Andromma ghesquierei, Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2022

Bosselaers, Jan & Jocqué, Rudy, 2022, Studies in the Liocranidae (Araneae): revision of Andromma Simon, 1893, European Journal of Taxonomy 850, pp. 1-78 : 47-49

Andromma ghesquierei sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D7618EA5-A975-48D8-825D-EA2F9EF5B03D

Figs 2E , 24–25 , 40

Diagnosis

The male of Andromma ghesquierei sp. nov. differs from the males of all other known species of Andromma by the male palp with the embolus originating in the middle of the posterior tegular margin, running over the centre of the tegulum ( Fig. 24C–D ); the female can easily be recognized by the very large, rounded spermathecae visible in transparency ( Fig. 25C–D ).

Etymology

The species name is a patronym in honour of J. Ghesquière who collected all the type material of this species apart from the specimens of Lac Tumba; he also collected many other invertebrates in D.R. Congo.

Type material

Holotype

D.R. CONGO • ♂; Equateur Province, Eala ; 0°30′ N, 18°19′ E; 1936; J. Ghesquière leg.; BE_ RMCA _ ARA.Ara 247536 .

Paratypes

D.R. CONGO • 18 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀, 3 juvs; same collection data as for holotype; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 177019 • 1 ♀; Nov. 1936; further same collection data as for holotype; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 894 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 916 • 3 ♀♀, 2 juvs; May 1936; further same collection data as for preceding; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 22957 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 917 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 920 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 921 • 1 ♀; Equateur Province, Lac Tumba, Bikoro; 0°43′ S, 18°07′ E; 350 m a.s.l.; 11 Oct. 1955; N. Leleup leg.; BE_ RMCA _ARA.Ara 84109 .

Other material

D.R. CONGO • 16 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; N Kivu., Rutshuru ; 1°11′ S, 29°27′ E; 20 Dec. 1937; J. Ghesquière leg.; BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 22878 .

Description

Male (holotype, Fig. 24 )

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.20. Carapace length 1.42, width 1.21, height 0.64.

COLOUR ( Fig. 24A–B ). Cephalothorax including legs and chelicerae yellowish orange, fovea brownish; sternum pale yellow with small brown precoxal triangles; abdomen including spinnerets pale cream.

PROSOMA. Fovea faint, length 0.21, anterior end 0.71 from PME. MOQ ( Fig. 2E ) length 0.18, anterior width 0.20, posterior width 0.19. AER straight from above, width 0.32, PER procurved from above, width 0.35. AME circular, other eyes oval; AME 0.08, ALE 0.05, PLE 0.05, PME 0.02; AME–AME: 0.03, AME–ALE: 0.01, ALE–PLE: touching, PME–PME: 0.12. Clypeus vertical, 0.06, with four long setae. Chilum absent. Sternum 0.92 long, 0.78 wide. Chelicerae: anterior margin with three teeth.

LEG SPINATION. All femora with one dorsal spine, Fe I pl 1; T I v 2-2-2-2-2; Mt I v 2-2-2; T II v 2-2-2-2; Mt II v 2-2-2; T III v 2-2; Mt III pl1v 2; T IV pl 1 v 1; Mt IV rl 1 v 1-2.

LEG I MEASUREMENTS. Fe: 1.07, P: 0.43, T: 0.85, Mt: 0.78, t: 0.64; total: 3.77.

LEG FORMULA. 4123.

MALE PALP ( Fig. 24C–F ). RTA subcircular, provided with thin prong pointing forward, VTA subtriangular with rounded corners, both in retrolateral and ventral views; tegulum with sperm duct long and complex with wide basal part clearly visible in ventral view; embolus with thick base, originating in centre of posterior margin of tegulum, curved inward, ending in slender tip slightly curved antero-ventrally, near anterior margin of cymbial concavity. Conductor close to distal tip of embolus, subrectangular with a prolateral, forward projecting finger-like appendage.

Female (Paratype BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 22957; Fig. 25 )

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.69. Carapace length 1.56, width 0.99, height 0.71.

COLOUR ( Fig. 25A–B ). Carapace and chelicerae pale yellowish orange, legs pale yellow, sternum yellow with pale brown precoxal triangles.

PROSOMA. Fovea pronounced, length 0.28, anterior end 0.71 from PME. MOQ length 0.25, anterior width 0.25, posterior width 0.26. AER straight from above, width 0.40, PER procurved from above, width 0.45. AME circular, remainder oval; AME 0.10, ALE and PLE 0.05, PME 0.02; AME–AME:

0.05, AME–ALE: 0.03, ALE–PLE: touching, PME–PME: 0.16. Clypeus 0.07. Chelicerae with three teeth. Chilum absent. Sternum 0.92 long, 0.78 wide.

LEGS: TARSI SLIGHTLY WIDENED TOWARDS EXTREMITY. Spination: all femora with one dorsal spine; T I v 2-2- 2-2-2; Mt I v 2-2-2; T II v 2-2-2-2; Mt II v 2-2-2; T III v 2-2; Mt III v 2-2; T IV pl 1 v 1; Mt IV rl 1 v 1-2.

	Fe	P	T	Mt	t	total
I	1.47	0.49	1.33	1.33	0.98	5.60
II	1.40	0.49	1.05	0.77	0.70	4.41
III	1.12	0.49	0.91	0.98	0.84	4.34
IV	1.47	0.56	1.26	1.47	0.98	5.74

LEG FORMULA. 4123.

EPIGYNE ( Fig. 25C–F ). Roughly rectangular, slightly wider than long, with crescent-shaped copulatory openings in the posterior half. Large broadly oval spermathecae and copulatory ducts visible in transparency. Fertilisation duct short, oriented posteriorly. Sickle-shaped sclerites procurved.

Distribution

Known from the Eastern D.R. Congo and the Kivu Province ( Fig. 40 ).

Remark

It would be surprising that the species occurs in the eastern lowland of Congo as well as in the western Kivu Province. The specimens from Kivu may be mislabeled.

Figures

Fig. 2. Andromma Simon, 1893. A–E. Eye patterns, dorsal view. F. Spinnerets, ventral view. G. ALS, ventral view. A–B. Andromma deogratias sp. nov.A. ♂, paratype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 246048). B. ♀, paratype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 246054). C–D. Andromma divinagraciae sp. nov. C. ♂, holotype (BE_ RMCA_ARA.Ara 246051). D. ♀, paratype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 246055). E. Andromma ghesquierei sp. nov., ♀, paratype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 84109). F–G. Andromma divinagraciae sp. nov., ♂, paratype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 246056). Scale bars: A–E= 0.2 mm; F =0.1 mm; G = 0.01 mm.

Fig. 24. Andromma ghesquierei sp. nov., ♂, holotype (BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 247536). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Same, ventral view. C–D. ♂, left palp, ventral view. E–F. Same, retrolateral view.Abbreviations: CD= copulatory duct; CO=copulatory opening; FD =fertilisation duct; ST =spermatheca. Scale bars: A–B =1 mm; C–F =0.2 mm.

Fig. 25. Andromma ghesquierei sp. nov., ♀, paratypes. A–B. BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 84109. C, E. BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 177091. D, F. BE_RMCA_ARA.Ara 22878. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Cephalothorax, ventral view. C–D. Epigyne, ventral view. E–F. Same cleared, dorsal view. Abbreviations:CD =copulatory duct; CO=copulatory opening; FD =fertilisation duct; ST= spermatheca. Scale bars: A–B =1 mm; C–E =0.2 mm.

Fig. 40. Distribution map of species ofAndromma Simon, 1893 (circles if shape of symbol not specified). A. anochetorum Simon, 1909 (white), A. deogratias sp. nov. (blue), A. dicranobelos sp. nov. (black), A. ghesquierei sp. nov. (fuchsia), A. heligmos sp. nov. (green triangle), A. juakalyi sp. nov. (yellow triangle), A. katangensis sp. nov. (green), A. ophiophagum sp. nov. (white squares), A. raffrayi Simon, 1899 (red) and A. velum sp. nov. (yellow).