Suffrica chawia, Henrard, Arnaud & Jocqué, Rudy, 2015

Henrard, Arnaud & Jocqué, Rudy, 2015, On the new Afrotropical genus Suffrica with discovery of an abdominal gland and a dual femoral organ (Araneae, Zodariidae), Zootaxa 3972 (1), pp. 1-25 : 5-8

Suffrica chawia sp. nov.

Figs 1 – 24 , 96

Type material. Holotype. KENYA: ♂: Taita Hills, Chawia Forest, 3°29’S 38° 20’E, 1550m, 22.II.2004, pitfalls, Spanhove T. & Chovu M. ( MRAC 221964).

Paratypes. 3♂: KENYA, Taita Hills, Chawia Forest, 3°29’S 38°20’E, 1550m, 22.II.2004, pitfall traps, Spanhove T. & Chovu M. ( MRAC 221946); 5♂: as previous, ( MRAC 221959); 1♂: as previous ( MRAC 221972); 2♂: as previous, 24. II.2004 ( MRAC 221975); 3♂: as previous, 22.II.2004 ( MRAC 221982); 3♂: as previous ( MRAC 222000); 1♂: as previous, 24.V.2004 ( MRAC 233025); 1♂: as previous ( MRAC 233020).

Diagnosis. The male of this species is recognized by the finely reticulate carapace, the leg spination, the abdomen with a deep furrow and a reduced glandular outlet ( Figs 6, 8, 9 ) and details of the palp such as the smooth conductor with blunt tip ( Figs 11 , 15 ).

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition taken from the only forest in the Taita Hills where the species was collected.

Description. Male (Holotype). Total length 2.92, carapace 1.37 long, 0.90 wide and 0.64 high. Carapace ( Figs 1–3 , 6, 7 ) finely reticulated, medium brown, darker along margin and with very faint radiating striae; chelicerae and chilum pale brown; sternum brownish orange; legs: coxae and femora brown, remainder yellow. Clypeus 0.25 high. Eyes AME: 0.05: ALE: 0.05; PME: 0.07; PLE: 0.06; AME – AME: 0.02; AME – ALE: 0.07; PME – PME: 0.04; PME – PLE: 0.12. MOQ: width 0.13 in front, 0.18 at the back; 0.21 long.

Chilum 0.10 high, 0.13 wide; trapezoidal, inferior margin concave.

Sternum: 0.74 long, 0.57 wide.

Legs: spination: Fe: I d 1 II d 1 III d 1 IV d2; T (all spines at distal extremity): III pl 1 v2 IV pl 1 v 2; Mt (all spines at distal extremity): I v(pl) 1 II v(pl) 2 III dw 4 IV dw4. All femora with prolateral and retrolateral femoral organs ( Figs 17 – 20 ).

Leg measurements:

Abdomen: dorsum with brown scutum in front of deep central longitudinal dorsal furrow provided anteriorly with faint gland outlet with few small needle like setae and tiny pores ( Figs 6, 8, 9 ); on both sides with grey, smooth ridge; sides sepia; venter pale. Spinnerets ( Figs 21 – 24 ) white.

Palp. ( Figs 4, 5 , 10 – 16 ). Patella almost twice as high as long; tibia with conical DTA, its extremity slightly bent forward, and RTA with anterior blade-shaped extension and posterior, simple, roughly rectangular retrolateral apophysis separated from anterior extension by deep groove; ventrally with conspicuous long, straight seta; cymbium strongly domed, with distal ventral groove accommodating the conductor and deep basal, retrolateral concavity accommodating the anterior tibial extension of the RTA; embolus with small tooth halfway near the flat and obliquely truncated tip, enveloped in basal part of conductor; the latter large, with flat, slightly curved distal part and blunt tip; MA large, with sharp, straight, ridged prolateral prong and two short retrolateral lobes, posterior one rounded, anterior one truncated and stout; distal tegular apophysis (TA) with long, slender, serrated prong.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Total length of males (n=16) varies between 2.5 and 3.0. The pale area along the ridges on the abdominal dorsum varies from a narrow longitudinal patch to a broad reniform spot.

Distribution. Only known from Chawia Forest in the Taita Hills, Kenya ( Fig. 96 ).

Figures

FIGURE 96. Distribution of Suffrica species: (⋅) S. chawia, (˔) S. exotica, (•) S. gus.

FIGURES 1 – 5. Suffrica chawia sp. n. (1) Male paratype (MRAC 221982), habitus, dorsal view: (2) Male paratype (MRAC 233020) used for DNA extraction, habitus lateral view; (3) as previous carapace and chelicerae, anterior view; (4) Male palp (MRAC 221982), ventral view; (5) as previous, retrolateral view. Scale bars (1, 2) = 1 mm; (3) = 0.5 mm; (4, 5) = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 6 – 9. Suffrica chawia sp. n., male paratype (MRAC 221982), SEM views. (6) habitus, dorso-lateral view, arrow points to the glandular outlet; (7) prosoma, dorso-lateral view; (8) abdominal glandular structure (arrow), dorsal view; (9) as previous, detail. Scale bars (6, 7) = 0.5 mm; (8) = 50 µm; (9) = 10 µm.

FIGURES 10 – 14. Suffrica chawia sp. n., male paratype (MRAC 221982), SEM views of palp; (10) palp, ventral view; (11) as previous, detail; (12) detail of embolus, ventral view, arrow indicates the small tooth-like extension; (13) tegular apophysis, detail of the extremity, ventral view; (14) detail of the median apophysis and conductor, prolateral view. C = conductor, E = embolus, MA = median apophysis, TA = tegular apophysis. Scale bars (10) = 100 µm; (11, 14) = 50 µm; (12, 13) = 10 µm.

FIGURES 15 – 20. Suffrica chawia sp. n., male paratype (MRAC 221982), SEM views. (15) palp conductor, anterior view; (16) palp apophyses, retrolateral view; (17) femur II, distal part, prolateral view; (18) femur III, distal part, dorsal view, arrows indicate the dual femoral organ; (19) femoral organ on leg I, dorso-prolateral view; (20) as previous, leg IV. C = conductor, DTA = dorsal tibial apohysis, RTA = retrolateral tibial apophyis, TA = tegular apophysis. Scale bars (15 – 18) = 50 µm; (19, 20) = 10 µm.

FIGURES 21 – 24. Suffrica chawia sp. n., male paratype (MRAC 221982), spinnerets; (21) general overview of spinnerets, ventral oblique view; (22) anterior lateral spinnerets, anterior view; (23) as previous, detail; (24) posterior lateral spinnerets, anterior view. Scale bars (21, 22, 24) = 50 µm; (23) = 10 µm.