Madagascarchaea fohy, Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017

Wood, Hannah M. & Scharff, Nikolaj, 2017, A review of the Madagascan pelican spiders of the genera Eriauchenius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 and Madagascarchaea gen. n. (Araneae, Archaeidae), ZooKeys 727, pp. 1-96 : 1

Madagascarchaea fohy sp. n. Figs 23, 33

Type material.

Male holotype: MADAGASCAR, Toamasina, Ivoloina Parque Zoologique, 12 km from Tamatave, 18°03'21.6"S, 49°21'32.5"E, 26m, 19 Feb 2003, disturbed rainforest, general collecting night, D. Andriamalala, D. Silva, et al. (deposited in CAS; CASENT9015766).

Other material examined.

MADGASCAR: Female paratype, same data as holotype (CASENT9015766); 1F,1juv, Toamasina, Parc National Masoala, Ambohitsitondroina Mt., Ambanizana, 15°34'19.5"S, 50°00'25"E, 900-950 m, 27 Feb 2003, rainforest, general collecting, D. Andriamalala, D. Silva, et al. (CASENT9015493).

Etymology.

The specific name is a noun in apposition; ' fohy ' means ‘shorty’ in Malagasy.

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from all other archaeids, except M. vadoni , M. legendrei , M. rabesahala sp. n., and M. borimontsina (likely, because the male is unknown) by having a retrolateral apophysis on the distal side of both the palpal femur and patella (fig. 12B from Wood 2008), and because the FSGP is highly reduced and lacks “wings” (Figs 23B, 24B, 25B). M. fohy sp. n. is distinguished from M. vadoni , M. legendrei , and M. rabesahala sp. n. by having a heavily sclerotized rod-shaped sclerite on the palpal bulb (Fig. 23H, J, arrow), and by the presence of a retrolateral protrusion on the cymbium that has setae (Fig. 23C, arrow). M. fohy sp. n. is further distinguished from M. vadoni by having 6 spines that are not on protrusions on the cephalic crown, opposed to the small protrusions seen in M. vadoni (Wood, 2008: fig. 18A, C); from M. borimontsina by having less than 6 true teeth on the cheliceral retromargin ( Wood 2008), by lacking a point on the AME bulge ( Wood 2008: fig. 18D), and by lacking a cheliceral swelling on the posterior-basal side of the chelicerae ( Wood 2008: fig. 18D).

Description.

Male holotype (CASENT9015766, from Ivoloina Parque Zoologique, Madagascar). Total length 1.61, carapace 0.68 long, 0.55 wide. Abdomen 0.85 long, 0.93 high. Carapace tilt angle 58.1°, tilt height (CtH) 1.29, constriction 0.33, head length 0.56, neck length 0.70. CtH divided by carapace length 1.91. Cephalon with AME on large bulge, and with 6 small post-ocular spines on the crown, not on protrusions, and 1 small spine between the LE and median eyes (on each side, for a total of 2). Chelicerae 1.40 long, and with a small spine 0.27 from base of chelicerae that projects downward (Fig. 23A). Femur I 1.96 long. Sternum 0.45 long, 0.27 wide. Carapace, chelicerae, sternum and legs reddish brown with white setae. Legs with darker annulations on tibiae and metatarsi. Abdomen mottled with dark brown areas and lighter yellowish areas, interspersed with white setae (Fig. 23A). Pedipalpal bulb of the " vadoni group" form (Fig. 23 C–L): pedipalpal bulbs elongated with conductor swirling around a mostly membraneous embolus; conductor base triangular (Fig. 23D, G, see basal “c”), with remainder of conductor elongate and cradling embolus, and with a curved tip; MA translucent and fans out (Fig. 23F, I). Cymbium with retrolateral protrusion that has setae (Fig. 23C, arrow). Embolus with heavily sclerotized rod-like piece (Fig. 23H, J, arrow).

Female paratype (CASENT9015766). Total length 1.97, carapace 0.75 long, 0.63 wide. Abdomen 1.10 long, 1.38 high. Carapace tilt angle 54.2°, tilt height (CtH) 1.55, constriction 0.41, head length 0.73, neck length 0.82. CtH divided by carapace length 2.07. Cephalon as in male. Chelicerae 1.55 long, and with a short spine 0.28 from base of chelicerae and projecting downward (Fig. 23A). Femur I 2.04 long. Sternum 0.50 long, 0.29 wide. Colors as in male. Genitalia of the " vadoni -group" form (Fig. 23B): with one group of poreplates on each side of the bursa anterior, and FSGP highly reduced, lacking “wings.”

Variation.

Total length 1.67-1.97 (females; n=2); Carapace length 0.71-0.75 (females; n=2); Left and right femur I missing in one female (CASENT9015493). Femur I 2.73 times the length of carapace in females (n=1); CtH divided by carapace length 1.92-2.07 in females (n=2).

Natural history.

Specimens were collected in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest from 26-950 m in elevation by general collecting.

Distribution.

Known only from northeastern and central-eastern Madagascar (Fig. 33).