Cytaea nimbata ( Thorell, 1881 )

Trębicki, Łukasz, Patoleta, Barbara M. & Gardzińska, Joanna, 2016, Redescription of four species of Cytaea Keyserling, 1882 (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 4189 (2), pp. 378-386 : 381

Cytaea nimbata ( Thorell, 1881)

Figs 15–23

Plexippus nimbatus Thorell 1881: 600 –603 (1♂ syntype from Hatam, New Guinea, 1875, O. Beccari, MCSN, examined, here designed as lectotype; 1♂ syntype, same data as lectotype, examined, here designed as paralectotype). Cytaea nimbata: Chrysanthus 1968: 53 –55, figs 25–30; Prószyński 1976: 152, figs 156, 160; Prószyński 1984: 30; Zhang & Maddison 2015: 81, figs 545–551.

Remark. The specimen illustrated by Zhang & Maddison (2015: figs 545, 547–548) has small differences, including in embolus and RTA, and needs further studies).

Diagnosis. The males differ from other Cytaea species by very long embolus, forming two wide coils, arising at 2 o'clock; embolic disc with whitish, spherical protuberance as in figs 20–21. The females can be distinguished by the epigynal windows occupying less than 1/2 of epigynal plate, the copulatory openings located anteriorly and long copulatory ducts making four loops ( Chrysanthus 1968: figs 21, 25–26).

Description. Male lectotype. Cephalothorax high, brown, covered with sparse white and brown scales, more numerous on the sides, making distinct belts along the margins of cephalothorax ( Figs 15, 17 ). Eye field wider than long, narrowing posteriorly (its length 38% of CL). PME halfway between PLE and ALE. Fovea short, located between PLE. Clypeus dark brown, narrower (42%) than AME diameter ( Fig. 18 ), covered with brown-whitebrown belts of scales. Chelicerae vertical, short, rectangular; light-orange covered with white and brown scales arranged in 2 belts ( Fig. 18 ). Promargin with five teeth, retromarginal tooth bicuspid ( Fig. 19 ). Endites light brown, with lighter chewing margins. Sternum longer than wide, pale yellow ( Fig. 16 ). Abdomen elongate, whitish with pattern of brown scales; covered with sparse brown hairs ( Fig. 15 ). Spinnerets grey brown. Venter with wide longitudinal pale streak, bordered by dark areas. Pedipalps pale-yellow, tegulum much wider than long, and without tegular lobe, RTA short, wider at the base, hook-shaped ( Figs 22–23 ). Legs brown, with darker patches and with numerous spines. Legs formula: III-IV-I-II. Dimensions: CL 3.25, CW 2.43, CH 1.55, AL 3.25, AW 1.80, EFL 1.23, AEW 1.95, PEW 1.90.

Female. Single specimen known not located, probably lost; however, Chrysanthus’s (1968) drawings made it easily recognisable.

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 23. Cytaea nimbata, male lectotype of Plexippus nimbatus Thorell (MCSN): 15 dorsal; 16 ventral; 17 lateral; 18 frontal; 19 chelicerae, endites and labium, ventral; 20 – 21 left palp, ventral; 22 – 23 retrolateral (e: embolus, ed: embolic disc, edp: embolic disc protuberance, rsdl: retrolateral seminal duct loop, rta: retrolateral tibial apophysis, t: tegulum). Scale: 1 5 – 23 = 1 mm.