Pachyballus castaneus Simon, 1900

Wesolowska, Wanda, Azarkina, Galina N. & Wisniewski, Konrad, 2020, A revision of Pachyballus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus Simon, 1900 (Araneae, Salticidae, Ballini) with descriptions of new species, ZooKeys 944, pp. 47-98 : 47

Pachyballus castaneus Simon, 1900 Figures 6 , 18-21 , 22-28 , 129 , 193

Pachyballus castaneus Simon 1900: 400 (♀).

Neotype.

South Africa • ♀; KwaZulu-Natal, Ulundi, Ophathe Game Reserve; 28°23'S, 31°24'E; 3.X.2008; C. Haddad leg.; overgrazed savanna, beating shrubs; NCA 2008/4147.

Paraneotypes.

South Africa • 1♀; together with neotype • 1♂ 1♀; the same locality as neotype; 3.X.2008; C. Haddad leg.; overgrazed savanna, beating, shrubs; NCA 2008/4140.

Other material examined.

South Africa • 1♂; the same locality as neotype; 2.X.2008; NCA 2008/4167 • 1♂ 2♀ 8 imm.; the same locality; 500 m a.s.l.; rocky mountainside; NCA 2008/4154 • 3♂ 6 imm.; the same locality; 1.X.2008; NCA 2008/3993 • 1♂ 3 imm.; the same data; NCA 2008/3971 • 1♂; KwaZulu-Natal, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Crocodile Centre; 28°21'S, 32°25'E; 14.V.2012; J.A. Neetling and C. Luwes leg.; canopy fogging, wetland, Breonadia salicina ; NCA 2012/5736 • 2♀; the same locality, St. Lucia; 28°23'S, 32°25'E; 13.V.2012; J.A. Neetling and C. Luwes leg.; canopy fogging, coastal forest, Trichilia dregeana ; NCA 2012/4019 and NCA 2012/5737 • 1♀; Lake St. Lucia, Fanies Island; 28°06'S, 32°27'E; 1.VII.1993; F.J. van der Lingen leg.; 200 m from lake campsite, W shore, in dense bush thicket; NMBA 08069 • 1♀; Mkuze, Banghoek Lodge; 27°45'S, 32°08'E; 17.V.2012; J.A. Neetling and C. Luwes leg.; canopy fogging, Bushveld, Acacia karroo ; NCA 2012/3965 • 1♂; Ndumo Game Reserve; 26°55'S, 32°19'E; 30.VI.2009; R. Lyle leg.; sand forest, beating foliage; NCA 2009/3660 • 1♀; Sihangwane, Tembe Elephant Park, 40 km from Kosi Bay; 27°02'S, 32°25'E; 18.XI.1988, R. Harris leg.; NCA 94/828 • 1♀; the same locality; 6.II.2008; R. Lyle and R. Fourie leg.; beating, afromontane forest; NCA 2008/505 • 1♂ 1♀; Hellsgate; 28°00'S, 32°48'E; 23.VIII.2004; J. Esterhuizen leg.; NCA 2010/155 and NCA 2010/156 • 1♀; Mpumalanga Prov., Nelspruit, Agricultural College; 25°27'S, 30°59'E; 12.XI.1999; P. Stephen leg.; beating, citrus; NCA 2000/223 • 1♀; Wildlife College, 10 km from Orpen Gate of Kruger National Park; 24°28'S, 31°23'E; 11.X.2000; W. Breytenbach leg.; beating Euclea divinorum ; NCA 2003/626 • 1♂; Limpopo Prov., Little Leigh; 22°56'S, 29°22'E; 22.XI.2005; B. van der Waal leg.; branch beating, gallery forest; NCA 2009/2232. Zimbabwe • 3♂; Mashonaland; Workman coll.; MCZ • 1♂; Harare; 17°50'S, 31°10'E; 2.III.2012; M. Cumming leg.; suburban garden, dropped from tree; NMZ.

Diagnosis.

The male is indistinguishable from the males of P. flavipes and P. mombasensis by body shape and colouration, but its bulb is slightly narrower than in these species and the embolic spiral is tightly convoluted; width of the basal embolic loop equals only a half of tegulum width, whereas in both other species it is as wide as tegulum. The female can be separated from congeners in having copulatory ducts compactly arranged and not forming loose loops (see Fig. 28 ).

Redescription.

Male. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 0.9-1.3, width 1.3-1.9, height 0.5-0.6. Eye field: length 0.6-0.7, anterior width 1.1-1.4, posterior width 1.3-1.9. Abdomen: length 1.7-2.2, width 1.8-2.6.

General appearance as in Figs 18 , 19 . Small spider with flattened body covered with strongly sclerotised and pitted integument (Fig. 6 ). Carapace dark brown, eye field on more or less half of carapace, vicinity of eyes black. A few long bristles at anterior eyes. Posterior edge of carapace covered by abdomen. Chelicerae with three teeth on both margins (Fig. 22 ). Mouth parts brown, sternum oval, brown, clypeus extremely low. Abdomen dark brown, heart-shaped, as wide as long, dorsal scutum turned back via margins to venter (Fig. 19 ), ventral scuta typical; the anterior one narrow with lateral extensions, posterior trapezoid. Numerous small bumps on sides. Colouration dark brown to black, iridescent, integument clearly pitted, short hairs on edges of carapace, dense bristles near eyes. Spinnerets brown. Legs I the thickest (Fig. 19 ), brown (except yellow tarsi and metatarsi), femur, patella and tibia slightly thickened, tibia slightly flattened dorsally, covered with dense setae ventrally. Tibiae and metatarsi with two pairs of short stout spines ventrally. Other legs yellow, with brownish femora. Pedipalp brown, its structure as in Figs 23-26 , slightly narrower than in congeners. Palpal tibia short with single thin straight apophysis, bulb oval, embolus thin, long, spirally coiled on bulb tip.

Female. Cephalothorax: length 0.9-1.4, width 1.2-1.4, height 0.5-0.6. Eye field: length 0.5-0.7, anterior width 0.9-1.1, posterior width 1.2-1.4. Abdomen: length 1.7-2.0, width 1.8-2.1.

General appearance as in Figs 20 , 21 . Similar to male, abdomen almost round or oval, but its anterior margin almost straight. Abdominal venter with two scuta as in male (Fig. 21 ). All legs and palps dark yellow. Epigyne typical, with horseshoe-shaped anterior depression (Fig. 27 ). Internal structures relatively simple, copulatory ducts shorter than in congeners, compactly arranged, spermathecae strongly sclerotised (Fig. 28 ).

Immature specimens. Similar to adults, abdomen covered dorsally with one large scutum.

Distribution.

Known from South Africa and Zimbabwe (Fig. 193 ).

Designation of neotype.

Pachyballus castaneus was originally described from Natal (South Africa) on the basis of a single female. The type specimen was lost (the collection manager informed us that the type could not be found in Simon’s collection in MNHN). The original description is very superficial (only body size and colouration of legs are mentioned) and insufficient for identification of the species. Colouration of legs varies within different Pachyballus species (see Figs 32 , 33 , 104-106 ), so it cannot be used as a taxonomic character. The neotype, a female that originates from the same province as the type, is herein designated to stabilise the nomenclature.

Remarks.

The male of this species is described here for the first time.

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Some morphological characters of Pachyballus and Peplometus 1 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Gabon), male, ventral abdominal scuta 2 Pach. ornatus (specimen from Tanzania), female, ventral abdominal scuta 3 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Congo), embolus 4 Pepl. biscutellatus (specimen from Ivory Coast), palpal organ in ventral view 5 Pach. flavipes (specimen from Zimbabwe), epigyne with broken embolus in copulatory opening 6 Pach. castaneus, pitted integument of abdomen.

Figures 18 - 21. Pachyballus castaneus 18 male (specimen from South Africa), habitus, dorsal view 19 male habitus, lateral view 20 female, habitus, dorsal view 21 female, neotype, habitus, ventral view.

Figures 22 - 28. Pachyballus castaneus 22 cheliceral dentition 23 - 25 palpal organ, ventral view (24 specimen from Zimbabwe) 26 palpal organ, lateral view 27 epigyne 28 internal structure of epigyne.

Figures 129 - 135. First leg of male 129 Pachyballus castaneus 130 Peplometus biscutellatus 131, 132 P. chlorophthalmus 133 P. congoensis 134 P. oyo 135 P. nimba 132 retrolateral view, others prolateral view.

Figures 193 - 198. Distribution maps of Pachyballus and Peplometus species. 193 circle - Pachyballus caelestis, square - P. castaneus, triangle - P. variegatus 194 P. flavipes 195 circle - P. miniscutulus, square - P. mombasensis, triangle - P. ornatus 196 P. transversus 197 circle - Peplometus biscutellatus, square - P. chlorophthalmus 198 circle - P. nimba, square - P. oyo, triangle - P. congoensis.

Figures 29 - 35. Pachyballus flavipes 29 male, habitus, dorsal view 30 male, habitus, ventral view 31 male, habitus, lateral view 32, 33 female, habitus, dorsal view 34 female, habitus, ventral view 35 female, habitus, lateral view (29, 30, 32 specimen from Congo 31 specimen from Kenya 33 - 35 specimen from Cameroon).

Figures 104 - 109. Pachyballus transversus, female 104 - 106 habitus, dorsal view 107 - 109 epigyne (dissected from specimens visible above) (104, 106 specimens from Congo 105 specimen from Ethiopia).