Spinotrachelas Haddad, 2006

., ., Dggdg, -., ., Hhwkolqj, . & \ Oh, 2011, Spinotrachelas montanus VS. Q., WKH ¿ UVW $ IURPRQWDQH UHSUHVHQWDWLYH LQ WKH JHQXV ($ UDQHDH: & RULQQLGDH), African Invertebrates 52 (2), pp. 345-352 : 347-350

Genus Spinotrachelas Haddad, 2006

6SLQRWUDFKHODV PRQWDQXV sp. n. Figs 1–10

Etymology: The species is named for the montane habitats that it occupies.

Diagnosis: This species is closely related to S. capensis , especially in the structure of the male palp, but can be distinguished by the following characters: abdomen narrower in males (>1.75 times longer than wide) and females (more than twice as long as wide) than in S. capensis (approximately 1.5 times longer than wide); male palpal patellar apophysis broader and more dorsally placed, and tibial apophysis more prolaterally placed than in S. capensis ; female epigyne with copulatory openings V-shaped and directed posteriorly (straight and directed laterally in S. capensis ) and copulatory ducts with a distinctive anterior loop leading to ST II, passing beneath the narrow ducts that lead to the posterior bilobed ST I, and female with ventral cusps on metatarsi I (absent in S. capensis ) DQG ZLWK ¿YH FXVSV RQ WDUVL, (RQO\ WZR LQ S. capensis ).

Description:

Male (holotype).

Measurements: CL 1.66, CW 1.26, AL 1.91, AW 1.03, TL 3.54 (3.30–3.92), FL 0.14, SL 0.93, SW 0.70, AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.03, ALE–ALE 0.24, PME–PME 0.11, PME–PLE 0.10, PLE–PLE 0.49.

Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 1.17 + 0.56 + 1.05 + 0.59 + 0.53 = 3.90; II 0.92 + 0.44 + 0.80 + 0.56 + 0.48 = 3.20; III 0.65 + 0.39 + 0.50 + 0.53 + 0.29 = 2.36; IV 0.81 + 0.38 + 0.69 + 0.73 + 0.34 = 2.95.

*HQHUDO DSSHDUDQFH RI PDOHV LQ)LJV Ɨ±³. &DUDSDFH VOLJKWO\ ÀDWWHQHG DQG FRQYH[, low in eye region, highest at half its length, slanting downwards sharply in its posterior WKLUG; EURDGHVW DW DQWHULRU PDUJLQ RI VHFRQG SDLU RI OHJV; VXUIDFH ¿QHO\ ZULQNOHG, ZLWK small tubercles at setal bases and on striae; shallow oval depression anterior to fovea, just posterior to half carapace length ( Figs 1–3); fovea short and narrow, slightly broa- der posteriorly; carapace uniform brown with black mottling; black striae radiating from fovea; ocular region not darker than rest of carapace, with two traversing thick black spines on clypeus beneath AME. All eyes with black rings, except on retrolateral margin; AER strongly procurved, laterals and medians subequal in size; clypeus height equal to ALE diameter; AME separated by approximately a third their diameter; AME separated from ALE by approximately a third AME diameter; PER strongly recurved, laterals and medians subequal in size; PME separated by distance slightly larger than their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae red-brown, with short white setae on anterior surface, surface granular; chelicera with single thick black seta on anterior surface of paturon, located just distal of cheliceral base; three evenly spaced teeth on promargin, median tooth largest, distal tooth smallest; two teeth on retromargin, close together and subequal in size; small FKHOLFHUDO NHHO SUHVHQW; HQGLWHV SDOH EURZQ ZLWK VFDWWHUHG ¿QH EODFN VHWDH, URXQGHG on anterior margin, with well-developed serrula, straight on retrolateral and posterior margins; prolateral longitudinal ridge extending length of endites; labium brown, slightly wider than long. Sternum somewhat oval, rebordered, yellow-brown with grey mottling, pale orange along borders; broadest between coxae II and III and narrowed anteriorly; pleural bars isolated; precoxal triangles present; intercoxal sclerites present between all coxa. Abdomen oval-elongate, widest at midpoint, with scutum covering entire dorsum; dorsum very dark brown with faint yellowish mottling, with lateral FUHDP PDUNLQJV DW KDOI DEGRPHQ OHQJWK; WZR SDLUV RI VLJLOOD SUHVHQW, ¿UVW SDLU DW D quarter abdomen length and second pair just behind cream markings; abdomen co- YHUHG ZLWK VKRUW, VWUDLJKW ZKLWH VHWDH GRUVDOO\ DQG ¿QH EODFN VHWDH ODWHUDOO\; HSLJDVWULF area sclerotised, ventral and inframamillary sclerites absent; venter with two paired lines of tiny sclerites running from epigastric fold to spinnerets. Leg I strongly built and long, coxae pale brown, remaining segments dark brown, patellae with black lateral mottling; leg II less strongly built and somewhat shorter, coxae pale brown,

trochanters dark brown, femora pale brown proximally and distally, with broad faint grey band medially, tibiae pale brown with incomplete proximal and distal black bands laterally and ventrally; metatarsi and tarsi pale brown; legs III and IV weakly built and shorter, coxae yellow, trochanters dark brown, femora yellow proximally and dorsally with incomplete black band laterally and ventrally in distal two-thirds, tibiae yellow proximally with incomplete distal black band laterally and ventrally, metatarsi yellow-brown with incomplete distal black bands laterally and ventrally, and ventral preening brush, tarsi yellow. Leg spination: femora: I pl 1; patellae: I plv 1, all patellae with do 1 erect seta; tibiae: I plv 4 rlv 4, II rlv 3, all tibiae with do 1 erect seta; metatarsi: I plv 3–4 cusps, rlv 2–3 cusps, II plv 2–3 cusps; tarsi: I plv 6 cusps, rlv 4–5 cusps, II plv 2–3 cusps. Male palpal patella with small retrolateral apophysis; palpal tibia with long, curved sword-like dorsolateral apophysis, narrowed at the tip, with two spines on its dorsal surface; cymbium with pair of short stout black setae distally and plv spine; tegulum elongate-oval, with looping internal ducts; embolus long, wire-like, originating prolaterally, medially on tegulum; partly hidden beneath tegulum, emerging for short distance distally ( Figs 6–8).

Female (paratype, Champagne Castle).

Measurements: CL 1.60, CW 1.28, FL 0.10, AL 2.37, AW 1.61, TL 3.95 (3.51–3.95), SL 0.87, SW 0.62, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.22, PME–PME 0.10, PME–PLE 0.14, PLE–PLE 0.48.

Length of leg segments (sequence from femur to tarsus, and total): I 0.99 + 0.47 + 0.79 + 0.60 + 0.52 = 3.37; II 0.93 + 0.44 + 0.73 + 0.54 + 0.43 = 3.07; III 0.67 + 0.39 + 0.47 + 0.53 + 0.28 = 2.34; IV 0.81 + 0.45 + 0.72 + 0.69 + 0.38 = 3.05.

General appearance of female in Figs 4, 5. Morphology similar to male except the following: carapace pale brown, slightly wrinkled with very faint striae. Endites and labium yellow, sternum yellow, covered in long black setae. Leg I with yellow coxae, trochanters pale brown with yellow band ventrally, remaining segments pale brown; leg II yellow throughout, with dark bands on lateral sides of femora; legs III and IV with coxae, trochanters, femora and patellae all yellow proximally and dark brown distally, tibiae yellow with dark brown medial and distal bands, metatarsi yellow with dark spot located distally on the ventral side, and tarsi yellow. Leg spination: femora: I pl 1; patellae: plv 1, all patellae with do 1 erect seta; tibiae: I plv 4 rlv 4–5, II rlv 3, all tibiae with do 1 erect seta; metatarsi: I plv 2 cusps; tarsi: I plv 3 rlv 2 cusps. Abdomen elongate-oval, longer and narrower than in male, dorsum dark brown with two cream markings at half abdomen length, dorsum covered in small white setae; dorsal and ventral scuta and inframamillary sclerites absent. Copulatory openings V-shaped, directed posteriorly, located anterolaterally in epigyne ( Fig. 9); copulatory ducts curving posteromedially before entering narrow anterior ST II; small median ducts running beneath copulatory ducts to small bilobed lateral ST I ( Fig. 10).

+RORW\SH: ƃ 6287+ $)5,&$: Free State: Platberg Nat. Res., Bottom of Donkey Pass , 28°16.843'S: 29°12.033'E, 2036 m, base of grass tussocks, 22.i.2011, C. Haddad ( NMBA, 16178) .

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Ɨƃ ƗƂ &KDPSDJQH &DVWOH, 0SRMDQH 5., ƻ9°oƻ.ƽ8Ɨ‵6: ƻ9°ƻ³.898‵(, Ɨ³9ƽ P, EDVH RI JUDVV WXVVRFNV,ULYHUVLGH,ƻo.L.ƻoƗƗ, &. +DGGDG (106$, ƻ44ϬƗ); ƻƃ ƻƂ VDPH locality, Hlathikuku Forest, 29°02.366'S: 29°23.421'E, 1560 m, base of grass tussocks, forest-grassland HFRWRQH, ƻo.L.ƻoƗƗ, &. +DGGDG (706$, ƻ4oo9); Ɨƃ 5R\DO 1DWDO 1DW. 3DUN, ULSDULDQ IRUHVW QHDU RI¿FHV, 28°41.185'S: 28°57.427'E, 1400 m, base of ferns and grasses, with ants, 21.i.2011, C. Haddad ( NMSA, 24462) .

Distribution: Known only from the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal and the Platberg Nature Reserve in the eastern Free State Province of South Africa. This is the easternmost distributed species in the genus, located approximately 1100 km east of congeners ( Fig. 11). This distribution suggests that additional species may be discovered or new locality records reported in the eastern parts of the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Habitat and biology: Specimens were collected from the bases of grass tussocks and ferns in Afromontane grassland-forest ecotone habitats ( Fig. 12), grass patches in riparian forest ( Fig. 13) and in open grassland along streams at altitudes approximately 1400–2050 m. One of the specimens (NMSA, 24462) was found in the close vicinity of foraging ants that it resembled in size, colouration and general body shape, suggesting that this species may be an inaccurate mimic of ants, as is S. capensis ( Haddad 2006) .