Pholcus rawiriae Huber

Bernhard A. Huber, Philippe Le Gall & Jacques Francois Mavoungou, 2014, Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 81, pp. 1-46 : 32-35

Pholcus rawiriae Huber , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:54111E6C-353C-45DC-B72C-AC7D01382709

Figs 14-15 , 28 , 75-83

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by morphology of male palp (large trochanter apophysis; ventral femur apophyses; procursus with distal hinged sclerite strongly bent towards prolateral; bent embolus with spine-like processes; shape of appendix; Figs 80-81 ); from putative close relatives ( bamboutos and circularis species groups) also by distinctive pattern on carapace ( Fig. 75 ; transversal band on carapace; compare with figs. 892-918 in Huber 2011b), and by female external and internal genitalia (narrow sclerotized rim and distinctive shape of ‘valve’; long pore plates; Figs 76 , 83 ).

Etymology

Named for Gabonese novelist Angèle Ntyugwetondo Rawiri (1954–2010).

Type material

Holotype ♂, in ZFMK ( Ar 11951 ) .

Type locality

GABON, Ogooué-Ivindo, near Mohoba Mozeye (0°16.8’N, 13°20.9’E), 510 m a.s.l., forest along road, 17 Aug. 2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber).

Other material examined

GABON: Ogooué-Ivindo: 2 ♀♀ in ZFMK ( Ar 11951 ), same data as and together with holotype . 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ in ZFMK ( Ar 11952 ), Monts de Belinga , forest near Mayebout (1°06.7’N, 13°06.6’E), 500 m a.s.l., 13-14 Aug. 2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber) ; 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ( Gab 199 ), same data . Estuaire: 1 ♀, 3 juvs in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ( Gab 191 ), Monts de Cristal, between Tchimbélé and Kinguélé (0°33.8’N, 10°18.8’E), 520 m a.s.l., forest near river, 10 Aug. 2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 5.0, carapace width 1.4. Leg 1: 39.1 (9.6 + 0.5 + 9.3 + 17.5 + 2.2), tibia 2: 6.4, tibia 3: 4.2, tibia 4: 6.0; tibia 1 L/d: 62. Distance PME-PME 365 µm, diameter PME 140 µm, distance PME-ALE 45 µm, diameter AME 90 µm, distance AME-AME 70 µm.

COLOR. Carapace ochre-yellow with distinctive dark pattern, clypeus not darkened, sternum with darker brown margins; legs with distinct dark rings on femora subdistally, patellae plus tibiae proximally, tibiae subdistally, and metatarsi proximally, tips of femora and tibiae lighter; abdomen dorsally and laterally with internal black marks.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 75 ; ocular area slightly elevated, each triad on short hump directed laterally; carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (0.92/0.70), unmodified. Chelicerae as in Fig. 82 , with pair of small lateral processes proximally, directed slightly towards posterior, pair of low frontal humps, and pair of distal frontal apophyses provided with two modified hairs each; without stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 77-81 , coxa unmodified, trochanter with very large ventral apophysis, weakly sclerotized and distally curved towards prolateral, femur with one small and one larger distinctive ventral projection, procursus with distinctive hinged process distally strongly curved towards prolateral; bulb with long proximal sclerite, strongly bent embolus provided with several spine-like processes and distal fringes, without uncus, appendix with weakly sclerotized basal process.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 4%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with>20 pseudosegments, only distally fairly distinct.

VARIATION. Not seen. Tibiae 1 missing in other males.

Female

In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 5 females: 6.6-8.1 (mean 7.2). Epigynum with narrow sclerotized rim posteriorly, median ‘knob’, anterior area weakly sclerotized, ‘valve’ visible through cuticle ( Fig. 76 ); internal genitalia as in Fig. 83 .

Natural history

Most specimens were found at tree trunks, with their bodies and legs tightly pressed against the bark and thus barely visible ( Figs 14-15 ).

Distribution

Known from three localities in northern Gabon ( Fig. 28 ).

Figures

Figs 10 - 18. Litter, bark and ground-dwelling Central African pholcids. 10. Anansus kamwai sp. nov., ♀ with eggsac from near Bamenda, Cameroon. 11. Pholcus moca Huber, 2011, ♂ from near Ndjole, Gabon. 12 - 13. Pholcus punu sp. nov., pair from between Mimongo and Yéno (12) and ♂ from Moudouma (13), Gabon. 14 - 15. Pholcus rawiriae sp. nov., ♀ with eggsac (14) and ♂ from Mohoba, Gabon (15). 16. Smeringopina fang Huber, 2013, ♀ with eggsac from Mayebout, Gabon. 17. Smeringopina belinga Huber, 2013, ♂ from Monts de Belinga, Gabon. 18. Smeringopus lesserti Kraus, 1957, ♂ from Mayebout, Gabon. Photos BAH.

Figs 27 - 28. Known distributions of the bamboutos and circularis species groups (sensu Huber 2011 b) of Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 in Central Africa. The question mark denotes an undescribed species represented by a single male in USNM.

Figs 75-79. Pholcus rawiriae sp. nov. 75. ♂, dorsal view. 76. ♀ epigynum, ventral view. 77-79. Left ♂ palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.

Figs 80-83. Pholcus rawiriae sp. nov. 80-81. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 82. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view. 83. Cleared ♀ genitalia, dorsal view. a = appendix; b = bulb; e = embolus; pr = procursus; ps =proximal sclerite of bulb. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

Figs 75 - 79. Pholcus rawiriae sp. nov. 75. ♂, dorsal view. 76. ♀ epigynum, ventral view. 77 - 79. Left ♂ palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.