Amblyothele longipes, Russell-Smith & Jocqué & Alderweireldt, 2009

Russell-Smith, Tony, Jocqué, Rudy & Alderweireldt, Mark, 2009, A revision of the African wolf spider genus Amblyothele Simon, ZooKeys 16 (16), pp. 149-180 : 171-174

Amblyothele longipes sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FA5EC3BE-4C5E-409F-AF19-5414EC67D872

Figs 28-32 , 40 , Map 7

Diagnosis. The male may be recognised by the shape of the small median apophysis, with the anterior lobe sickle shaped and the posterior lobe truncate and pointing forward. The female differs from other members of the genus by the rounded posterior lobes of the posterior margin of the epigyne and the fairly long, slightly curved entrance ducts.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the exceptionally long, thin legs in this species.

Type material. Holotype. Male. COTE D’IVOIRE: Mbé , near Bouaké, WARDA site, 7°52’N 005°06’W, 12.IX.1994, quadrat in upland rice, A. Russell-Smith leg. ( MRAC 223299 ).

Paratypes. COTE D’IVOIRE: 3 ♁: Mbé , near Bouaké, WARDA site, 2.IX.1994, quadrat in upland rice, A. Russell-Smith leg. ; 9 ♁ 3 ♀: Bouaké , Mbé, WARDA site, 07°52N’ 005°06’W, 12.IX.1994, trash management experiment, A. Russell-Smith leg. ( MRAC 225505 ) .

Other material examined. COTE D’IVOIRE: 2 ♀: Mbé , near Bouaké, WARDA site, 7°52’N 5°06’W, 1.X.1993, in tall Andropogon fallow ; 1 ♁ 2 ♀: same site, 27.VII.1994. A. Russell-Smith leg.; 1 ♁: Mbé , near Bouaké, WARDA site, 7°52’N 5°06’W, 15.VIII.1994, pitfall traps in upland rice, A. Russell-Smith leg. ; 3 ♁ 2 ♀: same site, 16.IX.1994; 1 ♁: same site, 14.XI.1994; 9 ♁: same site, 7.X.1994; 1 ♀: same site, 23.VII.1995; 3♁ 1 ♀: same site, 17.VIII.1995; 4 ♁: same site, 7.IX.1995; 13 ♁ 1 ♀: same site, 26.IX.1995; 15 ♁ 2 ♀: same site, 14.X.1995; 1 ♁: same site, 26.XI.1995, A. Russell-Smith leg.; 1 ♁: Ganhoué , near Touba, 9°43’N 7°24’W, 27.VIII.1993, pitfall trap in upland rice field, A. Russell-Smith leg. ; 3 ♁: Touba , VIII-X.1994, quadrats in upland rice, A. Russell-Smith leg. ; 2 ♁ 2♀: Touba , 18.VI.1995, upland rice field, A. Russell-Smith leg. ( MRAC 223300 ) ; 1 ♁: N of Korhogo , Bandama River, 09°27’N 005°38’W, IV.1980, edge riverine forest, J. Everts leg. ( MRAC 171852 ) . TOGO: 1 ♁ 2 ♀: Bassari , 9°15’N 0°47’E, in pitfall trap, P. Douben leg. ( MRAC 174086 ) .

Description. Male. Total length. 3.50 mm. Carapace. Length 1.40 mm, width 0.94 mm. Pale yellow-brown with grey-black wedges radiating from fovea. Fovea long. Thoracic region slightly elevated relative to head region and posterior margin steeply sloping. Eyes. Anterior row slightly recurved. AME 2 × diameter of very small ALE and almost touching them. AME separated by 0.2 × their own diameter. Middle eyes 1.4 × diameter of AME and separated by 0.33 × their own diameter. PLE 0.86 × diameter of PME and separated by 2.17 × their own diameter. Eye region heavily suffused with black. Chelicerae. Long and relatively thin, yellow brown suffused with grey and with two darker longitudinal stripes. Posterior margin with three small teeth, the middle the largest; anterior margin with 3 small teeth, placed further from base of fang than those of posterior margin. Maxillae and labium. Maxillae 2 × length of labium, distally truncate. Pale yellow suffused with grey. Labium sub-quadrate, as long as broad, coloured as maxillae. Sternum. Shield shaped, broader than long, produced between hind coxae. Coloured as maxillae but paler. Legs. Exceptionally long and slender. Ratio of length/breadth of tibia IV 22:1. Leg IV 1.36 × length of leg I. Yellow with tibiae and metatarsi suffused with grey. Paired tarsal claws with 5 long curved teeth, central claw small, bent at right angles. With paired serrated bristles opposite claws. Abdomen. With a pale yellow folium anteriorly and three dark chevrons posterior to the folium. Yellowgrey with darker markings. Ventrally pale whitish yellow. Spinnerets. Long and thin, typical of genus. PLS ca 2 × length of AMS, their second segments equal in length to basal segments. Coloured as abdomen. Palp. Figs 28-30 . Cymbium pale yellow-brown.

Median apophysis relatively small, situated distally, with an apical sickle-shaped arm and a truncate basal lobe oriented anteriad. The two arms of the apophysis appearing to almost touch when viewed ventrally. Tip of embolus almost entirely concealed by the relatively broad functional conductor.

Female. Total length 3.75 mm. Carapace. Length 1.54 mm, width 1.04 mm. Colour as in male but somewhat darker. Fovea long. Head region not at all raised. Eyes. Anterior row slightly recurved. AME 2 × diameter of ALE and almost touching them. AME separated by 0.5 × their own width, Middle eyes 1.25 × diameter of AME and separated by 0.60 × their own diameter. PLE 0.84 × diameter of PME and separated by 1.44 × their own diameter. Eye region suffused with black and with a covering of white decumbent setae. Chelicerae. Similar to those of male but broader and shorter and with a stouter fang. Coloured as in the male but with many stout black bristles. Teeth as in male but shorter and stouter. Maxillae and labium. Broader than in male and with more dark pigmentation. Labium as in male but with darker pigmentation. Sternum. As in male but more darkly pigmented. Produced into a lobe between the hind coxae. Legs. Long and thin but much less so than in male. Ratio of length to breadth of tibia IV 17:1. Coloration darker than in male but otherwise similar. Paired tarsal claws as in male but larger and stouter. Abdomen. Coloration and dorsal pattern as in male but darker. Beset with dark bristles and white (plumose?) setae. Underside as in male. Spinnerets. As in male but larger and more darkly pigmented. Epigyne. Figs 31-32 , 40 . In ventral view, posterior margin of epigyne rounded and deeply notched. Spermathecae small, situated near anterior margin. Slightly curved ducts just discernible through cuticle directed forward from spermathecae. Dorsal view, Fig. 40 .

Variation. Total length, males 3.33-3.75 mm (6 specimens), females 3.33-3.92 mm (5 specimens). There is some variation in depth of pigmentation between individuals and in the distinctness of the dorsal pattern of the abdomen varies. The appearance of the female epigyne varies somewhat with the internal structures more visible through the cuticle in some specimens than others.

Distribution. This species has been recorded in Côte d’Ivoire and Togo ( Map 7 ).

Biology. This species has been taken in both tall savannah with Andropogon gayanus and in upland rice fields in Côte d’Ivoire. It occurred in the derived savannah zone at Bouaké and Touba but was apparently absent from the forest zone at Gagnoa. In upland rice at Bouaké it appear to have a peak of activity in the second half of September and first half of October, approximately coincident with the flowering and seed setting phase of rice growth.

Figures

Map 7. Localities of A. longipes.

Figures 28-32. Amblyothele longipes sp. n. (male holotype; female paratype) 28 right male palp, ventral view 29 right male palp, retrolateral view 30 right male palp, prolateral view 31 epigyne, ventral view 32 epigyne, dorsal view, cleared. Scales: 28-30 0.5 mm 31-32 0.1 mm.

Figures 39-42. Epigynes, cleared, dorsal view 39 Amblyothele togona sp. n. (Masako, Congo DR) 40 Amblyothele longipes sp. n. (Mbé, Ivory Coast) 41 Amblyothele latedissipata sp. n. (Mkomazi, Tanzania) 42 Amblyothele albocincta (Okavango). Scale = 0.1 mm.