Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897

Haddad, Charles R. & Bosselaers, Jan, 2010, A revision of the genus Medmassa Simon, 1887 (Araneae: Corinnidae) in the Afrotropical Region, Zootaxa 2361, pp. 1-12 : 9

Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897

( Figs 25–30 )

Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897b: 15 (Ƥ holotype and Ƥ paratype: SOUTH AFRICA: Natal [no specific locality], leg. C. Martin, MNHN 18564 – examined).

Medmassa nitida Lawrence, 1937: 252 , fig. 21; Lawrence, 1938: 506, fig. 29 (3 holotype: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu- Natal Province, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, 28°05'S, 32°03'E, XI.1935, leg. R.F. Lawrence, NMSA 116 – examined). syn. nov.

Remarks. Examination of the holotype male of M. nitida Lawrence, 1937 and recently collected material of the female indicates that this species shares the same somatic and genitalic morphology as Pronophaea natalica , the type species of the hitherto monotypic genus Pronophaea . This species can be recognised by the nearly straight posterior eye rows ( Figs 25, 28 ), dome-shaped carapace ( Figs 26, 29 ), the simple epigyne with posterior copulatory openings and spermathecae, and large broad oval depressions that are usually plugged ( Fig. 27 ), and the male palp with wire-like median apophysis, sickle-shaped conductor, short curved distal embolus, and a thick modified seta distally on the cymbium ( Fig. 30 ).

Additional material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, Kei Mouth, 32º41.280'S, 28º22.484'E, 12.XII.2002, leg. C. Haddad (leaf litter at tree base), 43 2Ƥ (NCA 2008/575); KwaZulu-Natal Province, Otto's Bluff, 29°29'S, 30°21'E, XII.1936, leg. R.F. Lawrence, 23 2Ƥ ( NMSA 1460).

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 34. Digital microscope photographs of Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897 female (25 – 27) and male (28 – 30), Pronophaea proxima (Lessert, 1923) male (31, 32) and Pronophaea vidua (Lessert, 1923) female (33, 34), all from South Africa. (25, 28, 31, 33) habitus, dorsal view; (26, 29) habitus, lateral view; (27, 34) epigyne, ventral view, (30, 32) palp, ventral view. Abbreviations: CD—conductor; EM—embolus; EP—epigynal plug; MA—median apophysis; MSmodified distal cymbial seta; PES—post-epigastric sclerite. Scale bars: 25, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33 = 1.0 mm; 27, 30, 32, 34 = 0.25 mm.