Capobula capensis, Haddad & Jin & Platnick & Booysen, 2021

Haddad, Charles R., Jin, Chi, Platnick, Norman I. & Booysen, Ruan, 2021, Capobula gen. nov., a new Afrotropical dark sac spider genus related to Orthobula Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Trachelidae), Zootaxa 4942 (1), pp. 41-71 : 52-54

Capobula capensis spec. nov.

Figs 3–4 , 54–58

Type material. Holotype ♀: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: Cederberg Wilderness Area, Pakhuis Pass, 12.6 km 70° E of Clanwilliam , 32°08.419’S, 19°01.034’E, 773 m a.s.l., 9.X.2011, leg. L. Almeida, C. Griswold & T. Meikle (general collecting, Restionaceae fynbos) ( CAS, CASENT 9043323 , SA11-109 ) . Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: Cederberg , leg. G. Smith, 1♂ ( MRAC 133613 ) ; Cederberg , 32°21’S, 19°10’E, VII.1962, leg. N. Leleup (litter), 1♂ 5♀ ( MRAC 131897 ) ; Cederberg Wilderness Area, Pakhuis Pass , 12.6 km 70° E of Clanwilliam, 32°08.419’S, 19°01.034’E, 773 m a.s.l., 9.X.2011, leg. L. Almeida, C. Griswold & T. Meikle (general collecting, Restionaceae fynbos), 1♂ ( CAS, CASENT 9043335 , SA11-112 ) ; Same locality, 13.5 km 76° E of Clanwilliam, 32°09.014’S, 19°01.793’E, 900 m a.s.l., 9.X.2011, leg. L. Almeida, C. Griswold & T. Meikle (general collecting, Restionaceae fynbos), 1♀ ( CAS, CASENT 9043334 , SA11-112 ) ; Same locality, VII.1962, leg. N. Leleup (litter), 4♂ 35♀ ( MRAC 131979 ) ; Klein-Dassenberg Road, Farm Trinity , 33°34.94’S, 18°36.08’E, 25–27.XII.2012, leg. D. Ubick, 1♂ ( CAS, CASENT 9055498 ) ; 17 km N Citrusdal, road on E bank of Olifants River , 32°35’S, 19°01’E, 7.I.1989, leg. R. Jocqué, 1♀ ( MRAC 169745 ) ; Touws River [33°20’S, 20°01’E], 1953, leg. J. Gordon, 5♂ 9♀ ( MRAC 127791 ) .

Diagnosis. Females are distinct from congeners by the M-shaped atrial margins, with the copulatory openings positioned in the anterolateral corners ( Fig. 54 ). Males of this species share with C. infima comb. nov. the broad, ridge-like retrolateral tibial apophysis, but can be distinguished by the spike-shaped femoral apophysis and short, stout distal section of the embolus that is directed retro-distally ( Figs 57, 58 ), while in C. infima comb. nov. the femoral apophysis is lobate and the distal section of the embolus long, narrow and curved ( Figs 62, 63 ). Males are also similar to C. montana spec. nov., but have a clearly thicker embolus (compare Figs 57 and 68 ).

Etymology. Named for the Western Cape Province, from which it originates; Latin adjective.

Female (holotype, CAS, CASENT 9043323). Measurements: CL 0.90, CW 0.70, AL 1.24, AW 1.06, TL 2.35 (1.90–2.35), PERW 0.30, MOQAW 0.11, MOQPW 0.16, MOQL 0.17. Length of leg segments: I 0.67 + 0.27 + 0.57 + 0.51 + 0.28 = 2.30; II 0.59 + 0.23 + 0.48 + 0.44 + 0.27 = 2.01; III 0.51 + 0.21 + 0.33 + 0.43 + 0.25 = 1.73; IV 0.68 + 0.25 + 0.54 + 0.60 + 0.29 = 2.36.

Colour: carapace deep orange-brown, pits and lateral margins brown; chelicerae yellow-brown; endites and labium yellow-brown proximally, distal ends cream; sternum bright yellow-orange, pit margins yellow-brown, lateral margins deep yellow-brown; palps creamy-yellow; legs with femora I and II pale yellow-brown, becoming progressively paler on III and IV, remaining segments creamy-yellow; abdomen dark grey dorsally and laterally, dorsally with seven fine cream chevrons in posterior half to spinnerets; venter paler mottled grey; spinnerets cream.

Leg spination: femora and patellae: spineless; tibiae: I plv 6 rlv 5, II plv 5 rlv 4; metatarsi: I plv 4 rlv 4, II plv 4 rlv 4; tarsi: I plv 3 rlv 3, II plv 3 rlv 3.

Epigyne with small copulatory openings positioned anterolaterally in shallow M-shaped ridges ( Fig. 54 ); copulatory ducts short and C-shaped, initially curving mesally, then laterally before entering teardrop-shaped lateral primary spermathecae along their interior margin; bursae large, elongate-oval, almost twice the size of primary spermathecae ( Fig. 55 ).

Male (paratype, CAS, CASENT 9043335). Measurements: CL 0.83, CW 0.60, AL 0.77, AW 0.60, TL 1.61 (1.58–1.82), PERW 0.27, MOQAW 0.10, MOQPW 0.14, MOQL 0.15. Length of leg segments: I 0.57 + 0.22 + 0.46 + 0.41 + 0.27 = 1.93; II 0.50 + 0.22 + 0.38 + 0.39 + 0.25 = 1.74; III 0.41 + 0.21 + 0.29 + 0.37 + 0.24 = 1.52; IV 0.56 + 0.22 + 0.46 + 0.51 + 0.26 = 2.01.

Colour: carapace deep yellow, pits pale yellow-brown, lateral margins dark yellow-brown; chelicerae pale yellow-brown; endites yellow-brown medially, cream proximally and distally; labium yellow-brown, cream at distal end; sternum bright creamy-yellow, pit margins yellow, lateral margins yellow-brown; palps and legs creamy-yellow; abdomen with yellow dorsal scutum covered in dark grey mottling, cream with grey mottling laterally; venter with creamy-yellow epigastric and ventral sclerites, latter with faint grey mottling; spinnerets cream.

Leg spination: femora and patellae: spineless; tibiae: I plv 6 rlv 5, II plv 5 rlv 4; metatarsi: I plv 4 rlv 4, II plv 4 rlv 4; tarsi: I plv 3 rlv 3, II plv 3 rlv 3.

Palpal femur with spike-like retrolateral apophysis; patella with very faint retrolateral ridge; tibia with retrolateral tibial apophysis triangular in ventral view, broad and ridge-like in retrolateral view; embolus short and stout, tip directed retrodistally ( Figs 56–58 ).

Habitat and biology. Mainly collected from litter or by hand in fynbos habitats.

Distribution. Only known from a few localities in the Western Cape, South Africa ( Fig. 75 ).

Figures

FIGURE 75. Distribution of Capobula capensis spec. nov. (circles), C. infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov. (triangles), C. montana spec. nov. (squares), C. neethlingi spec. nov. (stars) and C. ukhahlamba spec. nov. (inverted triangles) in southern Africa.

FIGURES 3–10. Capobula gen. nov. dorsal habitus photographs: 3 C. capensis spec. nov., female holotype from Pakhuis Pass; 4 Same, paratype male from Pakhuis Pass; 5 C. infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov., female from Fisherhaven; 6 Same, male from De Hoop Nature Reserve; 7 C. montana spec. nov., female holotype from Mount Coke State Forest; 8 Same, paratype male from Shamwari Game Reserve; 9 C. neethlingi spec. nov., female holotype from Saasveld Pass; 10 C. ukhahlamba spec. nov., paratype female from Royal Natal National Park.

FIGURES 54–58. Capobula capensis spec. nov., genitalic morphology of female (54–55) and male (56–58) paratypes from Pakhuis Pass: 54 Epigyne, ventral; 55 Vulva, dorsal; 56–58 Left palp (56 prolateral, 57 ventral, 58 retrolateral). Scale bars = 0.25 mm. Abbreviations: b—bursa; cd—copulatory duct; co—copulatory opening; ps—primary spermatheca.

FIGURES 59–64. Capobula infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov., genitalic morphology of female (59, 60) and male (61–64) from De Hoop Nature Reserve: 59 Epigyne, ventral; 60 Vulva, dorsal; 61–63 Left palp (61 prolateral, 62 ventral, 63 retrolateral); 64 Palpal femur, patella and tibia, retro-dorsal. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 65–70. Capobula montana spec. nov., genitalic morphology of female (65, 66) and male (67–70) paratypes from Platberg Nature Reserve: 65 Epigyne, ventral; 66 Vulva, dorsal; 67–69 Left palp (67 prolateral, 68 retrolateral, 69 retrolateral); 70 Palpal femur, patella and tibia, retro-dorsal. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.