Australutica normanlarseni, Jocqué, 2008

Jocqué, Rudy, 2008, A new candidate for a Gondwanaland distribution in the Zodariidae (Araneae): Australutica in Africa, ZooKeys 1, pp. 59-66 : 64-66

Australutica normanlarseni n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C9D7C09A-90E6-4649-88A6-150443B66C75

Figures 8-10

Type material Holotype: male: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Cape Peninsula, Kommetjie , 34°18’S 18°24’E, 22.XII.1992, on white dune sand on koppie, N. Larsen ( SAM C 2593 ).

Other material examined None.

Diagnosis Males of this species are recognized by the details of the palp: both the prongs of the RTA are sharp, the distal tegular apophysis has a rounded prolateral edge and the median apophysis is fairly broad, somewhat enlarged in the middle and with a short sharp turn at the end.

Etymology Named after Norman Larsen, a dedicated collector of spiders who found the holotype, the only specimen of this species so far known.

Description Male: total length 3.60 mm; carapace 2.36 mm long, 1.72 mm wide, TI + PI: 1.60.

Colour: carapace pale yellow strongly suffused with black on sides leaving a pale central pattern ( Fig. 8 ); fovea orange. Sternum pale yellow, broadly suffused with black along lateral margins. Chelicerae brownish orange. Legs pale yellow, femora and tibiae with distal and proximal black ring, patellae dark on sides; tarsi and metatarsi pale yellow. Abdomen white on dorsum with dark pattern consisting of dark frontal mark followed by two pairs of black spots and dark transverse stripe in front of spinnerets; sides dark; venter brownish orange. Spinnerets pale yellow.

Carapace smooth; in profile slightly elevated in cephalic area; with cluster of short setae in front of anterior eyes.

Eyes: AME: 0.08; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.08; PLE: 0.08; AME-AME: 0.05 AME - ALE: 0.05; PME-PME: 0.07; PME-PLE: 0.10. MOQ: AW = 0.93 PW; AW = 0.87 L; clypeus 0.18 mm high or 2.2 times diameter of ALE. Sternum: 1.00 mm wide, 1.12 mm long. Chilum single, roughly oval with a few setae: 0.52 mm wide, 0.11 mm high. Chelicerae densely covered with setae, with one tooth on promargin; fang almost three times as long as wide at base.

Legs fairly short. Tarsi all cylindriform, with strong spiniform scopulae sensu Jocqué 1991 (p. 13). Spines numerous on anterior legs, very numerous and long on posterior ones.

Spination:
	Fe	P	T	Mt	t
I	d1-1-1-2rl1	d1	pl1d1-1v2-2-2	pl1rl1v2 group 15 dw4	–
II	d1-1-1-2rl1	pl1	pl1d1-1v1-2-2	pl1d1rl1cv2-2-1 dw4	–
III	pl1d1-2-1-2	pl5d3rl2	pl1-1-1d2-1-1r1-1v2-2-2	12disp dw6	pl5rl1
IV	pl1d1-2-1-1-2	pl5d3rl2	pl1-1-1d2-1r1-1v1-2-2	14disp dw6	pl3rl1

Palp ( Figs 9-10 ): Cymbium with dispersed thin spines. Tibia with well developed lateral apophysis with two short prongs curved towards each other, both with sharp tip; tegulum broad, membranous at base; base of sickle shaped embolus with triangular tip pointing forward, covering base of terminal distal outward curved apophysis; median apophysis fairly broad, somewhat enlarged in the middle and with short sharp turn at extremity.

Female unknown.

Distribution Only known from type locality.

Figures

Figs 7-8. 7. Australutica africana, male habitus, dorsal view; 8. Australutica normanlarseni, male habitus, dorsal view. (scale bars: 0.5 mm).

Figs 9-10. Australutica normanlarseni n. sp. male 9. right male palp, ventral view; 10. right male palp, retrolateral view. (scale bar: 0.5 mm).