Eriauchenius milajaneae, Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017

Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017, A review of the Madagascan pelican spiders of the genera Eriauchenius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 and Madagascarchaea gen. n. (Araneae, Archaeidae), ZooKeys 727, pp. 1-96 : 1

Eriauchenius milajaneae sp. n. Figs 16, 31

Type material.

Female holotype: MADAGASCAR, Toliara, Parc National Andohahela, Col du Sedro, 3.8 km 113° ESE Mahamavo, 37.6 km 341° NNW Tolagnaro, 24°45'50"S, 46°45'6"E, 900 m, 21-25 Jan 2002, montane rainforest, EB17 beating low vegetation, B.L. Fisher et al. (CASENT 9009881).

Other material examined.

MADAGASCAR: 1F,1Juv, same locality and data as holotype, general collecting at night (CASENT9009481).

Etymology.

The specific name is a patronym for Mila Jane Macaulay in the hope that one day she will go to Andohahela to find this spider.

Diagnosis.

Females of E. milajaneae sp. n., E. milloti sp. n., and E. lukemacaulayi sp. n. (and presumably E. pauliani , although the females are unknown) are distinguished from other " bourgini group" species by the enlargement of the U-shaped posterior bar of the internal genitalia. While the PB is present in other " bourgini group" species, in E. milajaneae sp. n., E. milloti sp. n., and E. lukemacaulayi sp. n., this bar is very large and curved into a u-shape (Figs 14B, 16B, 17B). In E. milajaneae sp. n. and E. milloti sp. n., each curved end of the PB extends at least to the middle of the “wings”. Eriauchenius milajaneae sp. n. is also distinguished by the rectangular shape of the posterior of the FSGP (Fig. 16B, arrow), and by the long neck that does not have a strong constriction, so that the “head” and “neck” are not clearly separated (Fig. 16A).

Description.

Female holotype (CASENT 9009881, Parc National Andohahela, Madagascar). Total length 2.33, carapace 0.94 long, 0.81 wide. Abdomen 1.35 long, 1.48 high. Carapace tilt angle 68.73°, tilt height 2.32, constriction 0.43, head length 0.97, neck length 1.23. CtH divided by carapace length 2.47. Cephalon with AME on a large bulge, with 4 small post-ocular spines at the crown of the cephalon, not on protrusions. Chelicerae 2.03 long, and with short spine 0.28 from base of chelicerae that projects downward (Fig. 16A). Femur I 2.84 long. Sternum 0.60 long, 0.38 wide. Carapace, chelicerae, and sternum reddish brown with white setae. All legs light brown, with darker annulations. Abdomen beige, mottled with brown and with tufts of white setae (Fig. 16A). Female genitalia FSGP with a broad, rectangular posterior elongation (Fig. 16B, arrow), PB large and U-shaped and extends about halfway past the “wings” (Fig. 16B). Poreplates in one group on each lateral side of the bursa anterior (Fig. 16C).

Male: unknown.

Variation.

Total length 2.33-2.38 (females; n=2); Carapace length 0.94-0.95 (females; n=2); Femur I 2.99-3.02 times the length of carapace in females (n=2). CtH divided by carapace length 2.44-2.47 in females (n=2). Average femur I length 2.84 (females; n=2).

Natural history.

The two known adult specimens were caught in montane rainforest through beating vegetation and general collection at night from 900 m in elevation.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in Parc National Andohahela in southeast Madagascar (Fig. 31).