Sahastata wesolowskae, Magalhaes & Stockmann & Marusik & Zonstein, 2020

Magalhaes, Ivan L. F., Stockmann, Mark, Marusik, Yuri M. & Zonstein, Sergei L., 2020, On Sahastata (Araneae: Filistatidae): complementary description of the generotype and two new species from Oman and Morocco, Zootaxa 4899 (1), pp. 215-246 : 230-234

Sahastata wesolowskae sp. nov.

Figures 1 C–D, 13–16, 24E–F

Etymology. The name honours Wanda Wesołowska on her 70 th birthday, in recognition to her life-long contributions to the systematics of spiders in general, and to the knowledge of Salticidae and African spiders in particular. During her career, she named more than 500 new species of jumping spiders from more than 50 countries, and contributed numerous generic revisions.

Diagnosis. Males are similar to those of S. nigra , but differ in having shallower embolic ridges and in possessing a different shape of the keel; the embolus is also longer and more sinuous ( Fig. 14 ). In S. sinuspersica , the bulb abruptly narrows to form the embolus ( Marusik & Zamani 2015, fig. 3), while in S. wesolowskae sp. nov. it gently tapers along its length. The shape of the spermathecae resembles that of S. infuscata and these species are difficult to diagnose; the spermathecae of S. wesolowskae sp. nov. have a straight to boomerang-shaped glandular portion and a narrow, finger-shaped membranous portion ( Fig. 16 ), while S. infuscata has a kidney-shaped glandular portion and a broad, finger-shaped membranous portion ( Fig. 25 ; Marusik et al. 2017: figs 6–9); S. sabaea has a larger base of the spermathecae, and a rounded and shorter glandular portion ( Brignoli 1982: fig. 18).

Description. Male (Holotype, SMNH). Coloration yellowish cream, except where noted. Carapace with dark pigment around eyes and faint light brown median V-shaped pattern. Sternum with white markings posteriorly.

Total length 5.98. Carapace 3.08 long, 2.53 wide. Clypeus 0.37 long. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.16, PME 0.20, ALE 0.24, PLE 0.22, AME-AME 0.07, PME-PME 0.24. Sternum 1.70 long, 1.46 wide. Palp: femur 5.95, height 0.30, tibia length 5.46, height 0.29. Leg I: fe 9.07, pa 1.32, ti 9.48, mt 9.26, ta 3.27. II: fe 7.28, pa 1.15, ti 6.61, mt 6.55, ta 2.57. III: fe 6.15, pa 1.03, ti 5.26, mt 6.32, ta 2.49. IV: fe 8.29, pa 1.25, ti 7.95, mt 8.87, ta 3.31. Abdomen: 3.73 long, 1.87 wide.

Palpal femur with numerous short ventral and few dorsal macrosetae. Leg macrosetae: femora I–IV with numerous short macrosetae on all sides (except venter of femur IV), ti I p0-0-1-0, v2-2-2-1, r0-0-1-0; mt I p0-1-0-1, v2-2-2-2-2-4, r0-1-0-1; ti II p0-0-0-1-1-1, v2-0-2-1; mt II p0-1-0-1, v2-2-2-2-4; ti III p0-1-1, v1-1, r0-1-0; mt III d0-0-2, p0-1-0-1, v2-2-1-1-2-4, r1-0-0; ti IV v1-1-1; mt IV p0-1-0, v1-2-1-2-2-4; all tarsi with ventral macrosetae.

Palp ( Fig. 14 ): femur almost 2 times longer than carapace, cymbium about as long as bulb, with short prolateral extension covering base of bulb, bulb piriform, gently tapering, sperm duct with 3 coils, embolus as long as free tegular part, with slightly bent tip, with small keel.

State of the specimen: good, left leg IV disarticulated, right palp dissected.

Female (Paratype, MACN-Ar 39466). Coloration light brown, except where noted. Carapace suffused with brown, with median V-shaped pattern. Legs brown, becoming yellow distally, femora with lighter longitudinal markings.

Total length 8.17. Carapace 3.36 long, 2.56 wide. Clypeus 0.54 long. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.15, PME 0.19, ALE 0.26, PLE 0.21, AME-AME 0.07, PME-PME 0.20. Sternum length 1.58, width 1.66. Palp: femur length 1.93, height 0.60, tibia length 1.18, height 0.58. Leg I: fe 4.31, pa 1.18, ti 4.15, mt 3.87, ta 2.06. II: fe 3.33, pa 1.07, ti 2.58, mt 2.54, ta 1.37. III: fe 2.40, pa 0.93, ti 1.97, mt 2.06, ta 1.08. IV: fe 3.64, pa 1.19, ti 3.13, mt 2.91, ta 1.41. Abdomen: length 4.94, width 3.13.

Palp macrosetae on ventral surface of tibia and tarsus. Leg macrosetae: ti I v1; mt I v2-2-2-4; mt II v2-2-1-4; ti III v1-0-1; mt III d1-1-2, v1-2-1-4; fe IV d1-0-0; ti IV v1-1 (absent in one leg); mt IV v1-2-4; all tarsi with ventral macrosetae. Calamistrum with 3 rows of tightly packed and neatly arranged setae; 2 rows with ~20–10 setae, retrolateral one very reduced.

Endogyne ( Fig. 16 ): spermathecae with long, finger-like membranous portion embraced ba straight to boomerang-shaped glandular portion.

State of the specimen: good, right legs I and III removed for molecular work, genitalia dissected.

Variation. Males vary greatly in body size, and the largest specimen is almost 2 times larger than the smallest (n = 3): total length 3.32–5.98 (4.89), carapace length 1.67–3.08 (2.41), femur I length 4.52–9.07 (7.07), femur/ carapace ratio 2.71–3.07 (2.91), palpal femur length 3.19–5.95 (4.75), palpal femur/capace ratio 1.91–2.06 (1.97). Females (n = 2): total length 8.17–15.30 (11.74), carapace length 3.36–4.98 (4.17), femur I length 4.31–5.13 (4.72), femur/carapace ratio 1.03–1.28 (1.16). The small male has a relatively shorter bulb ( Fig. 13E ), but comes from the same egg sac as a paratype male with a palp like in the holotype ( Fig. 13F ).

Type material. Holotype ³: OMAN: Dhofar: Salalah, west of Qaroon Hariti , 17.25641°N, 54.02203°E, leg. M. Stockmann, IX.2016 ( SMNH).

Paratypes: OMAN: Al Wusta: Al Wusta, along road from Ras Madrakah , flat sandy area with sparse vegetation, under large rocks, 18.97477°N, 57.38714°E, leg. M. Stockmann, IX.2016, 1♀ (MACN-Ar 38367); Same locality, 18.95342°N, 57.35945°E, leg. M. Stockmann, IX.2016, 1³ ( SMF), 1³ (MACN-Ar 41197) . Dhofar: Salalah, west of Qaroon Hariti , 17.25641°N, 54.02203°E, leg. M. Stockmann, IX.2016, 1♀ ( SMNH), 1♀ (MACN-Ar 39466); Thumrait, 17.68775°N, 54.59174°E, leg. M. Stockmann, IX.2016, 1♀ (MACN-Ar 41200) .

Other material examined. None.

Distribution. Southern Oman ( Fig. 3 ).

Natural history. A female was taken from a web in a hole under a large stone in a flat, sandy area with coarse sand and barely vegetated, with just a few rocks and debris from construction sites.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sahastata spp., living specimens.A–B S. nigra (Simon, 1897) from Jebel Shams, Oman, male (A) and female (B); C–D S. wesolowskae sp. nov. from Salalah, Oman, male holotype (C) and female (D); S. wunderlichi sp. nov. from Zag, Morocco, male (E) and female (F). Scale bars: 10 mm (except E, 5 mm).

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Sahastata. Small dots are unidentified specimens or literature records of dubious specific identity.

FIGURE 13. Sahastata wesolowskae sp. nov., male holotype from Salalah, Oman (SMNH). A Habitus, dorsal; B Carapace, dorsal; C Habitus, lateral; D Femora I–II, lateral view; E Habitus, ventral. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 14. Sahastata wesolowskae sp. nov.. A–D Male holotype from Salalah, Oman (SMNH), right palp, mirrored. A Prolateral; B Same, detail of bulb; C Retrolateral; D Bulb, dorsal; E Male from Oman, Al Wusta (SMF), left bulb, retrolateral; F Male from the same locality (MACN-Ar 41197), left bulb, retrolateral.

FIGURE 16. Sahastata wesolowskae sp. nov., paratype females, endogyne, ventral (A–C) and spermatheca (D). A Salalah, Oman (MACN-Ar 39466); B same locality (SMNH); C–D Al Wusta, Oman (MACN-Ar 38367).

FIGURE 25. Females tentatively identified as Sahastata infuscata (Kulczyński, 1901), endogyne, ventral. A Lake Turkana, Kenya (CAS 9057561); B Madag (MRAC 174747). C near Ju Aruleh, Yemen (MRAC 174757); D Lamu, Kenya (ZMB). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.