Smeringopina djidji, Huber, Bernhard A., 2013

Huber, Bernhard A., 2013, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Guineo-Congolian spider genus Smeringopina Kraus (Araneae, Pholcidae, Zootaxa 3713 (1), pp. 1-160 : 33

Smeringopina djidji new species

Figs. 474–478 , 511–512 , 526 , 547–552

Type. ♂ holotype from Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo, near Djidji (0°12.8’N, 11°49.3’E), 470 m a.s.l., forest, 12.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), in ZFMK (Ar 10262).

Other material examined. GABON: Ogooué-Ivindo: near Djidji : same data as holotype, 1♂ 3♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10263); same data, 2♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 241).

Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from similar congeners (large species with long abdomen, cone-shaped modified hairs on male chelicerae, simple unbranched procursus) by distinctive shape of procursus (same width over all its length; Figs. 547–548 ), and large hump in anterior part of epigynum ( Fig. 512 ); also by modified male clypeus (with cone-shaped hairs similar to S. bwiti but modified hairs not on humps).

Male (holotype). Total body length 8.0, carapace width 1.9. Leg 1: 82.8 (18.5 + 0.8 + 18.0 + 41.9 + 3.6), tibia 2: 13.5, tibia 3: 8.8, tibia 4: 11.3; tibia 1 L/d: 107. Distance PME-PME 210 µm, diameter PME 210 µm, distance PME-ALE 90 µm, distance AME-AME 45 µm, diameter AME 210 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown mark posteriorly and brown lateral margins; ocular area posteriorly brown, clypeus with pair of brown marks at rim, sternum dark brown; legs ochre-yellow, slightly darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae and in patella area, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochre-gray with distinct black pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 474–475 , ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; clypeus with about 18 small modified (cone-shaped) hairs and longer than usual normal hairs; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Fig. 549 , with lateral proximal apophyses and distal apophyses; distal apophyses and frontal cheliceral face provided with several small modified (cone-shaped) hairs. Palps as in Figs. 476–478 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with ventral apophysis; femur proximally with ventral sclerotized ridge, without or with very indistinct shallow pocket, with small retrolateral apophysis, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint strongly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with seven very strong hairs dorsally; procursus without (or extremely indistinct) hinge between proximal and distal part, dorsal rim serrated; bulb with widened but weakly sclerotized proximal part of embolus ( Fig. 550 ). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible.

Variation. Other male with only 14 modified hairs on clypeus; tibia 1: 15.1

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus unmodified, variably dark. Tibia 1: 14.8 (missing in other females). Epigynum consisting of long rectangular anterior plate with distinctive hump frontally and large posterior plate ( Figs. 511–512 , 526 , 551 ); internal genitalia as in Figs. 526 and 552 .

Natural history. S. djidji was mainly found between buttresses of large trees.

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 468 ).

Figures

FIGURE 468. Known distribution of the simplex species group. The square in western Cameroon denotes the probably misidentified juvenile paralectotypes of S. africana (Thorell) from Kitta in NHRS.

FIGURES 469 – 478. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus (469 – 473) and S. djidji n. sp. (474 – 478). 469 – 470, 474 – 475. Males, dorsal and ventral views. 471 – 473, 476 – 478. Left male palps, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Arrow points at ventral sclerotized ridge.

FIGURES 509 – 524. Female abdomens in ventral and lateral views, simplex group. 509 – 510. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 511 – 512. S. djidji n. sp. 513 – 514. S. ogooue n. sp. 515 – 516. S. bioko n. sp. 517 – 518. S. etome n. sp. 519 – 520. S. africana (Thorell). 521 – 522. S. simplex Kraus. 523 – 524. S. bwiti n. sp.

FIGURES 525 – 533. Cleared female genitalia in dorsal view, simplex group. 525. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 526. S. djidji n. sp. 527. S. ogooue n. sp. 528. S. bioko n. sp. 529. S. etome n. sp. 530. S. africana (Thorell). 531. S. simplex Kraus. 532. S. bwiti n. sp. 533. S. luki n. sp.

FIGURES 547 – 552. Smeringopina djidji n. sp. 547 – 548. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 549. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 550. Left embolus, prolateral view. 551. Epigynum, ventral view. 552. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5 (547 – 550), 1.0 (551 – 552).