Mystaria irmatrix, Honiball Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014

Honiball Lewis, Allet S. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S., 2014, Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 3873 (2), pp. 101-144 : 119-120

Mystaria irmatrix sp. n.

Figs 14–16 , 49–52 , 117

Type material: Holotype: ♀, MOZAMBIQUE: Maputo City, Marracuene, Marracuene Lodge [25°53'S, 32°30’E], beating shrubs in riverine forest, 1 December 2007, R. Lyle & R. Fourie (NCA 2009/4616a).

Paratypes: MOZAMBIQUE: Maputo City , 4 ♂ (collected with holotype ♀), Marracuene, Marracuene Lodge [25°53'S, 32°30’E], beating shrubs in riverine forest, 1 December 2007, R. Lyle & R. Fourie (NCA 2009/4616b) . Gaza Province, 1 ♂, 1 juvenile ♀, Xai-Xai, Montego's Lodge [25°03’S, 33°38’E], beating shrubs on dune forest, 2 December 2007. R. Lyle & R. Fourie (NCA 2009/4614) ; 1 ♂, 1 juvenile ♀, Chidenguile, Paraiso de Chidenguele [24°54'S, 34°11'E], beating shrubs in dune forest, 15 December 2007. R. Lyle, R. Fourie & C. Haddad (NCA 2009/ 4615) . SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, 1 ♂, East London, Pineapple Research Station [32°59’S, 27°54’E], found on plants, 2 July 1977, A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman (NCA 88/606) ; 1 ♂, same locality sweeping grasslands, 7 December 1977, A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman (NCA 78/29); 1 ♀, Mkhambati Nature Reserve [31°21’S, 29°51’E], collected from butterfly traps in forest, 27 January 2008, M. Hamer (NCA 2009/5037) . KwaZulu-Natal Province, 2 ♀, 1 ♂, Mkuze Nature Reserve [27°36’S, 32°00’E], yellow pantraps in Terminalia sericea woodland tree beating, 21 January–21 March 2005, M. Hamer (NCA 2006/76, 2006/273, 2006/298) ; 1 ♀, Empangeni, University of Zululand [28°44’S, 31°53’E], 17 September 1975, P. Reavell (NM 23344); same locality , 1 ♀, hanging on a silk thread on Acacia sieberiana with bee in its fangs, 20 November 1981, P. Reavell (NM 14064); 1 ♀, Tembe Elephant Park [27°01’S, 32°24’E], sand forest beating, 15 March 2003, A.S. Honiball (NCA 2003/ 1462) ; 1 ♀, Phinda Game Reserve [27°43’S, 32°03’E], tree beating, 22 March 2004, S. Lovell (NCA 2004/685) .

Etymology. Named after the mother of the first author. Noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Female can be recognised by colour patterns on body ( Fig. 14 ), Both sexes with metatarsi and/or tarsi IV dark brown to black ( Figs 15, 16 ), other legs yellow-orange. Epigyne with atrium rim very narrow teardrop-shaped; small intromittent orifices open antero-laterally ( Fig. 51 ). Male palp RTA with dark, med length, narrow tip ( Fig. 50 ); VTA slender, curving at tip ( Fig. 49 ).

Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 6). TL: 3.51 (3.15–4.14); CL: 1.27 (1.06–1.46); CW: 1.16 (1.05–1.34); CI: 1.09 (0.98–1.28); CH: 0.83 (0.87–0.96); CLL: 0.25 (0.19–0.30); MOQ-L: 0.26 (0.25–0.30). Colour. Carapace varies from orange with black line around postero-lateral border ( Fig. 15 ), with or without two dark patches over LE region ( Fig. 14 ) to blackish-copper specimens, often with orange triangular patch on clypeus, colour and body patterns may vary between individuals; abdomen very pale with dark, longitudinal central band that may expand laterally, or with two darker patches laterally; ventrally pale with pale blue stria. Carapace. Smooth. Sternum. SL: 0.52; SW: 0.56; SI: 0.93. Eye s. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.26; ALE–AME: 0.35; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.73; PME–PME: 0.42; PLE–PME: 0.32; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.30; ALE/AME: 1.38; PLE/PME: 0.78; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.61; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.43; Clyp/AME–AME: 0.96. Legs. Covered with fine, inconspicuous setae, spiniform setae present dorsally on femora and tibiae; leg formula: II:I:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.82, Pat 0.33, Tib 0.66, Mt 0.57, Ta 0.41, total 2.78; II—Fe 0.92, Pat 0.32, Tib 0.72, Mt 0.61, Ta 0.42, total 2.98; III—Fe 0.69, Pat 0.27, Tib 0.42, Mt 0.39, Ta 0.28, total 2.04; IV—Fe 0.78, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.57, Mt 0.49, Ta 0.36, total 2.49. Abdomen. Round; AL: 2.24; AW: 2.16; AI: 1.06. Epigyne. Atrium rim as in ( Fig. 51 ); intromittent canals as in ( Fig. 52 ).

Male. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 2.76 (2.50–3.13); CL: 1.19 (1.12–1.34); CW: 1.06 (0.96–1.20); CI: 1.13 (1.10–1.16); CH: 0.68 (0.62–0.75); CLL: 0.25 (0.22–0.28); MOQ-L: 0.26 (0.20–0.31). Differs from females as follows: Colour. Body dorsally orange to copper-brown or blackish-brown ( Fig. 16 ); in light coloured specimens abdomen with central black patterns dorsally, ventrally white with blue striae; in dark coloured specimens abdomen ventrally blue metallic colour, striae decorated with white dots. Carapace. Sharply sloping anteriorly. Sternum. SL: 0.45; SW: 0.48; SI: 0.94. Eyes. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.24; ALE–AME: 0.32; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.74; PME–PME: 0.37; PLE–PME: 0.29; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.30; ALE/AME: 1.36; PLE/PME: 0.77; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.63; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.41; Clyp/AME–AME: 1.05. Legs. Fewer spiniform setae on femora and tibiae, leg formula: I:II:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.93, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.81, Mt 0.62, Ta 0.45, total 3.10; II—Fe 0.94, Pat 0.28, Tib 0.81, Mt 0.56, Ta 0.44, total 3.03; III—Fe 0.62, Pat 0.24, Tib 0.52, Mt 0.35, Ta 0.29, total 2.02; IV—Fe 0.71, Pat 0.21, Tib 0.53, Mt 0.43, Ta 0.32, total 2.21. Abdomen. Round with scutum; AL: 1.56; AW: 1.33; AI: 1.17. Palp. VTA and RTA almost same length; VTA very delicate ( Fig. 50 ), embolus long ( Fig. 49 ).

Natural history. Sampled from riverine, sand, dune and coastal forest as well as woodlands and grasslands. Samples were found in trees such as Terminalia sericea and Acacia sieberiana . Most adults were sampled between September and March, while juveniles were sampled in December. One of the specimens sampled was hanging on its own silk thread from a tree while feeding on a bee (P. Reavell, pers. comm.).

Distribution. Mozambique and eastern parts of South Africa ( Fig. 117 ).

Figures

FIGURES 10–24. Microscope photographs of dorsal and lateral views of Mystaria species. 10 Mystaria budongo sp. n. male from Rwanda, Ibanda Makera (dorsal view); 11–13 Mystaria flavogutatta (Lawrence, 1952) comb. n. (11, 12 female from South Africa, Richards Bay antero-and postero-dorsal views, 13 male from South Africa, Punda Maria Camp dorsal view); 14–16 Mystaria irmatrix sp. n. (14, 15 female from Mozambique, Marracuene antero-and latero-dorsal views, 16 male form Marracuene postero-dorsal view); 17–19 Mystaria lata (Lawrence, 1927) comb. n. (17, 18 female from South Africa, Kei River Mouth antero-and latero-dorsal view, 19 two males from South Africa, Mazeppa Bay dorsal views); 20–22 Mystaria lindaicapensis sp. n. (20, 21 female from South Africa, Jeffreys Bay antero-and latero-dorsal views (specimen damaged on carapace), 22 male from South Africa, Knysna dorsal view); 23–24 Mystaria mnyama sp. n. (23, 24 female from South Africa, Tembe Elephant Park antero-and latero-dorsal views).

FIGURES 43–56. Line drawings of copulatory organs in male and female Mystaria species, with ventral- (left) and retrolateral (right) views of male palps and ventral- (left) and dorsal (right) views of female epigynes. 43–44 Mystaria budongo sp. n. male left palp; 45–48 Mystaria flavogutatta (Lawrence, 1952) comb. n. (45, 46 male right palp, 47, 48 female epigyne); 49–52 Mystaria irmatrix sp. n. (49, 50 male left palp, 51, 52 female epigyne); 53–56 Mystaria lata (Lawrence, 1927) comb. n. (53, 54 male left palp, 55, 56 female epigyne). Scale lines = 10mm.

FIGURES 115–118. Recorded geographical distribution of Mystaria species. 115 Mystaria budongo sp. n.; 116 Mystaria flavogutatta (Lawrence, 1952) comb. n.; 117 Mystaria irmatrix sp. n.; 118 Mystaria lata (Lawrence, 1927) comb. n. Scale lines = 1420 km (115), 1500 km (116), 1240 km (117, 118).