Smeringopina tchimbele, Huber, Bernhard A., 2013

Huber, Bernhard A., 2013, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Guineo-Congolian spider genus Smeringopina Kraus (Araneae, Pholcidae, Zootaxa 3713 (1), pp. 1-160 : 47-48

Smeringopina tchimbele new species

Figs. 14 , 668–672 , 702–704 , 810–828

Type. ♂ holotype from Gabon, Estuaire, Monts de Cristal, between Tchimbélé and Kinguélé (0°33.8’N, 10°18.8’E), 520 m a.s.l., forest near river, 10.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), in ZFMK (Ar 10303).

Other material examined. GABON: Estuaire: Monts de Cristal, same data as holotype, 5♂ 9♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10304); same data, 5 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 194).

Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar congeners (large species with long abdomen, cone-shaped modified hairs on male chelicerae, embolus with sclerotized proximal part, transversal light element ventrally on abdomen) by male chelicerae (presence of frontal projections; shape of distal apophyses; distribution of modified hairs; Figs. 813–814; similar only in S. bayaka and S. chaillu ), shape of bifid procursus (Figs. 810–811; similar to S. bayaka ), unmodified male clypeus (in contrast to S. kribi ), shape of sclerotized proximal part of embolus ( Figs. 670–672 , 812), and anterior epigynal plate bent in lateral view (anterior part flat, posterior part strongly protruding; Fig. 704 ).

Male (holotype). Total body length 7.6, carapace width 2.1. Leg 1: 82.4 (19.5 + 0.9 + 19.1 + 39.3 + 3.6), tibia 2: 12.8, tibia 3: 8.7, tibia 4: 11.2; tibia 1 L/d: 98. Distance PME-PME 220 µm, diameter PME 185 µm, distance PME-ALE 90 µm, distance AME-AME 55 µm, diameter AME 170 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown lateral margins and brown triangular mark posteriorly connected with brown ocular area, clypeus brown except below eyes, sternum dark brown; legs light brown, dark rings subdistally on femora and tibiae and in patella area, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochre-gray with distinct dark pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 668–669 , ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; clypeus unmodified but hairs longer than usual; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Figs. 813–814 and 821, with lateral proximal apophyses, short distal apophyses, and short frontal apophyses, distal and frontal apophyses and frontal cheliceral face provided with modified (cone-shaped) hairs ( Fig. 822 ). Palps as in Figs. 670–672 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with simple retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur proximally with ventral pocket bordered retrolaterally by strong sclerotized ridge ( Fig. 671 ), with small retrolateral apophysis, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint very prominent and strongly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with some stronger hairs dorsally; procursus with hinge between proximal and distal part, distal part with ventral branch (Figs. 810–811, 818); bulb with widened and sclerotized proximal part of embolus (Figs. 812, 819–820). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible. ALS with eight spigots each ( Fig. 824 ); gonopore with two epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 823 ).

Variation. Dorsal flap on sclerotized proximal part of embolus variably wide; sternum variably dark, in some males ochre-orange. Tibia 1 in 5 other males: 16.3–18.9 (mean 17.7).

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus with shorter hairs. Sternum in some females entirely dark brown, in others only frontally dark. Tibia 1 in 9 females: 14.8–16.3 (mean 15.3). Epigynum large, consisting of wide, roughly triangular anterior plate distinctively bent in lateral view (anterior part flat, posterior part strongly protruding; Figs. 703–704 , 815, 826); internal genitalia as in Figs. 702 , 816, 827. Spinnerets as in male ( Fig. 825 ).

Natural history. S. tchimbele was collected in a well preserved forest along a river, among tree buttresses and in little pits and hollows.

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 627 ).

Figures

FIGURE 627. Known distribution of the beninensis species group.

FIGURES 2 – 16. Smeringopina, alive specimens in their natural habitats. 2 – 3. S. bineti, mating pair (Sêbori, Guinea) and female with juveniles (Doucki, Guinea). 4. S. guineensis, female with juveniles (Mount Nimba, Guinea). 5. S. pulchra, male (Ankasa N. P., Ghana). 6. S. ebolowa, male (Kribi, Cameroon). 7. S. essotah, female with eggsac (Essotah, Cameroon). 8 – 9. S. ogooue, male (NE Makokou, Gabon) and female with eggsac (Pahon Pira, Gabon). 10. S. belinga, male (Monts de Belinga, Gabon). 11. S. chaillu, male (near Iboundji, Gabon). 12. S. bwiti, male (Moulandoufouala, Gabon). 13. S. sahoue, male (Sahoué, Gabon). 14. S. tchimbele, male (Monts de Cristal, Gabon). 15 – 16. S. simplex, female with eggsac and juveniles (Mt. Koupé, Cameroon).

FIGURES 668 – 677. Smeringopina tchimbele n. sp. (668 – 672) and S. bayaka n. sp. (673 – 677). 668 – 669, 673 – 674. Males, dorsal and ventral views. 670 – 672, 675 – 677. Left male palps, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.

FIGURES 694 – 702. Cleared female genitalia in dorsal view, beninensis group. 694. Smeringopina ebolowa n. sp. 695. S. essotah n. sp. 696. S. mayebout n. sp. 697. S. simintang n. sp. 698. S. belinga n. sp. 699. S. beninensis Kraus. 700. S. kribi n. sp. 701. S. sahoue n. sp. 702. S. tchimbele n. sp.

FIGURES 703 – 715. Smeringopina tchimbele n. sp. (703 – 704), S. bayaka n. sp. (705 – 707), and S. chaillu n. sp. (708 – 715). 703 – 706, 708 – 709. Female abdomens, ventral and lateral views. 707, 710. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views. 711 – 712. Male, dorsal and ventral views. 713 – 715. Left male palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.

FIGURES 817 – 828. Smeringopina tchimbele n. sp. 817. Right palp, dorsal view. 818. Left procursus, prolateral view. 819 – 820. Embolus. 821. Male chelicerae. 822. Tip of left male cheliceral apophysis. 823. Male gonopore. 824. Male ALS. 825. Female spinnerets. 826. Epigynum, ventral view. 827. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. 828. Tarsus 4, ventral view. Abbreviations: b: bulb; e: embolus; fe: femur; pr: procursus; tr: trochanter. Scale lines: 20 µm (824), 30 µm (822), 80 µm (823), 100 µm (825, 828), 200 µm (818 – 821), 300 µm (826 – 827), 400 µm (817).