Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872

Jäger, Peter & Krehenwinkel, Henrik, 2015, May gen. n. (Araneae: Sparassidae): a unique lineage from southern Africa supported by morphological and molecular features, African Invertebrates 56 (2), pp. 365-365 : 367-368

Family Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872

“African Clade” sensu Moradmand et al. 2014

Diagnosis (additional notes below): Tendency of having reduced serrula on gnathocoxae ( Figs 33 , 60, 63 ). Specialised claw tuft plates ( Figs 20–21 , 101–102 ) with so-called “Lawrence setae” on ventral distal tarsi ( Figs 24–25 , 44–45 , 91–92 ). Dorsal claw tuft plate ( Figs 22 , 100 ) with long setae extending through the normal claw tufts ( Figs 61 , 76 ). Ventral transverse suture of tarsi distinct and narrow, running roughly transversely to lateral suture ( Figs 20–21 , 101–102 ). Chelicerae usually with 2 anterior and 3 posterior teeth ( Figs 10 , 32 , 53 , 88 ; may be reduced in number, e.g., in Carparachne Lawrence, 1962 and Microrchestris Lawrence, 1962 ). Metatarsi III without ventral distal spine. Tarsi I–III 3034 (with fewer lateral spines in other Sparassidae ). Female palpal claw stretched ( Figs 23 , 90 ).

Genera included: Arandisa Lawrence, 1938 , Carparachne , Leucorchestris Lawrence, 1962 , May gen. n., Microrchestris , Palystella Lawrence, 1928 , Pseudomicrommata .

Distribution: Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, D.R. Congo ( World

Spider Catalog 2015; South African National Survey of Arachnida, SANSA, unpubl.; Moradmand, pers. comm.).

Notes: Some characters listed in the above diagnosis are recorded for the first time within the family Sparassidae . Therefore, the amount of comparative data for other genera or subfamilies is relatively small. Only a random selection of some taxa could be examined and is listed in the following paragraph.

A reduced serrula could not be found in any other Sparassidae .In the following examples the number of denticles of the serrula is listed behind the taxon in square brackets: Palystella spp. [0–26, entirely reduced only in few females], Pseudomicrommata sp. [32–37], Palystes sp. cf. karooensis Croeser, 1996 [>40], Heteropoda sp. [87], Olios sp. [70], Thelcticopis sp. [42].

The presence of special setae (with several short sub-setae at their distal end; here called “Lawrence setae”, honouring Reginald F. Lawrence, who discovered many southern African taxa and illustrated this kind of setae for the first time; Lawrence 1962) on the ventral tip of leg tarsi is characteristic for members of the African clade ( Figs 20–21 , 101–102 ). In most of the taxa, additional sclerotised plates for these special setae were present (not in Pseudomicrommata sp. , Fig. 106 ). Lawrence setae were not recorded in any of the other Sparassidae groups examined.

The prolateral proximal spines of femur I are not shifted into the distal half in most other Sparassidae as, for example, in Thelcticopis sp. ( Fig. 115 ) or Olios sp. ( Fig. 119 ). Also in the African clade there is no considerable shift of the proximal prolateral spine as, for instance, in Palystella sp. ( Fig. 104 ) and Pseudomicrommata sp. ( Fig. 107 ). Therefore, this character (shift of the prolateral proximal spine of femur I into distal half) is considered diagnostic for May gen. n. exclusively.

Prolateral and retrolateral spines of metatarsi I to III are usually reduced in other lineages of the family, e.g. in Heteropodinae (0–2), Sparianthinae (0), Sparassinae (2), Palystinae (2) and Eusparassus (2). Only in metatarsus IV do three pro- and retrolateral spines occur regularly in all Sparassidae taxa.

Figures

Figs 20–33.May bruno gen.n. sp. n. from SouthAfrica (♀ paratypes from Witsand,♀ from Twee Rivieren): (20–22) tarsus tip: (20) ventral, (21) lateral, (22) dorsal); (23) ♀ palpal claw, lateral; (24–25) Lawrence setae; (26–29) prosoma of ♀♀, showing positions of dorsal marks (white arrows in Fig. 26); (30) metatarsal stopper, dorsal; (31) eye arrangement, dorsal; (32) cheliceral dentition, ventral; (33) gnathocoxae, ventro-distal, showing reduced serrula (black arrow). Abbreviations:AP – plate of Lawrence setae; DP – dorsal plate of elongated setae; IP – plate of indented claw tuft setae; TS – transverse suture with slit sensilla.

Figs 55–63.May ansie gen.n. sp. n. from Kokerboom Forest,Namibia (55–57, 61–62) ♂ paratype;(58–60, 63) holotype ♂: (55–57, 60) habitus of preserved spider: (55) dorsal, (56) ventral, (57) frontal, (60) fronto-lateral [left chelicerae removed]; (58–59) ♂ palp: (58) ventral, (59) RTA, dorsal; (61–62) tarsal tips, showing additional claw tufts with Lawrence setae (black arrows) and dorsal setae (white arrow) penetrating theclaw tuft:(61) lateral, (62) ventral; (63) gnathocoxae, frontal,showing absence of serrula.

Figs 100–110.(100–104) Palystella sp.(100–102, 104 ♀ from Namibia,PJ 3533;103 juvenile),(105–107) Pseudomicrommata sp. from Guinea and (108–110) Heteropoda sp. from Indonesia, Flores: (100, 105, 108) tarsus tip, dorsal; (101, 109) tarsus tip, lateral; (102, 106, 110) tarsus tip, ventral; (103) Lawrence setae; (104,107) leg I, prolateral.Abbreviations:AP – plate of Lawrence setae; DP – dorsal plate ofelongated setae; IP – plate of indented claw tuft setae;TS – transverse suture with slitsensilla.

Figs 34–45. May bruno gen. n. sp. n. from Witsand, South Africa (34–36, 41–43) holotype ♂; (37–40, 44–45) ♀ paratype, PJ 3524. (34–39, 43) habitus of preserved spiders: (34, 37) dorsal; (35, 38) ventral; (36, 39, 43) frontal; (40) palp of ♀, lateral, showing rows of elongated setae; (41–42) palp of ♂: (41) ventral, (42) retrolateral; (44–45) tarsal tips, showing light-coloured indented claw tuft setae (white arrow), additional dark claw tufts with Lawrence setae (black arrow), and scopula hairs (grey arrow): (44) ventral, (45) lateral.

Figs 87–93. May norm gen. n. sp. n. from Messum Crater, Namibia (87–89, 91–93) ♀ paratype [PJ 1852]; (90) holotype ♂ [PJ 1851]: (87) eye arrangement, dorsal; (88) cheliceral dentition, ventral; (89) metatarsal stopper, dorsal; (90) ♀ palpal claw, lateral; (91) Lawrence setae; (92) Claw tuft setae, showing indented tip; (93) leg I, prolateral.

Figs 70–77.May rudy gen.n. sp. n., holotype ♂ from Copper Valley,Namibia:(70–72) habitus of preserved spider: (70) dorsal, (71) ventral, (72) frontal; (73–75) ♂ palp: (73) ventral, (74) retrolateral, (75) RTA, dorsal); (76–77) tarsal tips, showing additional claw tufts with Lawrence setae (black arrows) and claw tuft penetrating dorsal setae (white arrow): (76) lateral, (77) ventral.

Figs 1–10. May bruno gen. n. sp. n. from Witsand, South Africa, holotype ♂: (1–4) left ♂ palp (1) ventral, (2) retrolateral, (3) distal tegulum, prolateral, (4) RTA, dorsal; (5–6) eye arrangement (5) frontal, (6) dorsal); (7) leg I, prolateral; (8) leg claw; (9) gnathocoxae and labium, ventral; (10) cheliceral dentition, ventral. Abbreviations: C – conductor; E – embolus; S – “shoulder” of basal cymbium.

Figs 50–54. May ansie gen. n. sp. n., holotype ♂ from Kokerboom Forest, Namibia: (50–52) left ♂ palp: (50) ventral, (51) retrolateral, (52) detail of embolus, ventral; (53) chelicerae, ventral; (54) eye arrangement, dorsal. Abbreviations: C – conductor; DE – dorsal extension of proximal embolus; RE – round extension of distal embolus; S – “shoulder” of basal cymbium.

Figs 111–119. (111–115) Thelcticopis sp. from Hong Kong and (116–119) Olios sp. from Laos: (111, 116) tarsus tip, dorsal; (112, 117) tarsus tip, lateral; (113, 118) tarsus tip, ventral; (114) sternum, ventral, showing slit sense organs; (115, 119) leg I, prolateral.Abbreviations:IP – plate of indented claw tuft setae; TS – transverse suture with slit sensilla.