Afroneutria velox ( Blackwall, 1865 ) Blackwall, 1865

Polotow, Daniele & Jocqué, Rudy, 2015, Afroneutria, a new spider genus of Afrotropical Ctenidae (Arachnida, Araneae), European Journal of Taxonomy 121, pp. 1-27 : 5-8

Afroneutria velox ( Blackwall, 1865) comb. nov.

Figs 1 A–F, 2 A–D, 3 A–E, 12 D, 13 A–B, 16 A

Ctenus velox Blackwall, 1865: 336 .

Phoneutria melanogastra Bösenberg & Lenz, 1895: 36 , pl. 1, fig. 14.

Ctenus marshalli F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898: 26 , pl. 4, figs 12–13.

Ctenus velox – F.O. Pickard-Cambridge 1898: 15, pl. 3, figs 1–2. — Benoit 1977: 700, fig. 2a–d.

Ctenus melanogaster – Strand 1907: 694. — Arts 1912: 196, pl. 1, fig. 14a–b. — Benoit 1977: 700, fig. 2a–d (synonymised with C. velox ).

Ctenus melanogastra – Hyatt 1954: 884.

Ctenus marshalli – Hyatt 1954: 884 (synonymised with C. melanogaster ).

Note

Blackwall (1865) indicated one female as the type material used in the description of Ctenus velox , but two adult females were found in the OUMNH collection and, according to the label, both were designated as types. Based on the original description we here designate the smaller specimen as the lectotype and the other female as the paralectotype.

Diagnosis

The males of Afroneutria velox comb. nov. differ from males of the other species of the genus by the laminar and truncated tip and the additional subdistal projection of the embolus ( Fig. 1 B) and the shape of the RTA ( Fig. 3 A–C). The females can be distinguished from the remaining species of the genus by the acuminated and short lateral projections of the epigynum and rounded dorsal spermathecae in the vulva ( Fig. 3 D–E).

Material examined

Type material

MOZAMBIQUE: Ctenus velox , female lectotype (designated here), 1 female paralectotype, next to confluence of Shiré River with Zambezi River (approximate coordinates: 17°40’24.0” S, 35°17’51.2” E), OUMNH 1554 .

Additional material

TANZANIA: Kipatimu , 1 ♂, 1965, T.H. Hofman coll. ( MRAC 137443 ) ; Kyela , 1 ♀, 9 Nov. 1991, R. Jocqué coll. ( MRAC 173465 ) ; 1 ♀, 27 Nov. 1991, R. Jocqué coll. ( MRAC 173191 ) ; Coast Province, Utete, Kirengoma Forest Reserve (8o20–23’ S, 38o54–58’ E), 2 ♂♂, 8 Nov.–1 Dec. 1989, J. Kingdon & Frontier Tanzania coll. ( ZMUC) ; Coast Province, Bagamoyo, Zaraninge (Kiono) Forest Reserve , 20 km SW of Sadaani (6o04’ S, 38o35’ E), 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Mar. 1990, Frontier Tanzania coll. ( ZMUC) .

MALAWI: Chintheche , 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1–20 Nov. 1977, R. Jocqué coll. ( MRAC 155299 ) .

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Elisabethville, Katanga, 1 ♀, 30 Jan. 1931, Bredo coll. ( MRAC 15545 ) ; Buttgenbach , Lubumbashi , 1 ♀ ( MRAC 25506 ) .

Type material not examined

EASTAFRICA: Phoneutria melanogastra , 2 male syntypes, 1 female syntype, deposited in Zoologisches Museum Hamburg .

ZIMBABWE: Ctenus marshalli , holotype, ♂, Umfuli River, also known as Mupfure River (approximate coordinates: 17°55’13.3” S, 29°56’40.7” E), Mashonaland, BMNH .

Description

Male (MRAC 155299)

Total length 12.30. Carapace 6.20 long and 4.60 wide. Eye diameter: AME 0.32, ALE 0.18, PME 0.60, PLE 0.56. Leg measurements: I: femur 8.40 / patella 3.20 / tibia 8.70 / metatarsus 8.60 / tarsus 3.30 / total 32.20; II: 8.10 / 3.30 / 7.40 / 7.60 / 2.80 / 29.20; III: 6.80 / 2.60 / 5.70 / 6.40 / 2.30 / 23.80; IV: 9.30 / 2.60 / 8.90 / 11.10 / 3.30 / 35.20. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: tibia I and II v2-2 -2-2-2, r1-1, p1-1; III and IV v2-2 -2, r1-1, p1-1; metatarsus I, II and III v2-2 -2, p1-1-1, r1-1-1; IV v1-1 -1-1-1-2, r1-1-1, p1-1-1. Coloration: venter of abdomen black, with two white spots placed transversely behind epigastric furrow ( Fig. 2 B). Palp: cymbium elongated, longer than tibia; conductor rectangular; median apophysis slightly curved ( Figs 1 A–B, 3 A–C, 13 A–B).

Female (MRAC 173465)

Total length 18.60. Carapace 8.10 long and 6.40 wide. Eye diameter: AME 0.36, ALE 0.24, PME 0.60, PLE 0.48. Leg measurements: I: femur 6.80 / patella 3.10 / tibia 6.30 / metatarsus 6.00 / tarsus 2.20 / total 24.40; II: 6.30 / 2.90 / 5.40 / 5.50 / 2.10 / 22.20; III: 5.20 / 2.30 / 4.50 / 5.10 / 2.10 / 19.20; IV: 7.50 / 2.60 / 6.60 / 8.40 / 2.30 / 27.40. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: tibia I and II v2-2 -2-2-2, r0, p0; III and IV v2-2 -2, r1-1, p1-1; metatarsus I and II v2-2 -2, r0, p0; III v2-2 -2, r1-1-1, p-1-1-1; IV v1- 1 -1-1-1-2, r1-1-1, p1-1-1. Coloration: ventral abdomen black, with two white spots placed transversely behind epigastric furrow ( Fig. 2 C–D). Epigynum: triangular median field and short lateral projections of lateral fields of epigynum ( Fig. 3 D). Dorsal spermathecae short and round; ventral spermathecae with rebordered lateral margins ( Figs 1 C, 3 E, 12 D).

Variation

Two ♂♂: total length 10.60–12.40, carapace length 6.00–6.30, femur I length 7.10–8.70. Three ♀♀: total length 16.40–18.70, carapace length 7.00–8.10, femur I length 6.20–6.50. At least two ♂♂ present venter of abdomen black in front, red towards back, with two spots placed transversely behind epigastric furrow.

Distribution

Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe ( Fig. 16 A).

Figures

Fig. 1. Afroneutria velox (Blackwall, 1865) comb. nov .. — A – B. Male palp, ventral view. — C – F. ♀. C. Epigynum, dorsal view. D – F. Tarsus, lateral view. D. Leg III. E. Leg I. F. Leg IV. Scale bars = 200 µm.

Fig. 2. Afroneutria velox (Blackwall, 1865) comb. nov. Habitus. A. ♂, dorsal view. B. ♂, ventral view. C. ♀, dorsal view. D. ♀, ventral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 3. Afroneutria velox (Blackwall, 1865) comb. nov. — A – C. Male palp. A. Ventral view. B. Retrolateral view. C. Retrolateral tibial apophysis, lateral view. — D – E. Female genitalia. D. Epigynum, ventral view. E. Vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 16. Distribution records of species of Afroneutria gen. nov. on theAfrican continent. A. Distribution of A. velox (Blackwall, 1865) comb. nov., A. immortalis (Arts, 1912) comb. nov. and A. quadrimaculata sp. nov. B. Distribution of A. erythrochelis (Simon, 1876) comb. nov. and A. hybrida sp. nov.