Capobula, Haddad & Jin & Platnick & Booysen, 2021

Haddad, Charles R., Jin, Chi, Platnick, Norman I. & Booysen, Ruan, 2021, Capobula gen. nov., a new Afrotropical dark sac spider genus related to Orthobula Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Trachelidae), Zootaxa 4942 (1), pp. 41-71 : 52

Key to the species of Capobula gen. nov.

1 Females ............................................................................................. 2

– Males (males of C. neethlingi spec. nov. and C. ukhahlamba spec. nov. unknown).................................. 6

2 Abdomen grey, with cream inverted Y-shaped marking dorsally ( Fig. 10 ); epigyne with large circular depressions incorporating copulatory openings ( Fig. 73 )........................................................ C. ukhahlamba spec. nov.

– Abdomen uniformly grey dorsally, without marking (e.g. Fig. 3 ); epigyne with curved epigynal ridges incorporating copulatory openings............................................................................................ 3

3 Copulatory openings in anterolateral corners of faint M-shaped ridges ( Fig. 54 ); bursae clearly much larger than primary spermathecae ( Fig. 55 )................................................................... C. capensis spec. nov.

– Copulatory openings in small C- or J-shaped ridges (e.g. Fig. 59 ); bursae same size or smaller than primary spermathecae (e.g. Fig. 60 )............................................................................................. 4

4 Anterior margin of ridges incorporating copulatory openings in same transverse plane as anterior margin of primary spermathecae; initial 2/3 of copulatory ducts before posterior bend heavily sclerotized and darker than last 1/3 ( Fig. 55 )................................................................................................ C. infima comb. nov.

– Anterior margin of primary spermathecae clearly in front of anterior margin of ridges incorporating copulatory openings; only initial 1/3 of copulatory ducts before posterior bend heavily sclerotized, last 2/3 clearly lighter in colour ( Figs 65 , 71 )...... 5

5 Ridges incorporating copulatory openings large and almost transverse to longitudinal plane of epigyne ( Fig. 71 ); heads of bursae converging ( Fig. 72 ) ( South Africa: Western Cape, Fig. 75 )............................... C. neethlingi spec. nov.

– Ridges incorporating copulatory openings small and obliquely orientated, at 45 degrees to longitudinal plane of epigyne ( Fig. 65 ); heads of bursae diverging ( Fig. 66 ) (eastern half of South Africa, Fig. 75 ).................... C. montana spec. nov.

6 Embolus as wide as 1/2 of tegulum width at midpoint, tip sharply curved and almost transverse to longitudinal plane of palp ( Fig. 62 )................................................................................................................................................................................ C. infima comb. nov.

– Embolus narrow, width less than ¼ of tegulum width at midpoint, tip directed disto-retrolaterally ( Figs 57 , 68 )…7

7 Embolus short, with stout tip ( Fig. 57 ); femoral apophysis a sharp retrolateral spike ( Fig. 58 ) ( South Africa: Western Cape, Fig. 75 )................................................................................ C. capensis spec. nov.

– Embolus longer, with slender tip ( Fig. 68 ); femoral apophysis a stout ventral lobe ( Fig. 69 ) (eastern half of South Africa, Fig. 75 )................................................................................ C. montana spec. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 75. Distribution of Capobula capensis spec. nov. (circles), C. infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov. (triangles), C. montana spec. nov. (squares), C. neethlingi spec. nov. (stars) and C. ukhahlamba spec. nov. (inverted triangles) in southern Africa.

FIGURES 3–10. Capobula gen. nov. dorsal habitus photographs: 3 C. capensis spec. nov., female holotype from Pakhuis Pass; 4 Same, paratype male from Pakhuis Pass; 5 C. infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov., female from Fisherhaven; 6 Same, male from De Hoop Nature Reserve; 7 C. montana spec. nov., female holotype from Mount Coke State Forest; 8 Same, paratype male from Shamwari Game Reserve; 9 C. neethlingi spec. nov., female holotype from Saasveld Pass; 10 C. ukhahlamba spec. nov., paratype female from Royal Natal National Park.

FIGURES 71–74. Capobula neethlingi spec. nov. (71, 72) and C. ukhahlamba spec. nov. (73, 74), genitalic morphology of paratype females from Anysberg Nature Reserve and Cathedral Peak, respectively: 71, 73 Epigyne, ventral; 72, 74 Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 54–58. Capobula capensis spec. nov., genitalic morphology of female (54–55) and male (56–58) paratypes from Pakhuis Pass: 54 Epigyne, ventral; 55 Vulva, dorsal; 56–58 Left palp (56 prolateral, 57 ventral, 58 retrolateral). Scale bars = 0.25 mm. Abbreviations: b—bursa; cd—copulatory duct; co—copulatory opening; ps—primary spermatheca.

FIGURES 59–64. Capobula infima (Simon, 1896) comb. nov., genitalic morphology of female (59, 60) and male (61–64) from De Hoop Nature Reserve: 59 Epigyne, ventral; 60 Vulva, dorsal; 61–63 Left palp (61 prolateral, 62 ventral, 63 retrolateral); 64 Palpal femur, patella and tibia, retro-dorsal. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 65–70. Capobula montana spec. nov., genitalic morphology of female (65, 66) and male (67–70) paratypes from Platberg Nature Reserve: 65 Epigyne, ventral; 66 Vulva, dorsal; 67–69 Left palp (67 prolateral, 68 retrolateral, 69 retrolateral); 70 Palpal femur, patella and tibia, retro-dorsal. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.