Spermophora maathaiae, Bernhard A. Huber & Charles M. Warui, 2012

Bernhard A. Huber & Charles M. Warui, 2012, East African pholcid spiders: an overview, with descriptions of eight new species (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 29 (29), pp. 1-44 : 29-31

Spermophora maathaiae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:133558CC-190F-45DD-8178-A130F484A205

Figs 46 , 66-67 , 92-96

“ Spermophora ” sp. 1 indet.: Huber, 2003a: 601, map 4.

Spermophora cf. berlandi Dimitrov, Astrin & Huber 2012 (DNA sequence data).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from very similar S. mau sp. nov. by shape of female epigynal scape (shorter; tip wide and rounded rather than pointed; Fig. 95 ) and by details of procursus tip (slightly different shapes of sclerites; Figs 92, 93 ). From other species by male cheliceral armature (shapes of frontal apophyses; Fig. 94 ) and by widened and sclerotized tip of female epigynal scape.

Etymology

The species is named in honor of Prof. Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and first African woman to win the Nobel peace prize.

Type material

Holotype

♂, in ZFMK ( Ar 8749 ) .

Paratypes

3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, in ZFMK (2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀: Ar 8750 ) and NMKE (1 ♂, 1 ♀) .

Type locality

KENYA, Eastern Province, Mt. Kenya N.P., Chogoria Forest , “site 1” (0°12.1’S, 37°29.4’E), 2460 m a.s.l., 27 Jan. 2010 (B.A. Huber).

Other material examined

KENYA: Eastern Province: 3 ♀♀, 3 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ( Ken 112 ), Mt. Kenya N.P., Chogoria Forest , “site 1” , same data as types above ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, in MRAC ( 161899 ), Sirimon Track at 2650 m a.s.l. [0°03.8’S, 37°17.8’E], 24 Jul. 1975 (R. Bosmans) . Central Province: 1 ♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ( Ken 123 ), Mt. Kenya N.P., Naro Moru Forest , overhanging vegetation along road cut (0°10.2’-10.6’S, 37°12.0’-13.3’E), 2800-3200 m a.s.l., 29 Jan. 2010 (B.A. Huber) ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, in MRAC ( 215392 ), Castle Forest , bamboo forest at 2445 m a.s.l., 21 Apr. 2004 (R. Jocqué, C. Warui, van den Spiegel) ; 1 ♂, in MRAC ( 215146 ), same data but ruins of old brick huts, 2370 m a.s.l..

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.2, carapace width 1.3. Leg 1: 20.8 (5.2 + 0.5 + 5.3 + 7.2 + 2.6), tibia 2: 3.4, tibia 3: 2.6, tibia 4: 3.4; tibia 1 L/d: 40. Distance PME-PME 240 µm, diameter PME 160 µm, distance PME-ALE 25 µm, no AME.

COLOR. Prosoma ochre-yellow with large lateral black marks, ocular area with black lateral marks, clypeus slightly darkened, sternum monochromous black, legs ochre-yellow, with darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally, subdistally), abdomen grey with distinctive black pattern dorsally and laterally, ventrally mostly black.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 46 ; ocular area elevated, with pair of horns in front of PME (similar S. mau , cf. Fig. 44 , but wider apart); carapace only anteriorly with shallow thoracic furrow; clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae as in Fig. 94 , frontal apophyses without modified hairs. Sternum wider than long (0.90/0.75), unmodified.

PALPS. In general as in S. mau sp. nov. (cf. Figs 87, 88 ); coxa with retrolatero-ventral apophysis, trochanter with retrolateral apophysis, femur barely modified (except dorsal apophysis proximally), procursus with ventral flap and several complex distal elements that appear hinged to proximal part ( Figs 92, 93 ), bulb similar S. berlandi Fage, 1936 (cf. figs 262-263 in Huber 2003b), with two coneshaped projections and long embolus.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 12%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with>20 pseudosegments, distinct distally.

VARIATION. Tibia 1 in 5 other males: 5.1-5.6 (mean 5.5).

Female

In general similar to male but triads closer together (distance PME-PME 160 µm), without horns. Tibia 1 in 13 females: 4.1-4.8 (mean 4.4). Epigynum a simple plate with long posterior scape ending in wide rounded tip ( Figs 66 , 95 ); internal genitalia as in Figs 67 and 96 .

Distribution

Known from Mount Kenya only ( Fig. 27 ).

Figures

Figs 28 - 49. — 28 - 31. Crossopriza johncloudsleyi Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001, ♂ (28, 29) and ♀ (30, 31). — 32 - 35. Buitinga wataita sp. nov., ♂ (32 - 34) and ♀ (35). — 36 - 39. Buitinga batwa sp. nov., ♂ (36 - 38) and ♀ (39). — 40 - 44. Spermophora mau sp. nov., ♂ (40, 41, 44) and ♀ (42, 43). — 46. Spermophora maathaiae sp. nov., ♂. — 45, 47 - 49. Spermophora bukusu sp. nov., ♂.

Figs 50-69. — 50-52. Spermophora kirinyaga sp. nov., ♂ (50) and ♀ (51, 52). — 53-56. Spermophora minotaura Berland, 1920, ♀♀, dark morph (53, 54) and light morph (55, 56). — 57-58. Spermophora kyambura sp. nov., ♂. — 59-61. Quamtana nyahururu sp. nov., ♂ (59, 60) and ♀ (61). — 62-63. Crossopriza johncloudsleyi Deeleman-Reinhold & van Harten, 2001, cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. — 64-65. Buitinga batwa sp. nov., cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. — 66-67. Spermophora maathaiae sp. nov., cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. — 68. Spermophora bukusu sp. nov., cleared ♀ genitalia, ventral view. — 69. Spermophora kyambura sp. nov., cleared ♀ genitalia, dorsal view .

Figs 92 - 96. Spermophora maathaiae sp. nov. 92 - 93. Left ♂ procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 94. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view. 95 - 96. ♀ genitalia, ventral and cleared dorsal views. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

Figs 87 - 91. Spermophora mau sp. nov. 87 - 88. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 89. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view. 90 - 91. ♀ genitalia, ventral and cleared dorsal views. b: genital bulb; e: embolus; pr: procursus. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (89 - 91), 0.5 mm (87 - 88).

Figs 24 - 27. Known distributions of the genera Physocyclus, Quamtana, Smeringopus and Spermophora in East Africa. For detailed maps of Quamtana see Huber (2003 b), of Smeringopus see Huber (2012) and of Spermophora see Huber (2003 a). Squares: unidentified / undescribed specimens.