Cteniogaster conviva, Jan Bosselaers & Rudy Jocque, 2013

Jan Bosselaers & Rudy Jocque, 2013, Studies in Liocranidae (Araneae): a new afrotropical genus featuring a synapomorphy for the Cybaeodinae, European Journal of Taxonomy 40, pp. 1-49 : 20-23

Cteniogaster conviva sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EB0512BB-1926-4CC2-88D8-A541A5EDC2F7

Figs 2A-D , 5A-B, 8A-C, 12A-E, 14; Appendix 1E, H

Diagnosis

Cteniogaster conviva sp. nov. differs from all other Cteniogaster gen. nov. species by the large male palp with a sharply pointed, hook-shaped RTA, a large, coiled and sclerotised conductor, and a cymbium with a rl basal bulge; and by the epigyne with a thin, broad anterior hood.

Etymology

The species name is a noun in apposition and is derived from the Latin conviva, table companion, referring to the fact that this species shares the same habitat with C. toxarchus sp. nov. in the West Usambara mountains.

Type material

Holotype

Ƌ: TANZANIA, Tanga, W. Usambara Mts., Mazumbai Forest , 4°49’S 38°30’E, 11-20 Nov. 1998, 1400- 1800 m asl, sifting litter, Griswold C., Scharff N. & Ubick D. ( ZMUC) .

Paratype

1 ♀: together with holotype; 4 ♀♀: same data as holotype ( ZMUC) .

Description

Male (holotype)

TOTAL LENGTH. 2.24. Carapace length 1.05, width 0.82, unicoloured yellow, unbordered ( Fig. 2A ). Fovea brown, pronounced, length 0.13, anterior end 0.59 from front end of carapace. MOQ length 0.09, anterior width 0.05, posterior width 0.08. AER width 0.19, PER width 0.24. AME small, diameter 1/3 of diameter ALE. PLE slightly smaller than ALE. All eyes touching, except for PME which are isolated, strongly reduced and Fattened, diameter 1/3 of AME diameter ( Fig. 12E). AER recurved and PER straight from above. Clypeus vertical, slightly higher than diameter of AME. Chilum indistinct and very small. Sternum yellow, without a distinct border, length 0.60, width 0.53. PCT pale yellow.

ABDOMEN. Pale greyish brown, with a weak anterior do scutum covering 10 % of the do surface area and a ve posterior patch of strong setae as is typical for the genus. ALS separated by 1/3 of their diameter. Legs yellow. Retrocoxal hymen pale and weak. Trochanter notch present, more prominent on legs III and IV. Tarsus IV slightly bent. Leg spination as in Appendix 1E.

LEG MEASUREMENTS: MALE PALP. As illustrated ( Fig. 12A-B), with a hook-shaped, sharply pointed RTA, a short apical embolus, a simple subtriangular MA and a complex, coiled, sclerotised conductor. The cymbium has a thickened basal rl bulge ( Fig. 12B).

	fe	pa	ti	mt	ta	Total
I	0.79	0.32	0.60	0.42	0.47	2.60
II	0.66	0.32	0.53	0.39	0.42	2.31
III	0.55	0.26	0.39	0.42	0.39	2.03
IV	0.79	0.37	0.60	0.71	0.55	3.02

Female

TOTAL LENGTH. 2.58. Carapace length 1.08, width 0.82, unicoloured yellow, unbordered ( Fig. 2A ). Fovea brown, pronounced, length 0.13, anterior end 0.71 from front end of carapace. MOQ length 0.09, anterior width 0.06, posterior width 0.10. AER width 0.22, PER width 0.26. AME small, diameter 1/3 of ALE diameter. PLE diameter 2/3 of ALE. All eyes touching, except for PME. PME absent or strongly reduced. Eye row curvatures as in male. Clypeus vertical, slightly higher than diameter of AME. Chilum a small, yellow brown equilateral triangle, situated beneath AME. Sternum yellow, with a weak border, length 0.66, width 0.59. PCT pale yellow.

ABDOMEN. Pale greyish brown, without do scutum or ve modiFed setae. Legs yellow. Retrocoxal hymen as in male. Trochanter notch as in male. Sparse ve preening brushes on mt III and IV. Tarsus IV slightly bent. Leg spination as in Appendix 1H.

LEG MEASUREMENTS: EPIGYNE. With thin, wide anterior hood, partly transparent, showing median ST2 and widely separated posterior globular ST1, slightly variable ( Fig. 12C-D). Vulva with widely separated spherical posterior ST1 with internal spikes and median, longitudinally oriented, touching ST2 with an anterior, porous glandular structure ( Figs 5A-B , 8A-C).

	fe	pa	ti	mt	ta	Total
I	0.74	0.34	0.58	0.42	0.42	2.50
II	0.66	0.26	0.50	0.39	0.39	2.21
III	0.55	0.24	0.37	0.47	0.47	2.10
IV	0.87	0.34	0.66	0.71	0.55	3.13

Distribution

Tanzania, West Usambara mountains, 1400-1800 m asl.

Figures

Fig. 2. A-D. Cteniogaster conviva sp. nov. A. Ƌ, habitus dorsal view. B. Idem, ventral view. C. ♀, habitus, dorsal view. D. Idem, ventral view. E-H. Cteniogaster toxarchus gen. et sp. nov. E. Ƌ, habitus dorsal view. F. Idem, ventral view. G. ♀, habitus, dorsal view. H. Idem, ventral view. I-P. Cteniogaster hexomma sp. nov. I. ♀, prosoma, dorsal view. J. Idem, habitus, dorsal view. K. Idem, abdomen, ventral view. L. Idem, habitus, ventral view. M. Idem, Ƌ, habitus, dorsal view. N. Idem, prosoma, dorsal view. O. Idem, habitus, ventral view. P. Idem, abdomen, ventral view. Scale bars: A-O = 0.5 mm; P = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 5. Female genitalia, dorsal view. A, C, E: cleared in methyl salicylate. A-B. Cteniogaster conviva sp. nov. C-D. Cteniogaster sangarawe sp. nov. E-F. Cteniogaster taxorchis sp. nov. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.