Palindroma obmoimiombo, Rudy Jocqué & Arnaud Henrard, 2015

Rudy Jocqué & Arnaud Henrard, 2015, The new spider genus Palindroma, featuring a novel synapomorphy for the Zodariidae (Araneae), European Journal of Taxonomy 152, pp. 1-33 : 19-22

Palindroma obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F5095BED-45CF-4480-B925-F86B7795A9B4

Figs 11 A–E, 12 A–D, 13 A–B, 16

Diagnosis

The male of P. obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov. is easily recognized by its colour, the inconspicuous cheliceral lamina and the characters of the palp: the unmodified patella, the presence of a dorsolateral tibial apophysis and a bifid RTA, the large subtegulum with ridges and posterior swelling and the thin embolus lying in a groove of the tegulum.

Etymology

The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters forming a noun in apposition and containing ‘miombo’, the type of woodland in which the type material was collected.

Material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: ♂, Mikembo Sanctuary near Lubumbashi , 11°28’ S, 27°39’ E, 8 Nov. 2010, 1180 m, miombo woodland , by hand, R. Jocqué ( MRAC 241633 ) .

Paratype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 1 ♂, Mikembo Sanctuary near Lubumbashi , 11°28’ S, 27°39’ E, 1–31 Oct. 2010, 1180 m, miombo woodland , by hand, Cemdika & Jenny ( MRAC 241634 ) .

Other material

None.

Description

Male (holotype)

Total length 7.46; carapace 3.91 long, 2.84 wide, narrowed to 1.56 in eye region.

Colour: carapace black with numerous silvery hairs ( Fig. 11 A–C); chelicerae dark brown with white setae in proximal half, medium brown with dark setae in distal half and white distomesal part ( Fig. 11 D); sternum orange; coxae and trochanters brownish orange, femora dark brown to black with numerous white setae; patellae and tibiae dark brown with few white setae; metatarsi and tarsi medium brown ( Fig. 11 E); abdomen dark grey with silvery setae, four reddish apodemes, three anastomosing pale spots in front of brownish spinnerets; sides dark grey with few silvery setae and reddish frontal apodeme; venter dark grey with two rows of small apodemes and a few near sides; orange in front of epigastric fold.

Carapace granulated, profile almost flat.

Eyes: AME: 0.13; ALE: 0.15; ALE-ALE: 0.31; AME-ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.13; PLE: 0.12; PME-PME: 0.10; PME-PLE: 0.25. Clypeus 0.64 or 4.3 times width of ALE.

Chilum double, each sclerite 0.10 high, 0.20 wide; no setae. Chelicerae with mesal side flat, with short spines; distomesal membranous swelling, absent. Sternum shield-shaped, 1.49 long, 1.42 wide, produced between posterior coxae.

Legs: anterior tarsi shorter than metatarsi.

Spination

Leg measurements

Epiandrum well developed but without membranous patches.

Male palp ( Figs 12 A–D, 13A–B): patella not modified or enlarged; tibia with ventral bunch of long setae, sharp dorsolateral apophysis pointing outward, and RTA, concavity between the two; RTA distally bifid with pointed inferior part and lamellar, truncated superior part; cymbium with basolateral flange and seven prolateral spines; subtegulum large and prominent, with three longitudinal ridges, posterior part swollen; tegulum with two parts, centre membranous; distal part with transverse groove and knob pointing back; embolus thin and whip-shaped; distal extremity in tegular groove.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

Known from Mikembo Sanctuary near Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Fig. 16 ).

Figures

Fig. 11. Palindroma obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (MRAC 241634). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Idem, ventral view. C. Idem, lateral view. D. Left chelicera, ventral view, showing mesal field of spinules. E. Tarsus 4, retrolateral view. Scale bars: A – C = 1 mm, D – E = 0.5 mm).

Fig. 12. Palindroma obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (MRAC 241633). A. Palp, retrolateral view. B. Idem, dorsal view. C. Idem, prolateral view. D. Idem, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 16. Distribution map of P. avonova gen. et sp. nov. (●), P. aleykyela gen. et sp. nov. (●), P. morogorom gen. et sp. nov. (●), P. obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov. (■) and P. sinis gen. et sp. nov. (▲).