Sahastata Benoit, 1968

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 : 220-221

Genus Sahastata Benoit, 1968

Sahastata Benoit, 1968: 96 ; Patel 1978: 186; Brignoli 1982: 7 4; Marusik et al. 2014: 5 ; Marusik & Zamani 2015: 125 ; Marusik & Zamani 2016: 268; Zonstein & Marusik 2019: 90.

Type species. Filistata nigra Simon, 1897 .

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other filistatines, except Kukulcania Lehtinen, 1967 , by the sexual dimorphism in colour ( Fig. 1 ), with females darker than males (vs. males and females with similar coloration), the male palpal femur longer than the carapace and with dorsal macrosetae (vs. of equal length or shorter, and without dorsal macrosetae), the uniformly hirsute carapace (vs. with few robust setae), and the uninterrupted calamistrum (vs. calamistrum with a medial gap without setae; Zonstein & Marusik 2016: fig. 2D). Males differ from those of Kukulcania by the distally straight median margins of the chelicera ( Fig. 6A ) (vs. arched chelicerae; Magalhaes & Ramírez 2019: fig. 10C), by the second tarsal prolateral claw distally elongated ( Figs 6C , 19C ) (vs. unmodified leg II claw, as in females), and, in some species ( S. bosmansi , S. wunderlichi ), by having ordered rows of short retrolateral macrosetae on femora I–II ( Fig. 18F ) (vs. rows of short macrosetae always absent). Females of Sahastata have calamistrum rows with more than 15 setae each ( Figs 10 A–B, 15E, 22B) (vs. less than 15 per row), although at least S. amethystina has a calamistrum similar to that of Kukulcania .

Description. Size: medium to large spiders, total length 5–15 mm. Color and pattern: coloration sexually dimorphic, with females brown to very dark brown and males yellowish cream to very light brown ( Fig. 1 ). Carapace uniform, finely stippled with darker coloration and marbled pattern around the clypeus. V-shaped median pattern subtle to absent. Sternum uniform. Legs with light-brown longitudinal bands on ventral side of female legs and palps; leg rings or annulations absent. Abdomen with uniform coloration, brown to grayish violaceous, white setae absent. Prosoma: carapace longer than wide (ratio 1.2–1.3), with well-marked thoracic fovea. Male clypeus unmodified. Eyes united in low tubercle, AME subequal to ALE. Eye apodemes absent. Feathery setae absent. Labium longer than wide. Sternum longer than wide, suboval, with two pairs of sigilla, indistinct in males. Appendages: chelicera promarginal lobe bearing small tooth, with posterior face glabrous. Cheliceral gland flat. Female palp tarsal macrosetae present. Leg formula 1423. Femoral macrosetae present on dorsobasal and apical portions; males of some species with numerous, short retrolateral macrosetae on femur I. Macrosetae present on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi. Male tarsi pseudosegmented. Trichobothria with socket ring-like, present on tibiae and metatarsi; in latter, not reaching distal end of article. Metatarsal stopper narrow, asymmetrical, slightly drawn to retrolateral side; tarsal socket absent in males. Male leg II with tarsal claw distally enlarged, hook-shaped. Calamistrum on sclerotized ridge, composed of three parallel rows; most species with numerous setae (at least 15 or 20 per row), setae incrassate, lacking teeth; retrolateral row with reduced setae. Abdomen: longer than wide, oval in females, cylindrical in males; males with ~15 epidandrous spigots in single group; posterior respiratory system consisting of third abdominal entapophyses and transverse duct; lateral tracheae present as two small subtriangular flaps. Anal tubercle modified, protruding into triangular fleshy lobe, densely hirsute. Spinnerets: cribellum divided, with each spinning field about as wide as long. Cribellum spigots distally widened. ALS with anterior row of setae, with three major ampullate gland spigots interspersed among piriform gland spigots, and numerous piriform gland spigots in females. PMS pyramidal, with filiform setae, ~3 aciniform gland spigots, one minor ampullate gland spigot, and three paracribellar gland spigots, positioned apically; in some species one paracribellar gland spigot laterally displaced. PLS with numerous aciniform gland spigots, and two paracribellar gland spigots. Male palp: femur straight, longer than carapace, bearing long macrosetae on ventral and dorsal faces. Tibia as long as femur, slender, bearing thin setae on ventral face. Cymbium cylindrical, up to three times as long as high, with an internal crest embracing basal bulb sclerite. Bulb subconical, devoid of spines, excavations or tegular spines, but bearing ridges near base of embolus. Embolus short, ventrally curved; embolus opening with micro-teeth. Paraembolic lamina present, attached throughout, forming ventral embolic keel. Sperm duct with three to four coils, usually tightly-packed. Basal bulb sclerite conical. Female genitalia: external region unsclerotized, not particularly hirsute. Interpulmonary fold with rounded margin, very large, covering endogyne completely in dorsal view. Endogyne with two pairs of spermathecae, or single pair divided into membranous portion and glandular portion, often inserted on uterus externus through membranous base. Sclerotized lateral bars absent.

Relationships. As discussed by Zonstein & Marusik (2019) and Magalhaes & Ramírez (2019), Sahastata is a member of Filistatinae. It is most closely related to Kukulcania , with which it shares the large size and sexual dimorphism in colour.

Composition. Nine species: S. amethystina Marusik & Zamani, 2016 ( Iran) , S. ashapuriae Patel, 1978 ( India) , S. bosmansi Zonstein & Marusik, 2019 ( Algeria) , S. infuscata ( Kulczyński, 1901) ( Eritrea, Kenya, Yemen), S. nigra ( Simon, 1897) (northern Oman, U.A.E.), S. sabaea Brignoli, 1982 ( Yemen) , S. sinuspersica Marusik, Zamani & Mirshamsi, 2014 ( Iran) , S. wesolowskae sp. nov. (southern Oman), S. wunderlichi sp. nov. ( Morocco).

Distribution. The genus is distributed from the western Sahara to westernmost India and south to Kenya ( Fig. 3 ).

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 6. Sahastata nigra (Simon, 1897), male from Oman, Ad Dakhliyah, Al Hamra, Jebel Shams mountains (MACN-Ar 39464). A Clypeus, anterior; B Left leg I, proclaw, prolateral; C Right leg II (mirrored), proclaw, prolateral; D Epiandrium, ventral; E Spinnerets, ventral. Scale bars: 200 µm.

FIGURE 10. Sahastata nigra (Simon, 1897), female from Jebel Shams mountains, Oman (MACN-Ar 38368). A Left calamistrum, dorsal, arrow to row with unmodified setae; B Right calamistrum, subdorsal; C Spinnerets, ventral; D Left ALS, ventral, arrows to major ampullate gland spigots; E PMS, ventral; F Carapace, dorsal. Scale bars: 100 µm except for F, 1 mm.Abbreviations: BS—broadened setae; PC—paracribellar gland spigots; US—unmodified setae.

FIGURE 18. Sahastata wunderlichi sp. nov., male paratype from Zag, Morocco (MACN-Ar 39465). A Habitus, dorsal; B Carapace, dorsal; C Habitus, lateral; D Habitus, ventral; E Spinnerets, ventral; F Right femur I, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm except for E, 200 µm.

FIGURE 19. Sahastata wunderlichi sp. nov., male paratype from Zag, Morocco (MACN-Ar 39465). A Clypeus, anterior; B Left leg I, proclaw, retrolateral; C Left leg II, proclaw, prolateral. Scale bars: 100 µm.