Mystaria lindaicapensis, Honiball Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014

Honiball Lewis, Allet S. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S., 2014, Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 3873 (2), pp. 101-144 : 121-122

Mystaria lindaicapensis sp. n.

Figs 20–22 , 57–60 , 119

Type material: Holotype: ♀, SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, Jeffreys Bay [34°02’S, 24°55’E], in garden, 15 July 2008, L. Wiese (NCA 2009/5036).

Paratypes: 1 ♂, same locality data as holotype, L. Wiese (NCA 2009/5036); Western Cape Province , 1 ♂, Knysna [34°00’S, 23°20’E] beating, 7 December 1989, L.N. Lotz (NMBA 3317) .

Etymology. Named after Linda Wiese who collected the holotype in the Eastern Cape Province, the southernmost locality for this genus in South Africa. Adjective.

Diagnosis. Females can be recognised by the distinct colour patterns on body ( Figs 20, 21 ); epigyne with atrium well defined, rim oval to U-shaped ( Fig. 59 ); intromittent orifices open antero-laterally, intromittent canals very long and complex ( Fig. 60 ). In male palp, the bulb is large and round; RTA with slender tip extending dorsolaterally ( Figs 57, 58 ).

Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 1). TL: 3.90; CL: 1.26; CW: 1.31; CI: 0.96; CH: 0.94; CLL: 0.28; MOQ-L: 0.31. Colour. Carapace brown to dark copper, clypeus with small orange area; sternum dark; abdomen dorsally pale yellow to copper-blue, a broad, black longitudinal band centrally that expands laterally; ventrally blue with brown striae; femora I–III with infuscate brown bands dorsally and ventrally; femur IV distally with brown band; patellae yellow-orange, tibiae and metatarsi greenish, tarsi pale yellow. Carapace. Texture granular and hairy. Clypeus. Sloping. Sternum. SL: 0.64; SW: 0.67; SI: 0.95. Eye s. MOQ eye area fairly wide, eye tubercles small, PLE not very big, almost equal in size to AME; ALE>PLE>AME>PME; eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.33; ALE–AME: 0.36; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.92; PME–PME: 0.52; PLE–PME: 0.34; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.54; ALE/AME: 1.09; PLE/PME: 0.65; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.64; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.49; Clyp/AME–AME: 0.84. Legs. With very dense setae; femora with two medium spiniform setae, tibiae I-IV with two short spines; leg formula: II:I:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.96, Pat 0.26, Tib 0.76, Mt 0.62, Ta 0.46, total 3.06; II—Fe 0.96, Pat 0.31, Tib 0.79, Mt 0.66, Ta 0.48, total 3.20; III—Fe 0.72, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.49, Mt 0.40, Ta 0.31, total 2.21; IV—Fe 0.78, Pat 0.34, Tib 0.60, Mt 0.52, Ta 0.36, total 2.59. Abdomen. Large, round; AL: 2.64; AW: 2.76; AI: 0.96. Epigyne. Rim extending slightly antero-laterally where intromittent orifices are situated ( Fig. 59 ); intromittent canals longer than in other species ( Fig. 60 ).

Male. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 2.83 (2.78–2.87); CL 1.20 (1.15–1.25); CW: 1.13 (1.12–1.14); CI: 1.06 (1.03–1.09); CH: 0.83 (0.82–0.84); CLL: 0.26 (0.25–0.26); MOQ-L: 0.28 (0.28–0.29). Differs from female as follows: Colour. Abdomen dorsally blackish-brown with slight orange-red pattern, small blue or whitish border around abdomen ( Fig. 22 ); ventrally metallic blue, with striae slightly darker. Femora I–II dark or with infuscate dark brownish bands; femora III–IV distally slightly darker; patellae, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi of leg IV with darker tint, remainder of leg segments yellow or orange. Carapace. Granular and/or hairy, with few long, erectile setae present on postero-thoracic edge and laterally of ALE and PLE. Sternum. SL: 0.49 SW: 0.55 SI: 0.90. Eyes. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.28; ALE–AME: 0.30; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.92; PME–PME: 0.39; PLE–PME: 0.28; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.38; ALE/AME: 1.09; PLE/PME: 0.72; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.71; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.40; Clyp/AME–AME: 0.93. Legs. With dense fine setae; few long spiniform setae present on femora and tibiae I–IV, those on tibia IV especially long and erectile; tibia II & III or I–IV with numerous spiniform setae present dorsally, also present ventrally; leg formula: II:I:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.90, Pat 0.30, Tib 0.74, Mt 0.65, Ta 0.50, total 3.09; II—Fe 1.01, Pat 0.34, Tib 0.85, Mt 0.73, Ta 0.47, total 3.40; III—Fe 0.64, Pat 0.26, Tib 0.50, Mt 0.37, Ta 0.31, total 2.08; IV—Fe 0.77, Pat 0.27 Tib 0.58, Mt 0.47, Ta 0.36, total 2.45. Abdomen. AL: 1.63; AW: 1.48; AI: 1.10. Palp. With tegulum large and round; RTA with dark tip, situated slightly behind bulb ( Fig. 57 ); VTA curved tip; RTA slightly longer than VTA ( Fig. 58 ).

Distribution. South Africa (Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces) ( Fig. 119 ).

Natural history. Sampled from vegetation in forests and garden. Adults collected between December and July.

Figures

FIGURES 10–24. Microscope photographs of dorsal and lateral views of Mystaria species. 10 Mystaria budongo sp. n. male from Rwanda, Ibanda Makera (dorsal view); 11–13 Mystaria flavogutatta (Lawrence, 1952) comb. n. (11, 12 female from South Africa, Richards Bay antero-and postero-dorsal views, 13 male from South Africa, Punda Maria Camp dorsal view); 14–16 Mystaria irmatrix sp. n. (14, 15 female from Mozambique, Marracuene antero-and latero-dorsal views, 16 male form Marracuene postero-dorsal view); 17–19 Mystaria lata (Lawrence, 1927) comb. n. (17, 18 female from South Africa, Kei River Mouth antero-and latero-dorsal view, 19 two males from South Africa, Mazeppa Bay dorsal views); 20–22 Mystaria lindaicapensis sp. n. (20, 21 female from South Africa, Jeffreys Bay antero-and latero-dorsal views (specimen damaged on carapace), 22 male from South Africa, Knysna dorsal view); 23–24 Mystaria mnyama sp. n. (23, 24 female from South Africa, Tembe Elephant Park antero-and latero-dorsal views).

FIGURES 57–68. Line drawings of copulatory organs in male and female Mystaria species, with ventral- (left) and retrolateral (right) views of male palps and ventral- (left) and dorsal (right) views of female epigynes. 57–60 Mystaria lindaicapensis sp. n. (57, 58 male left palp, 59, 60 female epigyne); 61–64 Mystaria mnyama sp. n. (61, 62 male left palp, 63, 64 female epigyne); 65–68 Mystaria occidentalis (Millot, 1942) comb. n. (65, 66 male left palp, 67, 68 female epigyne). Scale lines = 10mm.

FIGURES 119–122. Recorded geographical distribution of Mystaria species. 119 Mystaria lindaicapensis sp. n.; 120 Mystaria mnyama sp. n.; 121 Mystaria occidentalis (Millot, 1942) comb. n.; 122 Mystaria oreadae sp. n. Scale lines = 800 km (119), 640 km (120), 2400 km (121), 1120 km (122).