Crossopriza illizi, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 107-110

Crossopriza illizi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8A2A2B20-5BD3-48A4-948C-E3EB160601F9

Figs 352 , 373–390

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by shape of distal bulbal sclerite ( Fig. 379 ; distinctive ridges on prolateral side), by male chelicerae with modified hairs on frontal face ( Figs 382–383 ; also present but more distal in C. dhofar sp. nov.); from many congeners also by female genitalia ( Figs 386–390 ; epigynum with elongate pockets; roundish pore plates far apart; similar to C. soudanensis ).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype ALGERIA – Illizi • ♂; Iherir ; 25.41° N, 8.41° E; 29 Dec. 1986; K. de Smet leg.; in Typha litter, among stones and grasses; ZFMK Ar 22392.

Other material examined

ALGERIA – Illizi • 2 ♂♂, 3 juvs; same collection data as for holotype; CRB • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 3 juvs; Djanet, Aguelmane ti-n-Azzaret, “Adjé”; 25.83° N, 7.75° E; 17 Apr. 1979; J. Mertens leg.; CRB .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.6, carapace width 1.25. Distance PME–PME 80 µm; diameter PME 100 × 120 µm; distance PME–ALE 25 µm; diameter AME 90 µm; distance AME–AME 35 µm. Leg 1: 10.9 + 0.6 + 9.9, metatarsus damaged; tibia 2: 6.9, tibia 3: 5.1, tibia 4: 5.7; tibia 1 L/d: 70; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.18, 0.17, 0.16, 0.16.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow, medially darker (brown; ocular area only posteriorly brown); sternum light brown with dark brown radial marks; legs pale ochre-yellow, without dark rings, with small black marks on femora and tibiae; abdomen pale ochre-gray, with small dark marks dorsally, especially at posterior tip; ventrally with large dark brown mark in front of gonopore, three longitudinal marks behind gonopore, and dark brown area at spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus similar to C. tiwi sp. nov. (cf. Figs 393–394 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, rim not more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (0.95/0.70), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated above spinnerets, dorso-posteriorly slightly pointed.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 382–383 , with pair of low whitish proximal humps, each provided with 5–6 small, modified (cone-shaped) hairs, and pair of frontal lateral apophyses, each with one large cone-shaped hair; distance between tips of modified hairs at tips of lateral apophyses: 370 µm; lateral stridulatory ridges fine but visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As is Figs 373–375 ; coxa with rounded retrolateral-ventral hump; trochanter barely modified; femur slightly curved towards dorsal (dorso-distal line), distally widened and with distinct rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), without retrolateral transversal line, without retrolateral-ventral proximal process, without dorsal process; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia strongly widened, tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 376–378 ) straight, dorsal hairs not curved upwards; on prolateral side with proximal hump provided with numerous hairs; procursus tip with short ventral sclerite, distinctive semitransparent prolateral process, and membranous elements; genital bulb ( Figs 379–381 ) with simple basal sclerite connected to distal (main) sclerite; distal sclerite flat and rectangular, with small dorsal process and distinctive prolateral ridges; sperm duct opening not seen (presumably in membranous prolateral field; asterisk in Fig. 379 ).

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~22 ventral spines; without curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments not seen.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in two other males: 9.5, 9.6. Two males with many whitish marks on abdomen.

Female

In general similar to male but without spines on legs; with pair of prominent whitish humps posteriorly on carapace, and pair of corresponding indistinct plates frontally on abdomen; cheliceral stridulatory ridges not seen (very fine or absent). Tibia 1: 7.0. Epigynum as in Figs 386–387 , main epigynal plate semicircular, wider than long, weakly protruding, posteriorly with whitish median area; with pair of grooves rather than pockets (distance ~ 330–400 µm); posterior plate short and wide, only laterally sclerotized; area in front of epigynum not elevated. Internal genitalia ( Figs 384–385 , 388–390 ) with large rounded pore plates; dorsal arc weak, ventral arc medially strongly developed, with distinctive pair of median sclerites and indistinct small pouch ventral of these sclerites.

Distribution

Known from two localities in south-eastern Algeria (Illizi Province) ( Fig. 352 ).

Figures

Fig. 352. Distribution of Crossopriza Simon, 1893; autochthonous species part 1 (cf. Fig. 353): species with main cheliceral apophyses in lateral position.

Figs 373–375. Crossopriza illizi sp. nov.; male from Algeria, Iherir (CRB); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 376–385. Crossopriza illizi sp. nov.; male from Algeria, Iherir (CRB), female from Algeria, Aguelmane ti-n-Azzaret (CRB). 376–378. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: prolateral process. 379–381. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrows: distinctive ridges; asterisk: putative position of sperm duct opening. 382–383. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 384–385. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets. Abbreviations: ph = prolateral hump; vs = ventral sclerite. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 386–390. Crossopriza illizi sp. nov.; female from Algeria, Aguelmane ti-n-Azzaret (CRB). 386– 387. Abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 388–390. Female internal genitalia, dorsal view (with dorsal arc tilted backwards), ventral view, and regular dorsal view. Abbreviations: da = dorsal arc; va = ventral arc. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 391–398. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 391–392. C. sahtan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Wadi Ghul. 393–395. C. tiwi sp. nov., males and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Tiwi. 396–398. C. dhofar sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ain Razad, and female from Oman, Wadi Nahiz.