Brancus muticus Simon, 1902

Azarkina, Galina N. & Foord, Stefan H., 2013, Redescriptions of poorly known species of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) from South Africa and Namibia, Zootaxa 3686 (2), pp. 165-182 : 169-171

Brancus muticus Simon, 1902

Figs 1 , 18–35

Brancus muticus Simon, 1902: 400 (3, examined).

B. muticus: Simon 1903: 709 ; Berland & Millot 1941: 332; Prószyński 1976: 156; 1978: 7 (3); Wesołowska & Russell-Smith 2011: 567 (syn.).

Brancus bevisi Lessert, 1925: 356 , fig. 17 (3, examined).

B. bevisi: Berland & Millot 1941: 331 ; Prószyński 1976: 156.

Type material: Holotype Brancus muticus 3 ( MNHN, #7546) Congo [date and collector unknown]; Holotype Brancus bevisi 3 ( NMSA, #NM 17060) Amanzimtoti, L. Bevis [= Republic of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Amanzimtoti, 30°03'S, 30°53'E, date unknown (L. Bevis)].

Other material: RSA: 1Ƥ (NCA 97/120) KwaZulu-Natal, Richards Bay, ca. 28°49'S, 32°02'E, sweep net, 11– 12.1995 (T. Wassernaar); 1Ƥ (probably lost) Limpopo, 23°30'S, 30°15'E, 374 m a.s.l., branch beating, vegetation: Colophosperme mopane and Androstachys johnsoni , woodland, 16.02.2008 (V. Gelebe); 13 2Ƥ (probably lost) exact locality and date unknown (A. Russell-Smith).

Diagnosis. This species resembles B. verdieri Berland & Millot, 1941 . The two species differ in the shape of the tibial apophysis (straight in B. muticus and bent at a right angle in B. verdieri ) and position of tegular lobe (prolateral in B. verdieri and basal ( Figs 18–20 ) in B. muticus ). The embolus is coiled forming one loop and contrasts with other Brancus species where the coil has two loops the ( B. blaisei ) and half a loop ( B. occidentalis ).

Description. Male (holotype of B. bevisi ,). Carapace: 2.59 long, 2.32 wide, 1.40 high. Abdomen: 2.88 long, 1.58 wide. Eye field: 1.18 long, anterior 1.65 wide, posterior 1.65 wide. Cheliceral length 0.86. Clypeal height 0.10. Diameter of AME 0.57. Length of leg segments: I 1.40+0.97+1.36+0.68+0.57; II 1.18+0.79+1.00+0.57+0.50; III 1.18+0.72+0.90+1.00+0.57; IV 1.54+0.68+1.00+1.11+0.60. Leg spination: I: Fm d 0-1-1-3; Tb v 1 -0-0-2-1-0; Mt v 0-2-2ap. II: Fm d 0-1-2-4; Pt pr 1; Tb pr 0-1-1, v 1 -0-2-2ap; Mt v 0-2-2ap. III: Fm d 0-2-1-4; Pt pt and rt 1; Tb pr 1-1, rt 1-1-1, v 1 -0-1ap; Mt pr and rt 1-0-2, v 1 -0-2ap. IV: Fm d 0-1-1-3; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb pr 0-1-1 or 0-2-1, rt 1-1-1, v 1 -0-2ap; Mt pr and rt 0-1-2ap; v 0-0-2ap. Carapace yellow-brown to brown, ocular area is yellow with brown rings around eyes, central part of ocular area with brown patch ( Figs 29–30 ). Laterally ocular area with bunch of long dense bristles. Clypeus very low, yellow with brown line among lower rim, covered with one row of brown bristles ( Fig. 32 ). Chelicerae brown. Sternum yellow. Abdomen yellow, dorsum yellowish-brown, medially with band of white scales, covered with brownish-yellow hairs. First pair of legs robust, bigger than others. Femora of all legs brown, distally yellow. Coxae I brownish, coxae of the remaining legs yellow. Patellae and tibiae I–II ventrally with rather dense brown hairs. Palpal structure as in Figs 18–23 .

Female (KwaZulu-Natal, NCA 97/120). Carapace: 2.40 long, 2.10 wide, 1.45 high. Abdomen: 4.50 long, 2.50 wide. Eye field: 1.10 long, anterior 1.60 wide, posterior 1.65 wide. Cheliceral length 0.80. Clypeal height 0.10. Diameter of AME 0.55. Length of leg segments: I 1.40+0.95+1.05+0.60+0.50; II 1.25+0.90+0.90+0.55+0.50; III 1.60+1.00+0.90+0.90+0.50; IV 1.55+0.90+1.10+1.20+0.50. Leg spination: I: Fm d 0-1-1-3; Tb v 0-0-0-1-1; Mt v 0-2-2ap. II: Fm d 0-1-1-4; Tb v 0-0-1-0-0 or 0-0-0-0-0; Mt v 0-2-2ap. III: Fm d 0-2-1-4; Pt pr and rt 1; Tb pr 1-1, rt 1-1-1, v 1 -0-2ap; Mt pr and rt 1-0-2, v 1 -0-2ap. IV: Fm d 0-1-1-2; Pt rt 1; Tb pr 1-1 or 0-1, rt 1-1-1, v 0-0-2ap; Mt pr 0-1-2 or 0-0-2, rt 1-1-2; v 0-0-2ap. Carapace brownish-yellow with brown rings around eyes, central part of ocular area with brown patch ( Fig. 34 ). Laterally ocular area with bunch of long dense bristles. Clypeus and cheeks yellow covered with white hairs ( Fig. 33 ). Chelicerae brownish-yellow. Sternum yellow. Abdomen pale yellow, dorsum with two parallel brown bands, laterally and apically with wide bands of brown patches and strokes ( Fig. 34 ). Spinnerets brown-yellow. Book-lungs pale yellow. Legs I robust, larger than others. All legs yellow. Femora I prolaterally with brown transversal lines. Palps yellow. Structure of epigyne and spermathecae as in Figs 24–25, 27–28 .

Distribution. Western, Central and Southern Africa.

Comments. In 2008 one of us (GA) studied 1 Ƥ collected by V. Gelebe and 13 2Ƥ collected by A. Russell- Smith in the Republic of South Africa. Unfortunately this material seems to be lost. GA kept figures of the specimens collected by A. Russell-Smith as it represents the first record of males and females of Brancus muticus that were collected together.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records of Baryphas ahenus (circle;? exact locality unknown), Brancus muticus (star), Hyllus dotatus (square) and Mogrus macrocephalus (triangle).

FIGURES 18 – 23. Brancus muticus. 18 – 20 male palps, ventral view; 21 – 23 - ditto, retrolateral view (18, 21 holotype of Brancus bevisi; 19, 22 holotype of Brancus muticus; 20, 23 material from RSA). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 24 – 28. Brancus muticus. 24 – 25, 28 epigynes, ventral view; 26 scheme of insemination ducts; 27 spermathecae, dorsal view. Scale bars: 24 – 25, 27 – 28, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 29 – 35. Brancus muticus. 29 male habitus, dorsal view (holotype of Brancus muticus); 30 ditto (holotype of Brancus bevisi); 31 ditto, ventral view (holotype of Brancus bevisi); 32 male " face " (holotype of Brancus bevisi); 33 female face; 34 female habitus, dorsal view; 35 ditto, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.