Loxosceles speluncarum Simon, 1893

Lotz, L. N., 2012, Present status of Sicariidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 3522, pp. 1-41 : 32-34

Loxosceles speluncarum Simon, 1893

( Figs. 9K, 10J, 16B)

Loxosceles speluncarum Simon, 1893: 273 ; 1894: 64; Newlands, 1975: 146, f. 6; 1986: 73, f. 46–48.

Types: ♀ Holotype from South Africa: Transvaal , in caves, [specific locality unknown], [examined?, see note].

Note: A vial of two females, two specimens without palps and seven juvenile specimens (AR 1311) were received from the MNHN collection as the types, and examined, with label data: Loxosceles speluncarum ES / Pretoria. It is unknown if Simon had more than one female on hand when he made the description, but the description only mentions one. Whether the AR 1311 specimens are the types is therefore unknown .

Diagnosis: Male palp tibia and cymbium long similar to L. meruensis and L. parramae ; differing from L. meruensis in not having a smooth curved bend in the cymbium close to the palp bulb and from L. parramae in the palp tibia sided sloping towards patella ( Fig. 9K). Female spermathecae consist of two, small, round sacs of about equal size; two thin copulatory tubesextend from the spermathecae, joined at a wide atrium, with the posterior tube slightly shorter; similar in some respects to L parramae , L. simillima and L spinulosa ; differing from L. parramae and L. spinulosa in the copulatory tube being short between the copulatory opening and the split in the copulatory tube; differing from L. simillima in the posterior copulatory tube being straight ( Fig. 10J).

Female: (AcAT 2003/1451): TL = 6.5; CL = 3.0; CW = 2.7; CLL = 0.4. AME-LE 0.2; Eye diameter 0.15.

Leg measurements:

Distribution: Loxosceles speluncarum is found in caves in the Pretoria area, South Africa ( Fig. 16B).