Maghreba nkob, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 76-80

Maghreba nkob gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D21218A6-089B-4264-BE1A-7BF13DB40B52

Figs 163B , 199–202 , 243–256

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by details of male palp ( Figs 243–248 ; dorsally-directed tip of procursus short and wide, procursus ventral sclerite short, procursus ventral flap distinct; dorsal

process of distal bulbal sclerite only slightly longer than ventral part, ventral part with series of distinctive teeth) and epigynum ( Fig. 253 ; triangular and relatively long, with pair of small processes).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype MOROCCO – Drâa-Tafilalet • ♂; E of Nkob; 30.861° N, 5.820° W; 995 m a.s.l.; 18 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; at bases of palm trees; ZFMK Ar 22373.

Other material examined

MOROCCO – Drâa-Tafilalet • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 22374 • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv. (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mor 91 • 1 ♂; “road Nekob- Mellal” [Nkob, Mlal ]; 30.86° N, 5.80° W; 940 m a.s.l.; 22 Apr. 2012; R. Bosmans leg.; stones in palm yard; CRB • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; SW of Agdz ; 30.6569° N, 6.5511° W; 1030 m a.s.l.; 17 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; at bases of palm trees; ZFMK Ar 22375 • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv. (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 90 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; N of Alnif ; 31.2884° N, 5.2611° W; 1090 m a.s.l.; 18 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; at rocks in dry riverbed; ZFMK Ar 22376 • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv. (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 92 • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; N of Errachidia ; 32.0396° N, 4.4214° W; 1180 m a.s.l.; 20 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; dry ravine, among rocks near ground; ZFMK Ar 22377 • 2 ♀♀ (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 96 .

ALGERIA • 2 ♀♀ (1 prosoma missing); Wil. Bechar, Taghit ; 30.93° N, 2.03° W; 630 m a.s.l.; 3 Apr. 1989; R. Bosmans leg.; palm gardens; CRB .

Description

Male (holotype) MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.2, carapace width 1.2. Distance PME–PME 100 µm; diameter PME 80 × 90 µm; distance PME–ALE 20 µm; diameter AME 75 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 26.5

(7.7 + 0.5 + 7.2 + 9.3 + 1.8), tibia 2: 5.0, tibia 3: 3.8, tibia 4: 4.4; tibia 1 L/d: 58; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.20, 0.16, 0.14, 0.14.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow, medially darker (brown; except ocular area); sternum ochre-yellow, darker posteriorly and with darker radial marks; legs ochre-yellow, without dark rings, with black lines on femora and tibiae, very few also on metatarsi; abdomen gray, with distinct dorsal mark around heart area and dorsal and lateral whitish marks; ventrally with large dark brown mark in front of gonopore, median dark band behind gonopore divided into three parallel bands, dark brown area at spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 199–200 . Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, rim barely more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (0.85/0.60), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, dorsoposteriorly weakly angular.

CHELICERAE. Shape as in M. saghro gen. et sp. nov. (cf. Figs 214–215 ), but smaller (maximum width: 460 µm) and pair of frontal lateral apophyses more cylindrical in lateral view (rather as in M. stifadma gen. et sp. nov.; cf. Fig. 234 ); distance between tips of modified hairs: 380 µm; lateral stridulatory ridges very fine, barely visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. In general similar to congeners (cf. Figs 203–205 , 224–226 ); coxa with low retrolateral-ventral process; trochanter barely modified; femur not curved towards dorsal, distally widened and with low rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), without retrolateral transversal line, with distinct retrolateral-ventral proximal process and very indistinct dorsal process; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia relatively long and slender, tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 243–245 ) with few dorsal hairs slightly curved upwards; on prolateral side with two humps, both hairless; with semitransparent ventral flap; procursus tip strongly curved towards dorsal but ending abruptly, with strong but short ventral sclerite and semitransparent process; genital bulb ( Figs 246–248 ) basal sclerite with dorsal apophysis; distal (main) sclerite large, with deep retrolateral pocket, with three ventral teeth and fine serration distally, short dorsal process, sperm duct opening not seen.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~28 ventral spines; without curved hairs; with more than usual vertical hairs on all tibiae (mostly prolaterally); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments irregular and indistinct except ~3–5 distally.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in ten males (including holotype): 7.2–8.8 (mean 7.9). Distance between tips of cheliceral apophyses in larger males ~400–420 µm. Ventral abdominal band variably distinct, median part sometimes reduced to small irregular marks. Males from N of Alnif with one additional ventral tooth on distal bulbal sclerite (asterisk in Fig. 246 ); males from N of Errachidia with two additional teeth in same area.

Female

In general similar to male ( Figs 201–202 ) but without spines on legs, with usual very low number of short vertical hairs on leg tibiae. With pair of whitish but distinct humps posteriorly on carapace, and pair of corresponding indistinct plates frontally on abdomen; with fine cheliceral stridulatory ridges as in male. Tibia 1 in nine females: 6.4–8.5 (mean 7.5). Epigynum as in Figs 251–253 , main epigynal plate triangular, weakly protruding, with pair of very low processes (in some females barely visible), medially weakly sclerotized except small brown plate anteriorly; with pair of indistinct round pockets (distance 380–420 µm); internal sclerotized arc and median round structure variably visible in uncleared specimens; posterior plate short and wide, simple; indistinct plate in front of epigynum, not elevated. Internal genitalia ( Figs 249–250 , 254–256 ) with elongated pore plates, converging anteriorly, almost contiguous; dorsal and ventral arcs medially strongly sclerotized, ventral arc with very indistinct ventral process (pocket?) directly ‘below’ (i.e., dorsal of) dark median area of epigynal plate.

Natural history

Several records are associated with palms, but the species occurs in a variety of near-ground microhabitats. Near Nkob, most specimens were found at the bases of palm trees, but some also at the bases of other trees, under a dead palm trunk on the ground, and one specimen in a small stable made of mud. Near Agdz, the spiders built relatively large webs at the bases of palm leaves near the ground. They were very difficult to catch (i.e., possibly well protected from certain predators) because of the long spines on the hard palm leaves and because the spiders fled rapidly at the slightest disturbance. Near Alnif and Errachidia, the spiders were collected at large rocks at the side of a dry riverbed and among rocks and overhangs near the ground in a dry ravine.

Distribution

Widely distributed along the southern slopes of the eastern Moroccan and western Algerian Atlas range ( Fig. 163B ).

Figures

Fig. 163. Known distribution of Maghreba gen. nov. A. Complete known distribution, including an undescribed Algerian species in CRB; the approximate extent of the Atlas Mountains is shown (1000 m altitude isolines, taken from https://www.britannica.com/). B. Known distributions of named species. Asterisk: specimens tentatively assigned to M. aurouxi gen. nov.

Figs 195–202. Maghreba gen. nov., live specimens.195. M. saghro gen. et sp. nov., male from Morocco, between Irherm and Tiferki. 196–198. M. stifadma gen. et sp. nov., male and female from Morocco, Setti-Fatma. 199–202. M. nkob gen. et sp. nov., male and female from Morocco, E of Nkob.

Figs 243–250. Maghreba nkob gen. et sp. nov.; male and female from Morocco, E of Nkob (ZFMK Ar 22374). 243–245. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 246–248. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; asterisk: one or two additional small teeth present in males from N of Alnif and N of Errachidia. 249–250. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Abbreviations: bs = basal sclerite; da = dorsal apophysis; dp = dorsal process; pr = epigynal process; pt = procursus tip; vf = ventral flap; vs = ventral sclerite. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 251–256. Maghreba nkob gen. et sp. nov.; female from Morocco, E of Nkob (ZFMK Ar 22374). 251. Abdomen, ventral view. 252–253. Epigynum, lateral and ventral views. 254–256. Cleared female genitalia, ventral view, regular dorsal view, and dorsal view with dorsal arc tilted backwards. Abbreviations: da = dorsal arc; va = ventral arc. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 208–217. Maghreba saghro gen. et sp. nov.; male and female from Morocco, between Irherm and Tiferki (ZFMK Ar 22363, Ar 22364). 208–210. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: semitransparent process. 211–213. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: deep pocket. 214–215. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 216–217. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets (pits). Abbreviations: bs = basal sclerite; da = dorsal apophysis; dp = dorsal process; ph = prolateral hump; pt = procursus tip; vs = ventral sclerite. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 227–236. Maghreba stifadma gen. et sp. nov.; male and female from Morocco, Setti-Fatma (ZFMK Ar 22368, Ar 22369). 227–229. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 230–232. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.233–234. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 235–236. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets (pits). Abbreviations: bs = basal sclerite; da = dorsal apophysis; dp = dorsal process; pr = epigynal process; pt = procursus tip; vf = ventral flap; vs = ventral sclerite; vt = ventral teeth. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 203–207. Maghreba saghro gen. et sp. nov.; male from Morocco, between Irherm and Tiferki (ZFMK Ar 22363). 203–205. Left male palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow 1: coxa apophysis; arrow 2: dorsal femur apophysis; arrows 3: femur-patella joints; arrows 4: tibia-tarsus joints. 206–207. Male femora 1 and 2. Scale bars: 203–205 = 0.5 mm; 206–207 = 0.3 mm.

Figs 224–226. Maghreba stifadma gen. et sp. nov.; male from Morocco, Setti-Fatma (ZFMK Ar 22368); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.