Lepthyphantes, Menge, 1866 sensu Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1996

Tanasevitch, Andrei V., 2014, Linyphiid spiders (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from caves of Morocco, Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (2), pp. 277-290 : 281-285

Lepthyphantes s. lat. longihamatus Bosmans, 1985 Fig. 16

MATERIAL: 1 Ƌ; MOROCCO, High Atlas Mts , “Ifri El Kaid” Cave , near AïtMehammed south of BinelOuidane; 1580 m a.s.l.; 5.VI.1978; leg. P. Strinati [Mar 78/24] .

DISTRIBUTION: The species has been reported from caves in the High Atlas Mts of Morocco only ( Bosmans, 1985, 2006).

Lepthyphantes s. lat. longipedis sp. n. Figs 17-21 HOLOTYPE: Ƌ; MOROCCO, Middle Atlas Mts , Beni Mellal , Jbel Ighnayene, near Ouaouizaght Village, pothole JI 11; 22.VI.1982; leg. J. Delore, B. Gailleton & A. Gilbert. PARATYPES: 1 Ƌ, 5 ♀; collected together with the holotype. ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet, an adjective, means “long-legged”, referring to the length of legs in this species .

DIAGNOSIS: The new species is characterized by the thin and very long legs, as well as by the small, reduced eyes in both sexes. The male can easily be recognized by the shape of the lamella characteristica, as well as by the thick embolus with a large thumb and with a toothed base. The female is distinguished by the peculiar shape of its posterior median plate.

DESCRIPTION: Male (holotype), partly damaged. Total length 2.30. Carapace 1.25 long, 1.05 wide, pale brown, unmodified. Eyes relatively small, with dark rings. Chelicerae 0.53. long, anterior margin with two large teeth and one small denticle. Legs pale brown to yellow, thin and very long, most of them broken off. FeI and II 2.75 long each. Chaetotaxy unknown. Palp (Figs 17-19): Patella unmodified. Cymbium without posterodorsal outgrowth. Paracymbium with a tooth in middle part, and with a wide, short, backward-directed projection. Lamella characteristica broad, its upper branch obtuse and slightly widened distally. Embolus with a large thumb and a few FIGS 9-13

Lepthyphantes s. lat. aelleni Denis in Denis & Dresco, 1957. (9) Right palp, retrolateral view. (10) Lamella characteristica, lateral view. (11-13) Epigyne, ventral, lateral and dorsal view, respectively.

strong teeth on embolic base. Abdomen 1.20 long, 0.80 wide, pale, almost white, dorsal pattern absent.

Female. Total length 3.05. Carapace 1.50 long, 1.20 wide, pale brown, unmodified. Eyes relatively small. Chelicerae 0.90 long. Legs pale brown to yellow, thin and very long, most of them broken off. FeI 3.00, FeII 2.90 long. Abdomen 1.90 long, 1.20 wide, pale, almost white, dorsal pattern absent. Epigyne (Figs 20-21): Proscape broad, rounded, with a narrow base and a deep notch distally. Lateral lobes reduced, stretcher large, oblong. Posterior median plate like a wide “V” with rounded ends.

FIGS 14-16

Lepthyphantes s. lat. brevihamatus Bosmans, 1985 (14-15) and L. s. lat. longihamatus Bosmans, 1985 (16). (14-15) Epigyne, ventral and dorsal view, respectively. (16) Left palp, retrolateral view.

REMARKS: According to the general genitalia conformation, the new species belongs to the afer species-group of Lepthyphantes s. lat. (see Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1993) and seems to be most similar to L. longihamatus , but shows typical troglobiontic features, i.e., small, reduced eyes, pale leg and body coloration, as well as very long legs: leg I of the male paratype is 5 times longer than its body.

Beside that, the male of L. s. lat. longipedis sp. n. differs from L. longihamatus by the shape of the paracymbial tooth (wide and blunt in L. s. lat. longipedis sp. n., narrow and pointed in L. longihamatus ), by the shape of the lamella characteristica, as FIGS 17-21

Lepthyphantes s. lat. longipedis sp. n., Ƌ (17-19) and ♀ paratypes (20-21). (17) Left palp, retrolateral view. (18) Embolic division. (19) Embolus. (20-21) Epigyne, ventral and dorsal view, respectively.

well as by some other details of the palp. The female of the new species differs from that of L. longihamatus by the shape of the proscape, which is considerably broader than long versus being about as long as broad in L. longihamatus . The epigene of L. s. lat. longipedis sp. n. also resembles to that of L. s. lat. brevihamatus, but clearly differs by the much deeper hole on the posterior edge of the proscape, as well as by the rounded ends of the V-shaped posterior median plate.

Detailed information on the type locality of this species was given by Gilbert (1983).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from the type locality only.