Hortipes Bosselaers and Ledoux

BOSSELAERS, JAN & JOCQUÉ, RUDY, 2000, Hortipes, A Huge Genus Of Tiny Afrotropical Spiders (Araneae, Liocranidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (256), pp. 4-4 : 4-

SYSTEMATICS Hortipes Bosselaers and Ledoux

Map 1

Hortipes Bosselaers and Ledoux, 1998: 147 , figs. 1A–E, 2A–E, 3A–D (type species by original designation Hortipes luytenae Bosselaers and Ledoux ).

DIAGNOSIS: Spiders of the genus Hortipes can be recognized by the absence of dorsal setae on fe, the presence of two or more pro­ the median portion, the clypeus, which is slanting forward, and the peculiar ellipsoidal array of setae on the dorsal side of mt I and II.

DESCRIPTION: Araneomorph, ecribellate, entelegyne, dionychan spiders. Total length: males, 1.5–3.0; females, 2.0–4.0. Cephalothorax. Carapace regularly domed, highest at fovea (fig. 2b), yellow brown to brownish orange in alcohol­preserved specimens, vivid orange in living specimens of some (probably most) species. Carapace piriform in dorsal view, widest between coxae II and III, narrowed opposite palpal insertion; cephalic area trapezoidal with rounded corners and straight frontal edge bearing some forwarddirected setae (figs. 2d; 14k). Thoracic groove a thin, brown, longitudinal line, occupying about one­sixth of carapace length, anterior end situated one­third from posterior end of carapace. From above, anterior eye row slightly procurved to straight, posterior eye row strongly procurved; from front, anterior eye row slightly procurved, posterior eye row strongly procurved; AME circular, dark retina restricted to the median half, lateral portion transparent (figs. 1; 2c, d; 14k), large, diameter 1.5–2 Χ as large as diameter of PME; PME circular, light; ALE oval, long axis two­thirds of diameter of AME, light; PLE oval to almost circular, same size as PME, light; all eyes ringed with black. Anterior median eyes separated by less than their diameter, by 0.5–1 Χ their diameter from ALE, by their diameter from PME; PME separated by 1.5–2 Χ their diameter from each other and from PLE; ALE and PLE touching. Median ocular quadrangle about as long as wide, slightly wider posteriorly. Clypeus as wide as or only slightly wider than AME diameter, slanting forward. Chelicerae twice as long as wide, tapering toward fang base, frontal side with short, erect setae on anterior face, and a dense row of long, curved, shaggy setae close to fang furrow, the outermost of these being as long as the cheliceral claw itself (fig. 2c, f); posterior side with a tuft of curved setae halfway between base and tip. Fang furrow with 3 or 4 small promarginal teeth toward fang tip, retromarginal cheliceral rim with a row of 6–

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num shield shaped with straight frontal edge, not protruding between coxae, but with sclerotized extensions toward coxae I, II, and III. Labium bluntly trapezoidal with thickened, hemicircular frontal rim bearing two setae on each anterolateral corner. Endites rectangular with rounded corners and lateral notch on outside halfway from base to tip and with an oblique transversal groove running from lateral notch toward labium (fig. 2a). A serrula is present. Abdomen. Abdomen pink to yellowish white in alcohol­preserved specimens, scarlet in living specimens of some, light grey setae; abdomen widest midway, anteriorly truncate, posterior end bluntly triangular. Legs. Leg formula 4213; legs pale yellow in alcohol­preserved specimens, light orange in living specimens of some, probably most, species. Anterior and posterior legs quite dissimilar (fig. 1). Ta with two pectinate claws, thick claw tufts and several trichobothria in two rows. Claws of ta III and IV about 2 Χ as long as those of ta I and II. Mt. I and II, in males as well as in females, with 3 pairs of strong, mobile ventral spines. In addition to this, the dorsal side of mt I and

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about 30 ornate, presumably mechanosensory, hairs (Ledoux and Emerit, 1998), standing on the circumference of a shallow depression (fig. 6a,b). The long axis of the array, about 0.1 long (one­fifth of mt length), coincides with the symmetry axis of the article. A trichobothrium is situated at both ends of the long axis of the shallow depression, and a third trichobothrium lies on the same line, a bit more distal (fig. 6b). Ti I and II with 5 or 6 pairs of strong, mobile ventral spines in males, 6 or 7 pairs in females. Patellar indentation (Ledoux and Canard, 1991) rather short and wide (fig. 2g). No dorsal spines on leg articles. Fe I bear 2–4 prolateral ventral spines in males (3–4 in females) and 2–3 retrolateral ventral spines in both sexes; fe II bear 2–3 prolateral ventral spines in males (3–4 in females) and 2–4 retrolateral ventral spines in males (3–5 in females). Leg III spineless, except for the mt, where a prolateral, a ventral, and a retrolateral terminal spine are present singularly or in various combinations in some species. Leg IV, fe: a pro­ and a retrolateral terminal spine are present in some species; ti: a pro or retrolateral spine or both may be present halfway along the length of the article; mt: 1 or 2 ventral spines and, in addition, a pro­ or retrolateral spine or both may be present in ven, 1998) present on the posterior side of coxa I (fig. 2e). Trochanters not notched.

Spinnerets. Anterior lateral spinnerets conical, contiguous, distal segment bearing one major ampullate gland spigot and a number of piriform gland spigots (about 10 in males, about 20 in females), not enlarged in either sex (fig. 7a, d); posterior median spinnerets short, conical, bluntly triangular when seen from above, bearing one minor ampullate gland spigot and a number of aciniform gland spigots in both sexes, complemented with three cylindrical gland spigots in females (fig. 7b, e); posterior lateral spinnerets long, tubular, distal segment bearing a few dozen aciniform gland spigots in both sexes, complemented with two cylindrical gland spigots in females (fig. 7c, f).

Male palp (fig. 8c, d). Fe unmodified, except for the presence of a retrolateral apophysis in a few species; pa small, unarmed except for the presence of a retrolateral apophysis in a few species; ti with a lateral or ventrolateral RTA ranging in shape from straight and simple to very complex and multilobed. Tegulum rounded and convex, with clearly visible sperm duct showing a few bends; embolus long and thin, MA present (except in H. silvarum ), no conductor.

Female genitalia. Epigyne restricted to a

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lateral spinnerets. b, e. Posterior median spinnerets. c, f. Posterior lateral spinnerets. Scale lines: 20 μm. Abbreviations are aciniform gland spigot (Ac), cylindrical gland spigot (Cy), major ampullate gland spigot (MAp), minor ampullate gland spigot (mAp), and piriform gland spigots (Pi).

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Vulva (fig. 8a, b): ST1 sclerotized, FD short and unsclerotized. ST2 present in a number of species. Insemination duct sclerotized over at least part of its length, often associated with a glandular structure and ranging from short and simple to very long, highly complex, and heavily coiled.

NOTE: The existence of this genus was first indicated by Platnick and Baptista (1995) in their revision of the South American corinnid genus Attacobius , where they mention ‘‘another group of spinose liocranids, apparently unnamed but nevertheless very common (and speciose) in African forests.’’ We propose the trivial name ‘‘garden legs’’ for the genus.

Figures

Map 1. Distribution of Hortipes species described in this publication. Hortipes baerti n, H. centralis h, H. hesperoecius O, H. machaeropolion D, H. orchatocnemis ^, H. oronesiotes Δ, H. penthesileia v, H. silvarum •, H. tarachodes V, H. terminator, and H. zombaensis.. Rectangles enclose regions (hatched) where high numbers of Hortipes species were found (number of species in parentheses). See detailed maps 2–5.