Hortipes libidinosus, BOSSELAERS & JOCQUÉ, 2000

BOSSELAERS, JAN & JOCQUÉ, RUDY, 2000, Hortipes, A Huge Genus Of Tiny Afrotropical Spiders (Araneae, Liocranidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (256), pp. 4-4 : 4-

Hortipes libidinosus , new species Figures 19i–k , 20g ; Map 2

TYPES: Male holotype: elev. 1000 m, Amani, E Usambara Mountains, Tanzania S05°05'04″, E38°37'40″ (15 July 1980; M. Stoltze and N. Scharff) ( ZMUC). Paratypes: 1♀ together with holotype ; 16: same data (20 July 1980; M. Stoltze and N. Scharff) ( ZMUC) ; 16, 5♀, same data (11 February 1997; P. d. P. Bjrn and L. Srensen) ( ZMUC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named libidinosus , dissolute, because all male specimens known have expanded palps.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of H. libidinosus are recognized by the peculiar RTA with two prongs, both hook­shaped but curved in opposite direction. Females are recognized by the ID describing a full circle followed by a hairpin loop pointing outward.

MALE: Measurements. Total length 1.62; carapace 0.81 long, 0.62 wide; length of fe: I 0.70, II 0.78, III 0.57, IV 0.84. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 6; mt: III plt 1 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 1 vt 1 rlt 1. Coloration. Carapace yellow, lighter at the fovea. Chelicerae yellow, sternum yellowish oped RTA provided with two prongs: dorsal one fairly long, slender, ending in hook that is curved down, ventral one short, thick, ending in upturned hook; cymbium with large, retrolateral concavity with series short setae; sperm duct with wide basal part and narrow distal part with S­shaped turn just in front of embolus; MA fairly small, with broad curved proximal part and strongly curved, slender distal part; embolus with broad, roughly triangular base, long, whiplike, looped over 360° (fig. 19i, j).

FEMALE: Measurements. Total length 2.57; carapace 1.08 long, 0.92 wide; length of fe: I 0.92, II 0.97, III 0.78, IV 1.08. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 6–7; mt: III plt 1 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 1 vt 1 rlt 1. Coloration. Carapace pale yellow, even paler at the fovea. Chelicerae and sternum pale yellow. Legs pale yellow. Abdomen pale peach, no pattern. Genitalia. Vulva: ID first running in frontal direction, then describing full circle and connected to ST1 by loop directed sideways and final stretch running in posterior direction (figs. 19k; 20g).

VARIABILITY: The number of tibial vsp in females (6 or 7) and the details in the size of ID loops are variable.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Map 2. Distribution of Hortipes species in Tanzania. Hortipes angariopsis z, H. bjorni v, H. castor •, H. creber h, H. cucurbita ^, H. delphinus., H. exoptans, H. fastigiensis #, H. narcissus Δ, H. leno, H. libidinosus * H. mulciber, H. ostiovolutus n, H. platnicki D, H. pollux O, H. salticola V, H. scharffi, and H. stoltzei y.

Figs. 19. a–c. Hortipes merwei, new species. a, b. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. c. Epigyne. d. Hortipes atalante, new species, epigyne. e–g. Hortipes leno, new species. e, f. Male left palp, partly expanded, ventral and retrolateral views. g. Epigyne. h. Hortipes mulciber, new species, epigyne. i–k. Hortipes libidinosus, new species. i, j. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. k. Epigyne. l–n. Hortipes delphinus, new species. l. Epigyne. m, n. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. Scale line: 0.25 mm.

Fig. 20. a. Hortipes penthesileia, new species, vulva, ventral view. b. Hortipes zombaensis, new species, vulva, ventral view. c. Hortipes atalante, new species, vulva, ventral view. d. Hortipes mulciber, new species, vulva, ventral view. e. Hortipes merwei, new species, vulva, ventral view. f. Hortipes leno, new species, vulva, ventral view. g. Hortipes libidinosus, new species, vulva, ventral view. Scale line: 0.1 mm.