Heliophanus (Helafricanus) patellaris Simon, 1901

Wesołowska, Wanda & Haddad, Charles R., 2014, An overview of the jumping spiders of Lesotho (Araneae: Salticidae), with descriptions of six new species, African Invertebrates 55 (2), pp. 229-229 : 242-246

Heliophanus (Helafricanus) patellaris Simon, 1901

Figs 30, 31 , 49–55

Heliophanus patellaris Simon, 1901 a: 58 , fig. 11; Wesołowska 1986: 22, figs 163–175.

Diagnosis: The male can be recognised by the shape of the dorsal tibial apophysis, which extends past the base of the cymbium ( Fig. 51 ), and the female by the small posterior copulatory openings with seminal ducts converging anteriorly ( Figs 54, 55 ).

Description:

Measurements (♂ / ♀): Cephalothorax: length 2.0/2.0–2.1, width 1.6/1.5–1.6, height 0.7/1.0. Eye field: length 0.9/0.9–1.0, anterior width 2.0/2.0, posterior width 2.1/2.1. Abdomen: length 2.2/2.2–2.6, width 1.2/1.5–1.8.

Male.

General appearance as in Fig. 30 . Body black with metallic lustre, with narrow median white stripe along carapace and abdomen, and narrow white lines along lateral margins of carapace. Mouthparts and venter dark brown. Legs light brown, only femora and tibiae I with black lateral sides. Pedipalps black, relatively large; patellar apophysis short and broad, with sharp tip ( Figs 49–51 ), dorsal tibial apophysis characteristically rectangular in shape, with blunt tip ( Fig. 51 ).

Female.

General appearance as in Fig. 31 . Body dark, hairy; light hairs form narrow median streak on carapace and two small spots between median and lateral anterior eyes; several long dark bristles near eyes. Sternum dark brown, mouthparts with lighter tips. Abdomen blackish brown, clothed in grey and brown hairs; faint pattern on abdomen composed of five or six pairs of greyish spots. Venter grey. Legs light brown with dark rings. Epigyne with two shallow rounded depressions posteriorly ( Figs 52, 53 ); internal structure as in Figs 54, 55 .

Material examined: Maseru district: 1♂ Mohale Dam, Islands , 29°25'S 28°06'E, 2060 m, 13.xii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3068). Qacha’s Nek district: 2♀ Ha Sepechele , 29°58'S 28°52'E, 2430 m, under rocks in grassland, 7.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3066) ; 3♀ Near Ha Mphahama, 30°06'S 28°35'E, 1850 m, on sandstone walls along Seketeng River , 9.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3062) ; 2♂ 3♀ Qacha’s Nek, 30°07'S 28°41'E, 1800 m, sweeps, weedy vegetation, 8.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3061). Quthing district: 2♀ Ha Limapa , 30°11'S 28°17'E, 2100 m, grasses along river bank, 13.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3063) ; 11♀ Same locality, under rocks, grassland, 13.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3064) ; 1♀ Ha Liphapang, 30°27'S 28°00'E, 1660 m, leaf litter, poplar forest near Sebapela River , 15.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3067) ; 3♀ Near Ha Thlaku village , 30°10'S 28°14'E, 2100 m, maize field, 14.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3065) .

Distribution: Previously known from the southern parts of South Africa. A common species in central and southern Lesotho ( Fig. 93 ).

Heliophanus (Helafricanus) proszynskii Wesołowska, 2003

Figs 32 , 56–61

Heliophanus proszynskii Wesołowska, 2003: 282 , figs 108–113; Haddad & Wesołowska 2011: 74.

Diagnosis: A distinctive species in the subgenus; the male slightly resembles H. xanthopes Wesołowska, 2003 , but can be recognised by the clearly larger patellar apophysis and the shape of the dorsal tibial apophysis, which is longer and truncated at its end (compare Fig. 59 with fig. 141 in Wesołowska 2003). The female has characteristic round ridges surrounding the copulatory openings, which are separated by half their diameter ( Fig. 60 ).

Description:

Measurements (♂ / ♀): Cephalothorax: length 1.4–1.8/1.6–2.0, width 1.0–1.2/1.2–1.4, height 0.5/0.5–0.6. Eye field: length 0.6–0.7/0.6–0.8, anterior width 1.8–0.9/0.9–1.0, posterior width 0.9–1.0/1.0–1.1.Abdomen: length 1.4–1.7/2.0–2.4, width 1.0–1.3/1.4– 1.6.

Male.

General appearance as in Fig. 32 . Carapace dark brown, eye field black with metallic lustre, delicately pitted; lateral margins of carapace with narrow light lines composed of white hairs; some white hairs between anterior eyes. Mouthparts dark, only tips of endites lighter. Abdomen black, with thin median and lateral white lines ( Fig. 32 ); venter grey, with two lighter bands. Spinnerets black. Legs dark yellow, first pair light brown. Palpal organ as in Figs 56–59 ; patellar apophysis long, only partially sclerotized on inner side.

Female.

Similar to male, slightly lighter in colour, venter of body yellowish; dorsum of carapace and abdomen densely covered in greyish hairs.Abdomen black or with ill-defined lighter median stripe composed of fused spots. Epigyne with two deep round depressions ( Fig. 60 ), in majority of specimens plugged with waxy secretion; internal structure as in Fig. 61 .

Material examined: Maseru district: 1♂ 4♀ Bushman’s Pass, near Ha Ralitseko , 29°26'S 27°52'E, 2435 m, under rocks, montane grassland, 9.iii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3069) ; 1♂ Mohale Dam, Islands , 29°25'S 28°06'E, 4.iii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3074) ; 1♂ Same locality, under rocks, 1 male, 14.xii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3072) ; 3♂ 21♀ Same locality, sweep-netting, grassland, 15.xii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3073). Quthing district : 1 imm. 1♂ Ha Lazaro , 30°18'S 28°08'E, 2355 m, under rocks on hillside, 12.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3070) ; 1♂ Near Ha Thlaku village, 30°10'S 28°14'E, 2100 m, under rocks near Qhoali River , 14.xi.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3071). Thaba-Tseka district : 1♂ Mohale Dam, Ha Korporale , 29°25'S 28°07'E, 2270 m, under rocks, 16.xii.2003 ( NCA 2013 /3075) .

Distribution: Hitherto a species known from South Africa. Widespread in central and southern Lesotho ( Fig. 93 ).

Figures

Figs 26–33. Digital microscope photographs of the dorsal (26–31, 33) and dorsolateral (32) habitus of Heliophanus spp. from Lesotho: (26, 27) H. furvus sp. n., ♂ (26) and ♀ (27); (28, 29) H. maluti sp. n., ♂ (28) and ♀ (29); (30, 31) H. patellaris, ♂ (30) and ♀ (31); (32) H. proszynskii, ♂; (33) H. sororius, ♂.

Figs 49–55.Heliophanus patellaris, ♂ (49–51) and ♀ (52–55):(49) palpal organ, ventral view; (50) same, retrolateral view; (51) same, dorsal view; (52, 53) epigynes, ventral view; (54, 55) internal structure of epigynes.

Fig. 93. Distribution of Salticidae from Lesotho.

Figs 56–61. Heliophanus proszynskii, ♂ (56–59) and ♀ (60, 61): (56) palpal organ, ventral view; (57) same, retrolateral-ventral view; (58) same, retrolateral view; (59) same, dorsal view; (60) epigyne, ventral view; (61) internal structure of epigyne.