Hortipes irimus, 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 irimus , new species Figures 15d , 18b ; Map 4

trict, Natal , South Africa (December 1961; N. Leleup) ( MRAC 131.834 ) .

ETYMOLOGY: The species’ epithet is a latinization of Irimu, the were­leopard from the Chaga legends. Like Hortipes species , Irimu is covered by thorn bushes.

DIAGNOSIS: Females can be recognized by the deeply bifurcated entrance chamber with inward­curving tips in combination with the elongate, anteriorly stalked ST2, the second part of the ID making a loop in anterior direction, and the presence of pro­ and retrolateral spines on mt IV.

MALE: Unknown.

FEMALE: Measurements. Total length 2.59; carapace 1.05 long, 0.84 wide; length of fe: I 0.89, II 0.92, III 0.76, IV 1.08. Leg spination. Fe: I rv 2; IV plt 0 rlt 0; ti: I, II vsp 6; mt: III plt 0 vt 0 rlt 0; IV plt 1 vt 1 rlt 1. Coloration. Carapace yellow ochre, lighter at the fovea. Legs I and II yellow ochre, legs III and IV yellow. Sternum and chelicerae yellow. Abdomen a pale golden yellow, no pattern. Genitalia. Vulva: first stretches of IDs fused into one weakly sclerotized, deeply bifurcated entrance chamber with entrance toward posterior side. Anterior ends of this weakly sclerotized chamber are curved inward and connected to the large, stalked, elongate ST2. Stalk attached to anterior end of ST2. End of inward­curved tip of entrance chamber also connected to second, normally sclerotized part of ID, which first makes 360° loop in anterior direction and then takes straight course in posterior direction, connecting to the small, globular ST1 (figs. 15d; 18b).

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Map 4. Distribution of Hortipes species in South Africa. Hortipes aelurisiepae V, H. atalante h, H. coccinatus •, H. contubernalis O, H. griswoldi., H. hyakutake, H. irimus, H. licnophorus D, H. luytenae Δ, H. merwei *, H. mesembrinus, H. rothorum v, H. schoemanae n, and H. wimmertensi ^.

Fig. 15. a–c. Hortipes luytenae. a, b. Male left palp, ventral and retrolateral views. c. Epigyne. d. Hortipes irimus, new species, epigyne. e–g. Hortipes coccinatus, new species. e, f. Male left palp, ventral

Fig. 18. a. Hortipes wimmertensi, new species, vulva, ventral view. b. Hortipes irimus, new species, vulva, ventral view. c. Hortipes schoemanae, new species, vulva, ventral view. d. Hortipes licnophorus, new species, vulva, ventral view. e. Hortipes aelurisiepae, new species, vulva, ventral view. f. Hortipes oronesiotes, new species, vulva, ventral view. Scale line: 0.1 mm.