Euophrys subtilis, Wesołowska & Azarkina & Russell-Smith, 2014

Wesołowska, Wanda, Azarkina, Galina N. & Russell-Smith, Anthony, 2014, Euophryine jumping spiders of the Afrotropical Region-new taxa and a checklist (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae), Zootaxa 3789 (1), pp. 1-72 : 29-30

Euophrys subtilis sp. nov.

Figs 100–106

Holotype: male, SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Pietermaritzburg , 29°37′S: 30°23′E, Town Bush, humid forest, 15 April 1976, leg. A. Russell-Smith ( NHM).

Paratypes: together with holotype, 1 female; SOUTH AFRICA, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Impenhle , 29°25′S:29°55′, cloud forest, 5 males, 4 females, 16 April 1976, leg. A. Russell-Smith ( NHM) ; Harding, Ingeli Forest Nature Reserve , 30°32'S, 29°41'E, 3 males, 1 female, 27 November 2012, leg. J.A. Neethling ( NCA 2013 / 662) .

Diagnosis. The male is distinguished by the narrow, elongated bulb with a long proximal lobe and a long thin embolus forming a small basal loop perpendicular to the bulb tip. The pedipalp slightly resembles that in E. nana , but the shape of the embolus is different. The female is separable from other species by the position of the copulatory openings, which are placed posteriorly on the epigyne and by the seminal ducts which are longer than in most African congeners (except E. leipoldti ).

Etymology. The specific name is Latin for delicate and refers to the small size and delicate structure of the body.

Description. Measurements (male/female). Cephalothorax: length 1.7/1.6, width 1.3/1.2, height 0.8/0.6. Abdomen: length 1.7/1.9, width 1.2/1.3. Eye field: length 0.7/0.8, anterior and posterior width 1.1/1.1.

Male. General appearance as in Fig. 100 . Small spider, carapace oval, moderately high, dark brown with black eye field, clothed in colourless hairs, some long brown bristles near eyes. Chelicerae with two promarginal teeth and single tooth on retromargin. Labium, endites and sternum brown. Abdomen oval, brownish grey, with thin white streak along anterior edge stretches on sides, medially with lighter brownish band, but with darker stains in the centre of this band. Large dark patch on ventral surface of abdomen. Hairs corresponding to background colour cover abdominal dorsum. Spinnerets grey. Legs dark brown, only tarsi lighter. Leg hairs and spines brown. Pedipalps as in Figs 101–103 . Tibial apophysis long and narrow ( Fig. 103 ), bulb with long proximal lobe, spermophore meandering, embolus thin and long ( Fig. 101 ), its basal part forming loop on bulb tip ( Fig. 102 ). Prolateral side of cymbium decorated with plumose black hairs ( Fig. 101 ).

Female. General appearance as in Fig. 104 . Similar to male, abdomen generally dark, pattern consists of mosaic of dark spots on creamy white background, spots fused laterally into indistinct transverse bands. Large dark spots on venter. Epigyne with large shallow depression and copulatory openings placed laterally ( Fig. 105 ). Seminal ducts long and wide, looping medially, spermathecae spherical ( Fig. 106 ).

Distribution. Species known from southern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 100–106. Euophrys subtilis sp. nov. 100 male holotype, dorsal view; 101 palpal organ, ventral view; 102 palpal organ, ventrolateral view; 103 palpal organ, retrolateral view; 104 female paratype, dorsal view; 105 epigyne; 106 internal structure of epigyne.