Opopaea makadara Tong & Li

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 makadara Tong & Li sp. nov. Figs 7 , 8 , 9 , 21 D–F , 24A, B , 25C, J

Type material.

Holotype ♂ ( NMK Ar-25110), Kenya, Kwale County, Ukunda Town, Shimba Hills National Reserve, Makadara Forest, 04°14.232'S, 39°23.666'E, 410 m, 19.VII.2016, Kioko G.M., Yao Z. & Zhao Q. Paratypes: 1 ♂ ( NMK Ar-25111), same data as holotype; 1 ♀ ( NMK Ar-25112), same data as holotype; 1 ♀ ( NMK Ar-25113), 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.

Etymology.

The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

Diagnosis.

The new species is similar to O. manongarivo Andriamalala & Hormiga, 2013, but can be distinguished by the round tip of male palpal bulb ( Fig. 8E ) and the dark, small, linguiform projection in the middle of the female epigastric scutal ridge ( Fig. 24A ). Opopaea manongarivo has acute tip of male palpal bulb and smooth epigastric scutal ridge of female ( Andriamalala and Hormiga 2013: figs 635, 643, 645).

Description.

Male (holotype). Yellow. Habitus as in Fig. 7A, C, E . Body length 1.32. Carapace ( Fig. 7B ): wide oval in dorsal view; sides with longitudinal streaks; dorsal area finely reticulate with some setae at lateral edges. Eyes: ALE largest, PLE smallest; posterior eye row straight 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 1.4 times ALE diameter ( Fig. 7G ). Sternum ( Fig. 7F ) as long as wide, fused to carapace; surface finely reticulate, with medium sized pits; radial furrows present. 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, interrupted medially, with curved anterior scutal ridge ( Fig. 7H ). Palp ( Figs 8 , 21 D–F ): reddish brown; palpal femur slightly shorter than half the length of palpal patella and inserted at the patella submedially; patella very large; cymbiobulbus shorter than the patella; palpal fenestra large and located at one third the length of the palp. Tip of the palp with one large, round protuberance.

Female. As in male except as noted. Habitus as in Fig. 9A, C, E . Body length 1.50. Endites without projections. Copulatory organ ( Figs 9H , 24A, B ): in the middle of the epigastric scutal ridge there is a dark, small, linguiform projection; postgynal depression extremely narrow; there is a paddle-like sclerite (pls) dorsally, with thin straight arms; nail-like process (nlp) well separated.

Measurements.

Male (holotype). TL: 1.32; CL: 0.58; CW: 0.50; AL: 0.77; AW: 0.56; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.07; PLE: 0.06; EGW: 0.22; ALE-ALE: 0.02; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0; CBL: 0.19; CBW: 0.08; PTL: 0.25; FI: 0.11; FML: 0.11.

Female. TL: 1.50; CL: 0.60; CW: 0.49; AL: 0.97; AW: 0.71; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.06; PLE: 0.05; EGW: 0.21; ALE-ALE: 0.03; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Figure 7. Opopaea makadara sp. nov., male. A, C, E habitus, dorsal, lateral and ventral views B, D, F, G prosoma, dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior views H abdomen, anterior view. 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-H).

Figure 8. Opopaea makadara sp. nov., 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 9. Opopaea makadara sp. nov., 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. Abbreviation: boc = booklung covers. 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 24. Female copulatory organ. A, B Opopaea makadara sp. nov. C, D Opopaea ngangao sp. nov. E, F Opopaea wundanyi 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. 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.