Selenops lesnei Lessert, 1936

Corronca, J. A., 2002, A taxonomic revision of the afrotropical species of Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Araneae, Selenopidae), Zootaxa 107, pp. 1-35 : 18-20

Selenops lesnei Lessert, 1936 ( Figs. 35­39 )

Selenops lesnei Lessert, 1936 . Rev. Suisse Zool., 43:265, figs. 60, 62­64. Female holotype and male paratype from Mozambique: Zambeze, Mouvia­Sare and Inhafoune, in Museé de Histoire Naturelle, Genève, not examined.

S. rhodesianus Lawrence, 1940 . Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 32(6):560, fig. 4. Type examined. First synonymized by Corronca (1998c:80).

S. lesnei .­ Benoit, 1968. Rev. Zool. Bot. Afr. 77(11­2):136, figs. 23­25.

Diagnosis. Selenops lesnei resembles S. vigilans , but the females can be distinguished by the shape of the epigynum (middle field is wider and shorter than in S. vigilans ) and by the shape of the spermathecae ( Figs. 38­39 ). The males are characterized by the shape of the tibial apophysis ( Fig. 36 ) and the falciform conductor ( Fig. 37 ).

Female. The female was described by Lessert (1936) and redescribed by Lawrence (1940) and Benoit (1968). Colour pattern of opisthosoma as in Fig. 35 . Epigynum and spermathecae as in Figs. 38­39 .

Male. The male was described by Lessert (1936) and redescribed by Benoit (1968). Palp as in Figs. 36­37 .

New records. BURUNDI: Kanyania, 1500m, 2 females, XII/57, Dames de Marie Col., MRAC 168.894. SOMALIA: Djibounti, 1 male, 1 female, 1 immature, VII/74, P. Leriche Col., MRAC 146.270. RWANDA: Kisenyi, 2 females, VIII/53, A. Bertrand Col., MRAC 78859.

Known distribution. Eritrea, Mozambique, Zimbabwe ( Corronca 2000), Burundi, Somalia and Rwanda.

Figures

FIGURES 35 ­ 42. 35 ­ 39. Selenops lesnei Lessert, 35. Colour pattern of opisthosoma, dorsal view. Fig 36. Male palp, ventral view. 37. Male palp, lateral view. 38. Epigynum, ventral view. 39. Vulva, dorsal view. 40 ­ 42. Selenops krugeri Lawrence, female lectotype, 40. Epigynum, ventral view. 41. Vulva, dorsal view. 42. Colour pattern of opisthosoma, dorsal view. Scale: genitalia = 0.25 mm, other drawings = 1 mm.