Finger minor sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 59B3E539-C026-4CC3-81C9-C2CF148BD2F3

Figs 18–19

Diagnosis

The male differs from that of Finger lechi Wesołowska & Wiśniewski, 2023 in having a distinctly longer embolus surrounding the bulb, while the embolus in F. lechi does not form a loop around the bulb. The female has an epigyne somewhat similar to that in Finger chitato Wesołowska & Wiśniewski, 2023 but can be recognized by the shape of the epigynal depression, which is triangular in the newly described species, while F. chitato has a bipartite depression.

Etymology

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘small’ and refers to size of this species.

Material examined

Holotype

UGANDA • ♂; Masindi distr., Budongo Forest; 1°45′ N, 31°25′ E; dry season; 15–25 Jan. 1997; T. Wagner leg.; ZFMK 3030.

Paratypes

UGANDA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK 2960 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK 2904 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK 2902 • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 5–15. Jan. 1997; ZFMK 2926 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK 2953 .

Description

Male

General appearance as in Fig. 18A, very small spider.

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.6–1.8, width 1.2–1.4, height 0.6–0.7. Eye field length 0.8–0.9, anterior width 1.2–1.3, posterior width 1.1–1.2. Abdomen length 1.5–1.8, width 1.1–1.2.

CARAPACE. Chocolate brown, eye field darker, anterior eyes encircled by white hairs (Fig. 18B). Carapace densely covered with white hairs, but some specimens hairless. Chelicerae dark brown, unidentate. Sternum dark, labium and endites light brown.

ABDOMEN. Dorsally with mosaic of grey patches on light background, traces of central yellowish-brown streak, dark chevrons in posterior half, venter creamy. Posterior spinnerets grey, anterior creamy.

LEGS. Brown with grey markings, first pair largest, brown (only tarsi yellow), long dark feather-shaped hairs on femur, patella and tibia ventrally (Fig. 18C).

PALPS. Brown, clothed in brown and whitish hairs. Palpal tibia short with bent retrolateral apophysis at tibial base (Figs 18D, 19A). Bulb rounded, embolus long, surrounding bulb (Figs 18D, 19A), S-shaped in lateral view (Figs 18F, 19C).

Female

General appearance as in Fig. 18H. Similar to male, lighter coloured.

MEASUREMENTS. Cephalothorax length 1.5, width 1.1, height 0.6. Eye field length 0.8, anterior width 1.0, posterior width 0.9. Abdomen length 1.6, width 1.0.

EPIGYNE. Very small, as in Fig. 19D, with wide triangular central depression. Copulatory ducts weakly sclerotized (visible after staining in Chlorasole black E), very wide in initial part, their course hard to follow (possibly damaged during preparation), spermathecae spherical (Fig. 19E).

Remarks

A closely related and still undescribed species occurs in Gabon (see Bodner & Maddison 2012: fig. 2b, MRB260).