorsolateral, triangular extensions; sr = scutal ridge. Scale bars: 0.4 mm (A, C, E); 0.2 mm (B, D, F-I).

Figure 2. Opopaea berlandi, male left palp, SEM. A, B prolateral and retrolateral views C, D, G cymbiobulbus, prolateral, retrolateral and dorsal views E, F, H distal part of cymbiobulbus, prolateral, retrolateral and dorsal views.

Figure 3. Opopaea berlandi, female. A, C, E habitus, dorsal, lateral and ventral views B, D, F, G prosoma, dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior views H abdomen, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.4 mm (A, C, E); 0.2 mm (B, D, F-H).

Figure 21. Male left palp. A-C Opopaea berlandi D-F Opopaea makadara sp. nov. G-I Opopaea ngulia sp. nov. J-L Opopaea sheldrick sp. nov. A, D, G, J prolateral view B, E, H, K retrolateral view C, F, I, L dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 23. Female copulatory organ. A, B Opopaea berlandi C, D Opopaea kulczynskii E, F Opopaea sheldrick sp. nov. A, C, E ventral view B, D, F dorsal view. Abbreviations: apo = apodeme; asr = anterior scutal ridge; ga = globular appendix; lpr = linguiform projection; nlp = nail-like process; pd = postgynal depression; pls = paddle-like sclerite; rds = ring-shaped dark spot; sds = stick-shaped dark spot. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 25. Habitus of males (A-G) and females (H-M). A, H Opopaea berlandi B, I Opopaea kulczynskii C, J Opopaea makadara sp. nov. D Opopaea ngulia sp. nov. E, K Opopaea ngangao sp. nov. F, L Opopaea sheldrick sp. nov. G, M Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.8 mm.