Leptopholcus guineensis Millot, 1941

Huber, Bernhard A., 2009, Life on leaves: leaf-dwelling pholcids of Guinea, with emphasis on Crossopriza cylindrogaster Simon, a spider with inverted resting position, pseudo-eyes, lampshade web, and tetrahedral egg-sac (Araneae: Pholcidae), Journal of Natural History 43 (39 - 40), pp. 2491-2523 : 2502-2506

Leptopholcus guineensis Millot, 1941

( Figures 7 , 24, 25, 28, 29 , 63–81 , 149 )

Leptopholcus guineensis Millot 1941, p. 16 –17, figs 6a–e. Brignoli 1980, p. 650, fig. 6.

Types

Female holotype from Dalaba [∼ 10°41′N, 12°15′W], Moyenne-Guinée , Guinea ; viii.1937 (J. Millot), in MNHN, examined. Female “cotype” from Kindia [∼ 10°03′N, 12°51′W], Basse-Guinée , Guinea ; vii.1937 (J. Millot), in MNHN, examined .

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from most known Leptopholcus species by median horn on male clypeus ( Figure 68 ; L. signifer Simon and L. gracilis Berland share such a horn); also by shapes of male bulbal apophyses ( Figures 63 , 69, 70 ).

Male (Dalaba)

Total body length 7.5, carapace width 1.2. Leg 1: 35.8 (8.9 + 0.5 + 8.4 + 14.9 + 3.1), tibia 2: 6.4, tibia 3: 4.3, tibia 4: 6.3, tibia 1 L/d: 86. Habitus as in Figures 24 and 25 ; carapace mostly dark brown including ocular area and clypeus, only frontally-laterally pale whitish area, sternum dark with many small light spots, lighter around labium, with darker (black) margins, legs pale ochre, patella area and tibia–metatarsus joints black, femora proximally dorsally slightly darkened, abdomen pale ochre-grey, with several dark marks dorsally. Distance PME–PME 390 µm, diameter PME 125 µm, distance PME–ALE 45 µm, distance AME–AME 55 µm, diameter AME 30 µm. Ocular area elevated, each triad on low stalk directed laterally. No thoracic furrow; clypeus with distinct median projection, ∼0.2 long ( Figure 68 ). Chelicerae as in Figure 65 , with light lateral apophyses distally. Sternum wider than long (0.75/0.65), unmodified. Palps as in Figures 63 and 64 , coxa with low retrolateral bulge, trochanter with strong retrolatero-ventral apophysis with serrated tip ( Figure 72 ), femur with large ventral protrusion and two small apophyses retrolaterally (the more ventral one barely visible), tarsal organ capsulate ( Figure 73 ), procursus rather simple, with retrolateral ridges and subdistal transparent projection ventrally ( Figures 64 , 75, 76 ), bulb with large bifid uncus ( Figures 63 , 69 ), large appendix, embolus proximally weakly sclerotized with small conical projection dorsally ( Figure 70 ), distally whitish. Legs without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium missing on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; many tarsal pseudosegments (> 30 on tarsus 1), but poorly visible in dissecting microscope; tarsus 4 with ventral row of comb-hairs ( Figure 74 ). Spinnerets as in Figure 77 , ALS with one widened and one pointed spigot; PMS with two small spigots. Gonopore with four epiandrous spigots ( Figure 71 ).

Variation

The extent of black pigment varies considerably: in some males the light areas on the carapace extend further back; some males with light sternum or only margins darkened; some males with fewer and/or smaller marks on abdomen; the tiny (more ventral) retrolateral apophysis on the male palpal femur is missing in some males. Tibia 1 in nine other males: 8.1–10.0 (mean 8.9).

Female

In general similar to male but lighter, prosoma either without dark pattern or with pair of small spots on carapace, abdomen mostly monochromous, but in few females with marks as in males; clypeus unmodified; triads closer together (distance PME–PME 275 µm), AME pigment always present, but apparently sometimes without lenses. Tibia 1 in 13 females: 5.3–7.9 (mean 6.9). Epigynum light brown plate, sometimes protruding, frontal internal arch visible through cuticle, posteriorly with pair of distinctive median whitish bulges ( Figure 28 , 66 ); internal genitalia as in Figures 29 and 67 . The females from The Gambia and Senegal are assigned tentatively because females of different species are difficult to distinguish and no males have been collected in these countries.

Distribution

Known from Guinea, and possibly also from The Gambia and Senegal ( Figure 149 ).

Material examined

GUINEA: Moyenne-Guinée: Dalaba: 1♀ holotype above; Dalaba (10°40.7′N, 12°15.7′W), along brook in forest, 920 m a.s.l., 21.xi.2008 (B.A. Huber), 13 in ZFMK ; same data, 1♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ; canyon near Doucki (10°59.6′N, 12°35.3′W), 1020 m a.s.l., 24.xi.2008 (B.A. Huber), 131♀ in ZFMK ; same data, 1♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ; SE Mamou (10°17.6′N, 11°56.5′W), forest along brook, 460 m a.s.l., 4.xii.2008 (B.A. Huber), 336♀ in ZFMK ; same data, 2♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK ; NW Mamou (10°30.5′N, 12°11.6′W), 890 m a.s.l., 25.xi.2008 (B.A. Huber), 13 in ZFMK ; same data, 1♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK . Basse-Guinée: Kindia: 1♀ “cotype” above; near Kindia (10°00.8′N, 12°48.6′W), along brook in plantation forest, 540 m a.s.l., 5.xii.2008 (B.A. Huber), 332♀ in ZFMK . Conakry , in park (9°32.0′N, 13°41.2′W), 40 m a.s.l., 18.xi.2008 (B.A. Huber), 231♀ in ZFMK ; same data, 3♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK .

Assigned tentatively

SENEGAL: Ziguinchor: Parc National de Basse Casamance [∼ 12°23′N, 16°38′W], 11.viii.1982 (collector not given), 1♀ 1 juv. in IRSB . THE GAMBIA: Banjul: Abuko Nature Reserve (13°23.5′N, 16°39.0′W), primary gallery forest, “shaking branches and varia”, 17.x.2008 (Yu.M. Marusik), 1♀ in ZFMK .

Figures

Figures 7–14. Further Guinean leaf-dwelling pholcids. (7) Leptopholcus guineensis, male, as seen against the light, without flash; (8–9) Leptopholcus tipula, females with newly hatched spiderlings and with egg-sac; (10–11) Pholcus kakum, n. sp., male and female with egg-sac; (12) Spermophora dieke n. sp., female; (13) Pehrforsskalia conopyga, male; (14) Nyikoa limbe, female with egg-sac.

Figures 15–31. Crossopriza and Leptopholcus. (15–23) C. cylindrogaster; (15–17) male, dorsal, lateral, and ventral views; (18) female, dorsal view; (19) female abdomen, ventral view; (20, 21) cleared epigynum, ventral and dorsal views; (22) female eyes and “pseudo-eyes”, frontal view; (23) semithin section of ALE with associated “pseudo-eye”; (24–27) males in dorsal and lateral views of L. guineensis (24, 25) and L. tipula (26, 27); (28–31) epigyna in ventral and cleared dorsal views of L. guineensis (28, 29) and L. tipula (30, 31). Notes: l, cuticular lens; p, epigynal pocket; pe, “pseudo-eye”; r, retina; t, tapetum.

Figures 63–67. Leptopholcus guineensis. (63, 64) Left palp, prolateral and retrolateral views; (65) male chelicerae, frontal view; (66, 67) cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Notes: a, appendix; b, bulb; e, embolus; pp, pore plate; pr, procursus; ta, trochanter apophysis; u, uncus. Scale lines: 0.5 mm (63, 64), 0.3 mm (65–67).

Figures 68–81. Leptopholcus guineensis. (68) Male carapace, eyes and clypeus with horn; (69) left bulbal projections, prolateral view; (70) right bulbal projections, retrolateral view (arrow points to dorsal cone-shaped apophysis on embolus); (71) male gonopore with epiandrous spigots; (72) tip of right male palpal trochanter apophysis; (73) male palpal tarsal organ; (74) comb hairs on male right tarsus 4, prolateral view; (75) left procursus, prolateral (slightly dorsal) view; (76) right procursus, retrolateral view; (77) male spinnerets and anal cone; (78) female ALS and PMS; (79) female prosoma, frontal view; (80) epigynum; (81) cuticular sculpturing on male abdomen, showing difference in ventral (left) and lateral (right) pattern (frontal side on top). Notes: a, appendix; e, embolus; u, uncus. Scale lines: 20 µm (72–74, 78), 80 µm (71, 75–77, 81), 200 µm (68–70, 79, 80).

Figures 148–149. Known distributions of Crossopriza cylindrogaster and the two Leptopholcus species treated herein.