Cangoderces wewef Jocqué & Jocque, 2022

Jocqué, Rudy, Jocque, Merlijn & Mbende, Menard, 2022, A new Cangoderces (Araneae, Telemidae) from DR Congo, the first telemid from Central Africa, Zootaxa 5162 (4), pp. 430-438 : 431-435

Cangoderces wewef Jocqué & Jocque , sp. n.

Figs. 1–5

Type material. Holotype: Male : DR CONGO, Mai Ndombe Province , Malebo , Bopambu Forest, part of Nkombo Forest, 356 m asl, -2.43763, 16.63943, 14 Oct. 2021, Winkler extraction of forest litter, M. Jocque leg. BINCO_ DRC _21_0001(BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 247533).

Paratypes: 2♂ 2♀ 2 juveniles: DR CONGO, together with holotype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 247534) ; 1♂: as previous (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 247535) : used for SEM.

Diagnosis. The male of Cangoderces wewef sp. n. is characterized by the shape of the bulbus with a deep triangular dorsal indentation absent in other species of the genus and by the shape of the embolus and the appendages at its base. The female is characterized by the fusiform shape of the sclerotized spermatheca which has a different shape in other species.

Etymology. The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters containing twice W and F; it is a noun in apposition and refers to the World Wildlife Fund and its contribution to the conservation of biodiversity in this region.

Description. Male (holotype). Total length 1.16, carapace length 0.44, width 0.39, height 0.25.

Color ( Figs. 1 A, B ): Carapace yellow with dark brown mottling on broad lateral band and star shaped patch around fovea; chelicerae and legs yellow; sternum yellow suffused with black; abdomen: dorsum pale grey with faint paler pattern, sides and venter white with dark pattern around spinnerets.

Fovea: length 0.09, anterior end 0.12 from AME.

AER straight from above, width 0.15. All eyes circular and with diameter about 0.02. PER 0.16 wide.

Leg spination: all P with one dorsal spine; TiI and TiII with one dorsal spine near the middle.

TiIV with transverse dorsal depressions, possibly accompanying Emerit’s glands.

Legs measurements (see table 1).

Abdomen ( Figs. 1A, B ) with typical shape of male Telemidae : wider at the posterior end; with dorsal sclerotized pattern on pedicel; dispersed long setae on dorsum. Colulus well developed, pentagonal.

Male palp: ( Figs. 2B–D , 3A–D , 4A, B ): Cymbium long, slender and straight; bulbus large with deep dorsal indentation near centre; embolus inserted on retrolateral side broad, slightly widened towards downward pointing tip, its base with sharp excrescences ( Figs. 2C, D ); prolateral side of bulbus with tubular apophysis with membranous attachment.

Female paratype. Total length 1.14 Carapace length 0.41, width 0.35, height 0.22.

Color ( Figs. 1 C, D ): Carapace brown, slightly suffused with black; no dark patch around fovea; sternum brown suffused with black; legs yellowish brown.

Fovea poorly developed. Eyes as in male.

Legs without spines. FIV strongly curved backward.

Leg measurements (see table 2).

Abdomen oval, with few dispersed setae; colulus well developed, pentagonal. Anterior lateral spinnerets twosegmented, much longer than posterior lateral spinnerets which are provided with a row of aciniform gland spigots (cf. Murphy & Roberts, 2015) and very short posterior median spinnerets.

Endogyne ( Fig. 4 C ): ventral view of outside a crescent shaped membranous area; internally with large sclerotized, fusiform spermatheca consisting of broad procurved part and complex central part directed forward.

Distribution. Only known from type locality in DR Congo close to Malebo, Mai-Ndombe Province, DR Congo ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cangoderces wewef sp. n. A–B: Holotype male; C–D: Paratype female (247534). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. do., ventral view. C. Habitus, dorsal view. D. do., ventral view. Scale bars: A–B = 200 μm; C–D: 500 μm.

FIGURE 2. Cangoderces wewef sp. n. Paratype male (247535).A. Tibia IV, dorsal view of central part with transverse grooves of Emerit’s glands. B. Male palp, dorsal view. C. do., retrolateral view. D. do., detail of previous. E: Embolus

FIGURE 3. Cangoderces wewef sp. n. Holotype male. A. Palp, retrolateral view. B. do. C. Palp, prolateral view. D. do. Scale bars: 100 μm. E: Embolus 100. E: Embolus; PTA: Prolateral Tubular Apophysis.

FIGURE 4. Cangoderces wewef sp. n. A–B: Paratype male (247535); C–D: Paratype female (247534). A. Male palp, retrolateral view. B. do.; slightly tilted towards frontal view; C. Endogyne, ventral view. D. Spinnerets and colulus, ventral view. Scale lines: 100 μm. E: Embolus; PTA: Prolateral Tubular Apophysis; ST: Spermatheca.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Cangoderces in Africa; red symbol: Cangoderces wewef n. sp., black symbols: other species.