Madagascarchaea jeanneli (Millot, 1948) Millot, 1948

Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017, A review of the Madagascan pelican spiders of the genera Eriauchenius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 and Madagascarchaea gen. n. (Araneae, Archaeidae), ZooKeys 727, pp. 1-96 : 1

Madagascarchaea jeanneli (Millot, 1948) comb. n. Figs 26, 34

Archaea jeanneli Millot, 1948: 12, figs 1A,2B,3F.

Eriauchenius jeanneli (Millot, 1948): Wood 2008: 286, figs 2E,12B,18A,20 A–D (new combination)

Type material.

2 females, 1 juv: as Archaea jeanneli Millot, 1948: Madagascar, La Mandraka (deposited in MNHN, examined; MNHN 13/1970)

Other material examined.

MADAGASCAR: 2M,1F, Toamasina, Res. Analamazaotra, Parc National Andasibe, 23 road km E Moramanga, 18°56'38.2"S, 48°25'03.2"E, 960 m, 16-18 Jan 2003, rainforest, general collecting night, C. Griswold, D. Silva, and D. Andriamalala (CASENT9005233, CASENT9018315); 7M,4F,1juv, Antananarivo, 3 km 41° NE Andranomay, 11.5 km 147° SSE Anjozorobe, 18°28'24"S, 47°57'36"E, 1300 m, 5-13 Dec 2000, montane rainforest, general collecting, Fisher, Griswold et al. (CASENT9004085); 3M,4F,1juv, same data as previous except beating and sweeping (CASENT9004009); 6F, Toamasina, Parc National Perinet, nr Andasibe, 18°56'S, 48°24'E, 1000 m, 4-5 Nov 1993, J. Coddington, S. Larcher, C. Griswold, R. Andriamasimanana, and N. Scharff (CASENT9012329, CASENT9046592, CASENT9046601); 1M, Toamasina, Parc National Perinet, 18°55'S, 48°25'E, 1-3 Aug 1992, V. & B. Roth (CASENT9012003); 2F, Toamasina, Station Forestier Analamazaotra, administered by Mitsinjo, 0.75 km N Andasibe, 18°55.783'S, 48°24.696' E, 964m, 31 Jan - 3 Feb 2009, primary montane rainforest, hand collected at night in vegetation, C. Griswold, A. Saucedo and H. Wood (USNMENT01377201, USNMENT01377202); 1F, Antananarivo, Réserve Spéciale d’Ambohitantely, Forêt d’Ambohitantely, 20.9 km 72° NE Ankazobe, 18°13'31"S, 47°17'13"E, 1410 m, 17-22 Apr 2001, montane rainforest, EB17 beating low vegetation, Fisher, Griswold et al. (CASENT9012336); 2M,2F,1juv, Antananarivo, 7 km SE Andasibe Parc National (=Perinet) 18°58'S, 48°27'E, 5 Sep 2001, montane forest, beating foliage, D. Ubick (CASENT9001265).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from all Madagascarchaea , except other 'pointy head’ species M. ambre , M. lotzi , and M. moramora sp. n., by having a conductor that is a concave triangular shape (Fig. 26 D–E, J–H, J–K), and by having an abdomen that is invaginated across the back (Fig. 26A), rather than rounded (as in Fig. 23A). Typically M. jeanneli can be distinguished from M. ambre and M. moramora sp. n., by having an abdomen that is invaginated in the posterior (Fig. 26A), rather than straight (Fig. 28A). M. jeanneli is further distinguished from M. moramora by having the anterior portion of the embolus taper off to a point (Fig. 26 G–I, “a”) rather than being broad and blunt (Fig. 28 D–F, “a”), and from M. ambre by having the anterior piece of the embolus broad and curved (Fig. 26 G–I, “a”) and not straight, narrow, and jutting out past the conductor in the retrolateral direction (see fig. 21 in Wood 2008). M. jeanneli is distinguished from M. lotzi sp. n. by having an embolus with a very deep bifurcation (Fig. 26I, L), and with the posterior portion of the embolus having an additional bifurcation at the tip (Fig. 26F, I, “p”).

Description.

Male (based on CASENT9012003, from Parc National Perinet, Madagascar). Total length 1.55, carapace 0.64 long, 0.47 wide. Abdomen 0.79 long, 0.91 high. Carapace tilt angle 50.2°, tilt height (CtH) 1.19, constriction 0.35, head length 0.68, neck length 0.59. CtH divided by carapace length 1.85. Cephalon with AME on large bulge, and with 6 short post-occular spines at the crown, not on protrusions, and 1 short spine between and posterior to the LE and median eyes (see fig. 18B in Wood 2008). Chelicerae 1.18 long, and with a small spine 0.30 from base of chelicerae and projecting downward (Fig. 26A). Femur I 1.96 long. Sternum 0.44 long, 0.25 wide. Carapace, chelicerae, and sternum reddish brown with white setae. Legs light brown with darker annulations throughout. Abdomen dark brown with lighter circular patches throughout, with white and brown setae (Fig. 26A). Posterior edge of abdomen invaginated (Fig. 27A, arrow). Conductor concave and triangular; MA dark, thick, and curves anteriorad; S1 a thin ridge; embolus dark, with deep bifurcation, anterior portion curved and tapering off and posterior portion with additional bifurcation at tip with each side tapering off (Fig. 26 D–L).

Female (based on CASENT9012336, from Réserve Spéciale d’Ambohitantely, Madagascar). Total length 2.00, carapace 0.78 long, 0.59 wide. Abdomen 1.18 long, 1.49 high. Carapace tilt angle 60.0°, tilt height (CtH) 1.53, constriction 0.41, head length 0.94, neck length 0.73. CtH divided by carapace length 1.97. Cephalon as in male. Chelicerae 1.48 long, and with a short spine 0.36 from base of chelicerae and projecting downward. Femur I 2.31 long. Sternum 0.51 long, 0.28 wide. Colors as in male. Posterior edge of abdomen invaginated. Genitalic bursa divided down the middle by sclerotized piece on the anterior-ventral side, with a few clusters of poreplates on either side; FSGP with two strong points arising from either side of anterior edge, having ‘wings’, and lacking posterior elongation (Fig. 26 B–C).

Variation.

Total length 1.54-1.83 (males; n=5), 1.82-2.00 (females; n=5); Carapace length 0.64-0.76 (males; n=5), 0.74-0.78 (females; n=5); Femur I 2.60-3.06 times the length of carapace in males (n=5), 2.88-3.12 in females (n=5); CtH divided by carapace length 1.72-1.85 in males (n=5), 1.75-2.01 in females (n=5); Average femur I length 2.01 in males (n=5), 2.23 in females (n= 5).

Natural history.

Specimens were collected in montane rainforest from 960-1300 m in elevation by beating low foliage, low vegetation, by beating and sweeping, by general collecting at night, and by hand collecting at night in vegetation.

Distribution.

Known only from central eastern Madagascar (Fig. 34).

Nomenclature remarks.

Previous work ( Wood 2008) lumped into M. jeanneli what we are here calling several different species. The M. jeanneli syntypes include two females, and females of the " jeanneli complex "( M. ambre , M. jeanneli , M. lotzi sp. n., and M. moramora sp. n.) cannot be confidently distinguished. However, the type locality of "La Mandraka" is an area about 40 kilometers east of Antananarivo, and so we propose that the female syntypes are conspecific to the males found in this area. The male and female specimens that were described and illustrated as M. jeanneli in Wood 2008 are here being called M. lotzi n. sp.