Wadicosa jocquei, Torbjörn Kronestedt, 2015

Torbjörn Kronestedt, 2015, Species of Wadicosa (Araneae, Lycosidae): transfer of two species from Pardosa and description of three new species from Africa, European Journal of Taxonomy 132, pp. 1-19 : 8-14

Wadicosa jocquei sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:72E7DB23-929F-4553-8FEC-51BABA5D723C

Figs 1 G–H, 2 E–F, 3 C, G, 4 C, F, 5 E, 7 C, 8 C, F, 9 ; Table 1

Diagnosis

The male palp is characterized by having a small terminal part carrying a non-pigmented pointed conductor and a stout and smoothly tapering embolus, slightly curved, running transversally over most of the bulbus. The female differs from other Wadicosa species by having an epigyne with deep median cavity wider than long, its posterior rim somewhat protruding.

Etymology

The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Dr Rudy Jocqué, an authority on African spiders who first enabled me to study material of this species.

Material examined

Holotype

COMOROS: ♂, Anjouan, Pomoni , 12°17’ S, 44°24’ E, marsh locality, low vegetation, 5 Dec. 1983, R. Jocqué ( MRAC 244077 ) .

Paratypes

COMOROS: Anjouan, same data as holotype, 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀ ( MRAC 160985 , incl. female allotype) . Moheli, Miringoni , 12°18’ S, 43°38’ E, riverbed, pebbles, 4 Nov. 1983, R. Jocqué, 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀ ( MRAC 161024 ) .

MAYOTTE ( France): Petit Terre, Dziani Dzaha , 12°46’ S, 45°17’ E, 19 Feb. 1999, R. Jocqué & G. De Smet, 2 ♂♂ ( MRAC 208628 ) . Combani, 12°47’ S, 45°08’ E, waste ground near dam, 28 Feb. 1999, R. Jocqué & G. De Smet, 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ ( MRAC 208507 ) .

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: Alaotra-Mangoro, Lac Alaotra , 17º30’ S, 48º30’ E, river, yellow tray, 22 Apr. 1992, A. Pauly, 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀ ( MRAC 174568 ) . 25 km W of Morarano Chrome , 17°45’ S, 47°59’ E, plantation in forest, yellow tray, 10–25 May 1991, A. Pauly, 3 ♀♀ ( MRAC 174365 ) . Atsinanana, Mahavelona (‘Foulpointe’), 17°40’ S, 49°31’ E, bank of forested lagoon, 15 Oct. 1993, A. Pauly, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 177757 ) ; forest with sandy soil, Aug. 1994, A. Pauly, 14 ♀♀ ( MRAC 201838 , except 2 ♀♀ in NHRS) ; forested lagoon, along bank of channel, Oct. 1994, A. Pauly, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 201728 ) ; Analalava Forest, yellow tray, Jan. 1995, A. Pauly, 11 ♂♂, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 206755 , except 2 ♂♂ in NHRS) ; Analalava Forest , Feb. 1995, A. Pauly, 14 ♂♂ ( MRAC 206538 ) ; forest on clayey soil, sieving leaf litter, Aug. 1995, A. Pauly, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 205746 ) . Toamasina (‘Tamatave’), 18°10’ S, 49°23’ E, prison, on sand and brick wall, Jul. 1994, A. Pauly, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 201739 ) . Atsino-Andrefana, Tulear , Aug. 1967, J. Picard, 2 ♀♀ ( MRAC 133738 , 133739 ) ; Mahafaly, near Eloetse, by Lake Tsimanampetsoa , 24°10’ S, 43°45’ E, 15–16 Sep. 1992, V. & B. Roth, 1 ♀ ( CAS-ENT 9008637 ) .

MAURITIUS: Casela Bird Park , 20°18’ S, 57°25’ E, edge of pond, 4 May 1988, A. Russell-Smith, 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ ( CARS) .

SEYCHELLES: Aldabra, Malabar , 9°22’ S, 46°23’ E, 1970, G. Hamadion, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ( MRAC 141122 ) .

Description

Male (holotype)

Total length 5.3 mm; carapace 3.00 mm long, 2.20 mm wide.

CEPHALOTHORAX. Carapace sooty yellowish with more or less distinct, wide, greyish yellow median band. Lateral bands faint or missing. Sides of thoracic part with short, black recumbent hairs, median band in addition with dense pubescence of adpressed light hairs (often more or less abraded). Clypeus sooty, more yellowish laterally. Chelicerae yellowish, with sooty elongate markings. Sternum greyish yellow.

EYES. Width of row I 49 (lower tangential line very slightly procurved, upper tangential line distinctly procurved as seen from front), row II 65, row III 82, row II–III 65. Diameter of AME 12, ALE 9, PME 25, PLE 20. Distance between AME 9, between AME and ALE 2.

ABDOMEN. Dorsum blackish with pattern of yellowish spots. Lanceolate stripe yellowish grey, bordered in black. Yellowish spots along each side of lanceolate stripe, anterior spots sometimes confluent, posterior one separate. Posterior to lanceolate stripe a series of paired yellowish, more or less confluent spots alternating with transverse blackish bars. Each spot with blackish median dot. Venter more or less light yellowish grey, with white adpressed pubescence and scattered more erect short dark hairs. Spinnerets yellowish grey.

LEGS ( Table 1 ). Yellowish, with weak sooty annulations, Fe more or less sooty, with lighter “pseudoannulation” and various markings.

PALP ( Figs 2 E–F, 3 D, 4 C, F, 5 E). Pt 0.55, Ti 0.55, Cy 1.30. Yellowish brown with more (aged individuals?) or less sooty markings. Cy yellowish distally, otherwise yellowish brown; apically with narrow spine (occasionally missing). Retrolateral rim of Cy projecting ( Fig. 2 F, arrow). Tegular apophysis inconspicuous, largely unsclerotized, distal half widened, rounded, with protrusion, having blackened rim, pointing ventrad.Anterior retrolateral process well developed ( Fig. 4 F). Terminal part with transverse conductor, partly transparent, distally with transparent projections and ending in a somewhat darkened, slightly curved pointed tip ( Figs 4 C, F, 5E). Embolus comparatively long and stout (sclerotized), slightly curved in ventral view (more curved in frontal view), and smoothly tapering to tip ( Figs 2 E, 4 C, F, 5 E).

Female (allotype)

Total length 6.3 mm; carapace 3.40 mm long, 2.60 mm wide.

CEPHALOTHORAX. Carapace dark brownish with indistinct, wide, yellow-brown median band and broken lateral bands (sometimes faint).

EYES. Width of row I 58 (slightly procurved as seen from front), row II 78, row III 98, row II–III 77. Diameter of AME 14, ALE 10, PME 28, PLE 23. Distance between AME 9, between AME and ALE 2.

ABDOMEN. Dorsally and laterally patterned in black and yellow, similar to male.

LEGS ( Table 1 ). Brownish yellow with darker annulation.

EPIGYNE ( Figs 3 G, 7 C, 8 C, F). Median cavity wider than long, with posterior rim rounded, more or less protruding. Anterior part of epigyne with two close, partly confluent foveolae. Receptacula rounded ( Fig. 8 F), when heavily sclerotized visible through the integument. In several examined females, median cavity covered with amorphous stiff substance (probably serving as mating plug) (cf. Kronestedt 1987; Uhl et al. 2010).

Size variation

Carapace lengths of material measured: males 2.60–3.10 mm (N = 10), females 2.95–3.70 mm (N = 20).

Remarks

The male from Aldabra differs by the proportions of the cymbium, the apical part being relatively short, although the configuration of the bulbus corresponds to that of the other males.

Several specimens from Foulpointe have an overall darker colour than the rest of the material studied.

A male from Ethiopia (Gamo Gofa, 49 km SE of Sodo, 19 Aug. 1997, W.J. Pulawski, CAS-ENT 9046030), of a presumably undescribed species, has a bulbus morphologically resembling that in W. jocquei sp. nov. but differs inter alia in the shape of the embolus (shorter and broader).

Habitat

The species seems to prefer sites close to water.

Distribution

Seychelles (Aldabra), Comoro Islands (Anjouan, Mohéli, Mayotte), Madagascar, Mauritius ( Fig. 9 ). This is the first lycosid species to be reported from Aldabra. Bristowiella seychellensis (Bristowe, 1973) was erroneously reported as occurring there ( Saaristo 2010; El-Hennawy 2011), although it has been found on several islands in the Seychelles and on the three large islands of the Comoros ( Alderweireldt 1988; Saaristo 2010), as well as on Madagascar (material in MRAC).

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus, dorsal view. — A–C. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco). A ♂ from Kenya, Marsabit. B ♂ and C ♀ from Kenya, WNW of Mombasa. — D. W. russellsmithi sp. nov., holotype, ♀. — E–F. W. cognata sp. nov. E ♂ and F ♀ from Kenya, Lake Magadi. — G–H. W. jocquei sp. nov. G ♂ from Comoros, Pomoni. H ♀ from Mayotte. Scale bar: A–H = 2 mm.

Fig. 2. — A–D. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco). A. Left male palp, from Caporiacco (1940: fig. 1). B. Right male palp, from Roewer (1959: fig. 18). C–D. Left embolus in ♂ from Kenya, Marsabit; anterior (C) and ventral (D) view. — E–F. W. jocquei sp. nov. Left embolus (E), frontal view, and left cymbium (F) in ♂ from Comoros, Anjouan. Arrow points at projecting retrolateral rim of cymbium. Scale bars: C–E = 0.2mm, F = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 3. Right male palp, ventral view (A – C) and epigyne (D – H). — A, D. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco) (A from Kenya, WNW of Mombasa; D from Kenya, Marsabit). — B, E. W. cognata sp. nov. B. Holotype. E. Paratype. — C, G. W. jocquei sp. nov. C. Holotype. G. Allotype. — F. W. Fdelis (Pickard-Cambridge) from Spain. — H. W. russellsmithi sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: A – H = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. Bulbus of left male palp in ventral (A – C) and retrolateral (D – F) view. — A, D. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco), from Kenya, WNW of Mombasa. — B, E. W. cognata sp. nov., from Kenya, Lake Magadi. — C, F. W. jocquei sp. nov., from Comoros, Moheli. a. rl. p, anterior retrolateral process; co, conductor; em, embolus; p. rl. p, posterior retrolateral process; sc, scutra; tg. a, tegular apophysis. Scale bar: A – F = 300 µm.

Fig. 5. Terminal part of left male palp with embolus (em) and conductor (co). — A. Wadicosa cognata sp. nov., from Kenya, Lake Magadi, ventral view. — B. W. Fdelis (Pickard-Cambridge), from Spain, ventral view. — C – D. W. benadira (Caporiacco), from Kenya, WNW of Mombasa. C. Ventral view. D. More frontal view. — E. W. jocquei sp. nov., from Comoros, Moheli, frontal view. Scale bars: A – B = 200 µm, C – E = 200 µm.

Fig. 7. Epigyne, ventral view. — A. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco), from Kenya, Tsavo East NP. — B. W. cognata sp. nov., allotype. — C. W. jocquei sp. nov., from Madagascar, Mahafaly. — D. W. russellsmithi sp. nov., holotype. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 8. Epigyne in ventral (A – C) and dorsal (D – F) view. — A, D. Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco), from Kenya, Marsabit. — B, E. W. cognata sp. nov., from Kenya, Lake Magadi. — C, F. W. jocquei sp. nov. C. From Mauritius. F. From Comoros, Anjouan. fo, foveola; l. el. lateral elevation; sp, spermatheca; arrow points at lateral elevation partly covering foveola. Scale bars: A – F = 300 µm.

Fig. 9. Collection localities for Wadicosa benadira (Caporiacco) (stars), W. cognata sp. nov. (triangle) and W. jocquei sp. nov. (circles). One symbol may refer to more than one locality.