Stegodyphus mimosarum Pavesi Figs 3E, F4L11 E–H15G–I 18H, K84-88

Stegodyphus mimosarum Pavesi, 1883: 81; Simon 1909: 30; Strand 1913: 329; Lehtinen 1967: 461, fig. 454; Kraus and Kraus 1988: 195, figs 3-4, 8-12, 14-19, 37-39, 43-45, 49-51, 58-76, 96-99, 261, 266; 1990: 226, figs 6-8.

Stegodyphus gregarius O. Pickard-Cambridge 1889: 42, pl. 2, figs 4-5 (Synonymy in Kraus and Kraus 1988: 195).

Stegodyphus corallipes Simon 1906: 305 (Synonymy in Kraus and Kraus 1988: 195).

Stegodyphus hildebrandti (Karsch, 1878). Tullgren 1910: 95, pl. 1, fig. 5 (misidentified, see Kraus and Kraus 1988: 186).

Stegodyphus simoni Giltay, 1927: 105, figs 1-6 (Synonymy in Kraus and Kraus 1988: 195).

Description.

Male ( Forêt d’Analalava, Madagascar, CASENT 9005869, CAS): Carapace with band of white setae around margin, longitudinal line in cephalic region and patches near PLE; cephalic region subtriangular, longer than wide, moderately raised; AME distinctly smaller than PME (AME/PME 0.62), median eyes separated on horizontal axis, largely overlapping on vertical axis; ALE on small tubercles; PER much narrower than AER (PER/AER 0.76), PLE position on carapace 0.32; clypeal hood forms acute angle; fovea shallow. Chelicerae with lateral boss, slightly excavated mesally. Legs with patches and longitudinal bands of white setae; leg I thickened with thick brush of dark setae on femur and especially tibia; with row of distal ventral macrosetae on metatarsus I–IV, a few scattered ventral macrosetae on tarsus I–IV and metatarsus II–IV . Dorsum of abdomen with median longitudinal stripe and posterior patch of white setae (Figs 11E, F, 84 A–D).

Male palp with proximal-distal axis; tegulum subtrapezoidal; conductor and embolus together form apical complex making one helical turn; conductor with more or less membranous and papilliated inner layer extending beyond moderately sclerotized outer layer; embolic division longer than tegular division; cymbium with several prolateral macrosetae (Figs 15 G–I, 84I, J, 85 A–D).

Female ( Forêt d’Analalava, Madagascar, CASENT 9005869, CAS):Carapace with band of white setae around margin, densely mixed in cephalic region, fewer in thoracic region mesal to lateral band; cephalic region subtrapezoidal, longer than wide, moderately raised; AME distinctly smaller than PME (AME/PME 0.69), median eyes separated on horizontal axis, largely overlapping on vertical axis; ALE on small tubercles; PER much narrower than AER (0.77), PLE position on carapace 0.27; clypeal hood forms acute angle; fovea shallow. Chelicerae contiguous mesally, with lateral boss. Legs with patches of white setae; with row of distal ventral macrosetae on metatarsus I–IV, scattered ventral macrosetae on tarsus I–IV and metatarsus II–IV . Dorsum of abdomen with alternating light and dark longitudinal bands (Figs 11G, H, 84 E– H).

Epigynum bell-shaped with fleshy, bell-shaped median lobe, higher posteriorly than anteriorly, anteriomedian part with notch-shaped invagination (Figs 18H, 86A). Vulva with spermathecal heads on compact sinuous stalks leading to multilobed spermathecae posteriorly (Figs 18K, 86 B–D).

Spinneret spigot morphology.

Female ALS with 6-8 MAP within and on inner edge of spinning field of 40-80 or more PI (Fig. 87B; Griswold et al. 2005: fig. 37B); male with 2 MAP and spinning field of more than 25 PI (Fig. 88B). Female PMS with 2 median mAP spigots, with posterior field of about 25 spigots of varying size and shape (Fig. 87C); male PMS with 1 median mAP and 12 AC (Fig. 88C); the large anterolateral spigot on the female may be a mAP or CY; other smaller spigots on the female may also be CY, though these cannot be differentiated morphologically (Fig. 87C). Female PLS with anterobasal MS with 2 accompanying AC spigots and distal field of 35-50 AC (Fig. 87D); male MS and flankers same, with about 18 AC (Fig. 88D, E). Male cribellar plate with no sign of spigots (Fig. 88F); numerous epiandrous gland spigots present (Fig. 85E, F). See also Griswold et al. (2005: 24-27, figs 34 D–F, 25 A–D, 36 A–D, 37 A–D).