Maghreba gharbija, 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 : 81-86

Maghreba gharbija gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:134E8E3D-7C0C-45ED-B2DD-78475A180514

Figs 163B , 257–259 , 265–284

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by long teeth on distal bulbal sclerite (prolateral and ventral views; Figs 270, 273 ); from most species (except M. djabalija gen. et sp. nov.) also by small sclerite on procursus tip between ventral sclerite and transparent process (arrow in Fig. 267 ). From the geographically neighboring M. amezyan gen. et sp. nov. also by smaller size (carapace width: 1.3 vs 1.7; male tibia 1 length <9 vs>11; female tibia 1 length <8 vs>9); from the geographically neighboring M. kahfa gen. et sp. nov. also by larger eyes (AME diameter 95 vs 40 µm) and thicker legs (male tibia 1 L/d 60 vs 80).

Etymology

The species name is an adjective derived from the Arab ‘ gharbija ’ = ‘western’.

Type material

Holotype MOROCCO – Marrakesh-Safi • ♂; 4 km E of Ghazoua; 31.449° N, 9.688° W; 60 m a.s.l.; 29 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; in small ravines; ZFMK Ar 22378.

Other material examined

MOROCCO – Marrakesh-Safi • 3 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 22379, Ar 22380 • 3 ♀♀ (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mor 111 • 3 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; 8 km E of Ghazoua ; 31.459° N, 9.646° W; 100 m a.s.l.; 29 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; under rocks and at tree bases; ZFMK Ar 22381, Ar 22382 • 3 ♀♀, 1 juv. (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 110 • 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Essaouira ; 31.51° N, 9.75° W; 18 Dec. 1986; V. Roth leg.; CAS 9027136 . – Souss Massa • 1 ♀; 12 km N of Agadir, 2 km E of Aourir [Awrir]; 30.496° N, 9.626° W; 75 m a.s.l.; 3 Feb. 1996; R. Bosmans leg.; stones near river; CRB • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Agadir ; 30.4° N, 9.6° W; May 1939; L. Berland leg.; MNHN Ar 10321 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Agadir S; 30.37° N, 9.58° W; 16 Feb. 2007; R. Bosmans leg.; stones bordering salt marsh; CRB • 1 ♀, 1 juv.; Forêt d’Ademime ; 30.32° N, 9.37° W; May 1939; L. Berland leg.; MNHN Ar 10312 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Ar 10317 • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Oued Massa; 29.89° N, 9.59° W; 20 m a.s.l.; 27 Apr. 2012; R. Bosmans leg.; in river bed, litter in Eucalyptus forest ; CRB • 1 ♀; Tiznit ; 29.70° N, 9.73° W; May 1939; L. Berland leg.; MNHN Ar 10329 • 1 ♂, 7 ♀♀; Aglou ; 29.806° N, 9.828° W; 10 m a.s.l.; 14 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; among rocks near ground; ZFMK Ar 22383 • 3 ♀♀ (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 79 • 1 ♂; Aglou beach; 29.81° N, 9.83° W; 25 m a.s.l.; 26 Apr. 2012; R. Bosmans leg.; stony steppe; CRB • 1 ♂, 7 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; J. Van Keer leg.; CJVK • 3 ♀♀; 5 km E of Gourizim ; 29.62° N, 9.95° W; 26 Apr. 2012; J. Van Keer leg.; stones in Argania steppe; CJVK • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; R. Bosmans leg.; CRB • 2 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀; Gourizim ; 29.631° N, 10.003° W; 20 m a.s.l.; 14 Sep. 2018; B.A. Huber leg.; among rocks near ground and in vertical bank of dry riverbed; ZFMK Ar 22384 • 4 ♀♀ (in pure ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 80 • 1 ♀; Gourizim ; 29.63° N, 10.00° W; 10 m a.s.l.; 26 Apr. 2012; J. Van Keer leg.; salt marsh, near sea; CJVK • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; between Gourizim and Mirleft ; 29.61° N, 10.02° W; 9 Feb. 2007; R. Bosmans leg.; stones in flooded fields near coast; CRB • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; Mirleft ; 29.57° N, 10.04° W; 25 m a.s.l.; 26 Apr. 2012; R. Bosmans leg.; litter and stones in valley near sea; CRB • 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; J. Van Keer leg.; CJVK .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.9, carapace width 1.3. Distance PME–PME 120 µm; diameter PME 90 × 120 µm; distance PME–ALE 30 µm; diameter AME 95 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 31.4 (9.4 + 0.5 + 8.6 + 11.0 + 1.9), tibia 2: 5.7, tibia 3: 4.2, tibia 4: 5.0; tibia 1 L/d: 61; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.21, 0.19, 0.18, 0.19.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale grey, medially partly darker (brown V-mark behind ocular area; posterior part of pit darkened); clypeus with pair of black vertical bands; sternum dark ochre, laterally lighter; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with black marks on femora and tibiae (cf. Fig. 281 ), very few also on metatarsi; abdomen gray, with distinct dark pattern around heart area, indistinct whitish marks dorsally and laterally; ventrally with large brown mark in front of gonopore, three indistinct bands behind gonopore, dark brown area at spinnerets.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 257–258 . 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 (1.0/0.6), unmodified. Abdomen distinctly elongated beyond spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 268–269 , with pair of frontal lateral apophyses, each with one large modified cone-shaped hair; distance between tips of modified hairs: 410 µm; with very low proximal frontal protrusion; lateral stridulatory ridges not visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. In general similar to congeners (cf. Figs 203–205 , 224–226 ); coxa with distinct retrolateral-ventral process; trochanter barely modified (low ventral rounded hump); femur not curved towards dorsal, distally widened and with very low rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), with very indistinct retrolateral transversal line, with distinct retrolateral-ventral proximal process and distinct dorsal process; femur-patella joints slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia relatively long and slender, tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 265–267 ) relatively short and wide, dorsal hairs barely curved; on prolateral side with proximal ridge followed distally by distinct hump, both hairless; distally with weakly sclerotized ventral flap; procursus tip with strong ventral sclerite, semitransparent process, and small apophysis in-between (arrow in Fig. 267 ); main branch strongly curved towards dorsal, distinctly bifid with thin semitransparent hair-like process; genital bulb ( Figs 270–273 ) basal sclerite with dorsal apophysis; distal (main) sclerite large, with deep retrolateral pocket, strong dorsal process without teeth, ventral part with two distinctively long ventral teeth, sperm duct opening not seen.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~30 ventral spines; without curved hairs; with higher than usual density of short vertical hairs on all tibiae (mainly proximally and prolaterally); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments irregular and indistinct except ~3–5 distally.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 19 males (incl. holotype): 6.3–8.6 (mean 7.2). Distance between tips of cheliceral apophyses ~390–410 µm. Ventral abdominal pattern slightly variable (three bands behind gonopore variably ‘complete’ or reduced to irregular marks); white abdominal marks variably distinct; abdomen in some males dorsally and laterally with dense pattern of dark (internal) abdominal marks. Retrolateral transversal line on palpal femur sometimes not visible.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 259 ) but without spines on legs; with stridulatory apparatus between prosoma and abdomen: distinct whitish processes on carapace and very indistinct light brown areas frontally on abdomen; dark clypeus marks usually more distinct than in male, sometimes fused to large mark including anterior part of ocular area; ventral abdominal bands usually distinct. Apparently without cheliceral stridulatory ridges as in male. Tibia 1 in 63 females: 5.0–7.5 (mean 6.2). Epigynum as in Figs 276–280 , main epigynal plate semicircular, variably protruding, with pair of low processes; with pair of indistinct round pockets (distance ~360–390 µm); internal median round structure variably visible in uncleared specimens; posterior plate short and wide, simple; indistinct plate in front of epigynum, not elevated. Internal genitalia ( Figs 274–275 , 282–284 ) with elongated pore plates in transversal position, widening medially; dorsal and ventral arcs medially strongly sclerotized, ventral arc with indistinct ventral rounded pocket.

Natural history

The spiders were collected from webs close to the ground, among and under rocks (Aglou), in holes at the basis of river-banks (Gourizim, near Ghazoua), and at the basis of trees and in small piles of rocks (near Ghazoua). Webs usually consisted of a relatively large domed sheet and a dense, bell-shaped part directly attached to the rock. When disturbed, the spiders vibrated strongly and then retreated towards the back (i.e., towards the rock).

Distribution

Widely distributed along the coast where the Moroccan Atlas range meets the Atlantic Ocean ( Fig. 163B ).

Figures

Fig. 163. Known distribution of Maghreba gen. nov. A. Complete known distribution, including an undescribed Algerian species in CRB; the approximate extent of the Atlas Mountains is shown (1000 m altitude isolines, taken from https://www.britannica.com/). B. Known distributions of named species. Asterisk: specimens tentatively assigned to M. aurouxi gen. nov.

Figs 257–264. Maghreba gen. nov., live specimens. 257–259. M. gharbija gen. et sp. nov., male and female from Morocco, E of Ghazoua. 260–262. M. aurouxi (Barrientos, 2019) gen. nov., male and female from Morocco, SE of Zebzat. 263–264. M. djabalija gen. et sp. nov., male and female with eggsac from Morocco, NE of Tizi n’Test.

Figs 265–275. Maghreba gharbija gen. et sp. nov.; male and female from Morocco, 4 km E of Ghazoua (ZFMK Ar 22379, Ar 22380). 265–267. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow: dark process between ventral sclerite and transparent process. 268–269. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 270–273. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, retrolateral, and ventral views. 274– 275. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views; arrows: pockets (pits). Abbreviations: bs = basal sclerite; da = dorsal apophysis; dp = dorsal process; pr = epigynal process; pt = procursus tip; tp = transparent process; vf = ventral flap; vs = ventral sclerite; vt = ventral teeth. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 276–284. Maghreba gharbija gen. et sp. nov.; females from Morocco, 4 km E of Ghazoua (276, 278, 280–284; ZFMK Ar 22380) and from Morocco, Gourizim (277, 279; ZFMK Ar 22384). 276– 279. Abdomens, ventral and lateral views. 280. Epigynum, ventral view. 281. Right femur 2, ventral view. 282–284. Cleared female genitalia, ventral view, regular dorsal view, and dorsal view with dorsal arc tilted backwards. Scale bars: 276–280, 282–284 = 0.5 mm; 281 = 0.2 mm.

Figs 203–207. Maghreba saghro gen. et sp. nov.; male from Morocco, between Irherm and Tiferki (ZFMK Ar 22363). 203–205. Left male palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow 1: coxa apophysis; arrow 2: dorsal femur apophysis; arrows 3: femur-patella joints; arrows 4: tibia-tarsus joints. 206–207. Male femora 1 and 2. Scale bars: 203–205 = 0.5 mm; 206–207 = 0.3 mm.

Figs 224–226. Maghreba stifadma gen. et sp. nov.; male from Morocco, Setti-Fatma (ZFMK Ar 22368); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.