Nita elsaff, Huber, Bernhard A. & El-Hennawy, Hisham K., 2007

Huber, Bernhard A. & El-Hennawy, Hisham K., 2007, On Old World ninetine spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae), with a new genus and species and the first record for Madagascar, Zootaxa 1635, pp. 45-53 : 46-48

Nita elsaff n. gen., n. sp.

( Figs. 1–16)

Type material. Male holotype from El Saff (29°57’N, 31°28’E), Giza, Egypt; March 1, 2003 (M. Mohafez), in ZFMK (Ar 005).

Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality and is used as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. This species is very easily distinguished from all species of Ninetis , the only other African ninetine genus known. Unlike Ninetis species, which have either very simple and small procursi or ( N. russellsmithi ) no procursus at all, the present species has a complex and large procursus ( Figs. 3, 4 ). All Ninetis species have a very distinctive bulb, with a long ventral apophysis and a dorsal projection that presumably contains the sperm duct (see Fig. 18 ). In contrast, Nita elsaff has a single cylindrical projection on the bulb ( Figs. 3, 4 ). Moreover, Nita elsaff has a uniquely modified male clypeus ( Figs. 2 , 7 ), while the clypeus of all known Ninetis species (and of all other known ninetines) is unmodified. Finally, Nita elsaff females have very distinct pore plates ( Fig. 6 ), while pore plates are either absent, invisible, or extremely indistinct in Ninetis females. From other potentially close relatives ( Aucana , Chisosa ), Nita is easily distinguished by the modified male clypeus.

Male (holotype). Total length 1.7, carapace width 0.76. Leg 1: 6.5 (1.73 + 0.30 + 1.80 + 2.03 + 0.63), tibia 2: 1.33, tibia 3: 1.07, tibia 4: 1.50. Tibia 1 length/diameter (L/d): 23. Habitus as Fig. 1; coloration mostly pale ochre-yellow, carapace with narrow median light brown stripe widening frontally to cover ocular area, abdomen monochromous grey. Ocular area slightly elevated; thoracic furrow present, indistinct and shallow; distance PME–PME 115 Μm; diameter PME 55 Μm; distance PME–ALE 20 Μm; distance AME–AME 25 Μm, diameter AME 40 Μm. Sternum wider than long (0.54/0.48), without frontal humps. Clypeus distinctively modified, with strong hairs situated on a median protrusion ( Figs. 2 , 7 ); chelicerae with pair of distinctive frontal apophyses ( Figs. 2 , 8 ), with stridulatory ridges ( Fig. 12 ). Palps as in Figures 3 and 4 ; trochanter projecting ventrally but without distinct apophysis; femur, patella, and tibia widened but otherwise unmodified; procursus distinctive, strongly sclerotized, with small sclerotized flap proximally, long spine and further partly membranous flap ( Fig. 11 ) distally; bulb with one cylindrical projection (presumably the embolus) ending in curved spine ( Figs. 3 , 10 ); palpal tarsal organ exposed ( Fig. 9 ). Legs without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 57%, prolateral trichobothrium present on all legs; tarsus 1 with about 8 very indistinct pseudosegments. Male gonopore without epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 14 ).

Variation. Tibia 1 in other males from Egypt: 1.57, 1.60; from Uzbekistan: 1.67.

Female. In general similar to male, clypeus unmodified ( Fig. 13 ). Tibia 1: 1.23, 1.50 (Cairo), 1.67 (El Saff). Epigynum large relative to abdomen, with distinctive pair of pockets and internal structures visible through cuticle ( Figs. 5, 6 , 15, 16 ).

Distribution. Known from two localities in the Cairo-Giza area, Egypt, and from Uzbekistan.

Material examined. EGYPT: El Saff, Giza: type above, together with 1Ψ (used for SEM), same data, in ZFMK. Cairo: Heliopolis (30°06.7’N, 31°17.8’E), in a house, January 19, 2004, March 22 & 26, 2005 (H. El- Hennawy), 2ɗ1Ψ (1ɗ used for SEM) in ZFMK (Ar 006–8). Same locality, February 10, 2004 (H. El-Hennawy), 1Ψ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK. UZBEKISTAN: Kaskadariya (Qashqadaryo) Region, Guzary Distr., 11 km SE Guzar [38°33.1’N, 66°21.4’E], clayey waste ground, Oct. 18, 1992 (A. A. Zyuzin), 1ɗ in ZMMU.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 6. Nita elsaff n. sp. 2. Male, frontal view, showing eyes, clypeus (arrow points to modification), and chelicerae. 3. Left procursus and bulb, ventral view. 4. Left palp, retrolateral view. 5. Cleared epigynum, ventral view. 6. Cleared epigynum, dorsal view. b: bulb, e: putative embolus, ep: epigynal pocket, p: procursus, pp: pore plate, tr: trochanter. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 20. Ninetis toliara n. sp. 17. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 18. Left cymbium with procursus and bulb, prolateral view. 19. Left male palp, retrolateral view. 20. Cleared epigynum, ventral view. b: bulb, p: procursus. Scale lines: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 16. Nita elsaff n. sp. 7. Male chelicerae and clypeus (arrow points to modification). 8. Male cheliceral apophysis. 9. Male palpal tarsal organ. 10. Left procursus and bulb, dorsal view. 11. Detail of left procursus. 12. Stridulatory ridges on left male chelicera. 13. Female prosoma, frontal view. 14. Male gonopore. 15. Epigynum, ventral (slightly posterior) view. 16. Epigynum, ventral view. b: bulb, e: putative embolus, ep: epigynal pocket, p: procursus, pto: palpal tarsal organ. Scale lines: 10 µm (8, 9), 40 µm (11, 12, 14), 100 µm (7, 10), 200 µm (13, 15, 16).