Smeringopus sambesicus Kraus, 1957

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2012, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical endemic genus Smeringopus Simon, 1890 (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 3461 (1), pp. 1-138 : 128-130

Smeringopus sambesicus Kraus, 1957

Figs. 755–756 , 764 , 805–810

Smeringopus sambesicus Kraus 1957: 228–229 , figs. 28–33.

Types. Male holotype and 2♀ paratypes from Mozambique, Shire River [~ 17°42’S, 35°19’E], 1927 (H.B. Cott), holotype and 1♀ in MHNG, 1♀ in SMF (9813/1), cleared epigynum mounted on slide, examined .

Misidentified paratype: 1♀ from Rwanda, no further data, in SMF ( RII 11727, ex RII 7771 ), examined .

Notes. The vial containing the holotype and 1♀ paratype also contained a male with both palps missing and without proximal cheliceral apophyses. The female paratype from Rwanda is a misidentified S. peregrinoides .

Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar species with proximal and distal cheliceral apophyses ( S. roeweri , S. carli , S. lubondai ) by shapes of procursus (distal blade-shaped apophyses, Figs. 805–807 ) and bulb (processes of embolus, Figs. 808–810 ); from S. roeweri and S. lubondai also by long frontal epigynal plate (very similar S. carli , cf. Figs. 761, 762 ).

Male (holotype). Total body length 6.1, carapace width 1.9 (slightly deformed). Leg 1: 41.0 (11.1 + 0.8 + 10.7 + 16.3 + 2.1), tibia 2: 7.7, tibia 3: 5.7, tibia 4: 7.9; tibia 1 L/d: 48. Habitus similar S. carli (cf. Fig. 748 ). Carapace ochre-yellow with brown median and indistinct lateral marks, clypeus without brown stripes (present in original description), legs monochromous ochre-yellow, abdomen ochre-gray with very indistinct pattern (probably artificially indistinct). Distance PME-PME 195 µm, diameter PME 175 µm, distance PME-ALE 80 µm, distance AME-AME 60 µm, diameter AME 150 µm. Ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with ‘pseudo-lenses’; deep thoracic pit. Chelicerae with slender proximal apophyses as in S. carli (cf. Figs. 788, 789 ), distal apophyses rather like in S. roeweri (cf. Figs. 771, 772 ; more towards frontal and shorter than in S. carli ). Palps as in Figs. 755 and 756 , coxa with distinct retrolateral apophysis and shallow wide furrow, trochanter barely modified, femur with shallow retrolateral furrow with ventrally distinct rim, procursus with distinctive distal blade-shaped processes ( Figs. 805–807 ), bulb with distinctive embolus ( Figs. 808–810 ). Legs without spines, few vertical hairs, with curved hairs on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1.

Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in paratype from Shire River: 9.1; missing in other paratype examined. Epigynum very similar S. carli (cf. Figs. 761, 762 ), also cleared internal view similar S. carli ( Fig. 764 ).

Distribution. Only known from type locality in Mozambique ( Fig. 718 ).

Material examined. MOZAMBIQUE: Shire River: 1♂ 2♀ types above .

Figures

FIGURE 718. Known distributions of the thomensis and roeweri groups. “?”: unknown type locality of S. roeweri in Rwanda. Squares: further undescribed species.

FIGURES 745–756. Smeringopus roeweri group, habitus and left male palps, prolateral and retrolateral views. 745–746. S. roeweri, male, dorsal and ventral views. 747. S. lubondai, male, dorsal view. 748. S. carli, male, dorsal view. 749–750. S. roeweri. 751–752. S. lubondai. 753–754. S. carli. 755–756. S. sambesicus.

FIGURES 757–764. Smeringopus roeweri group, epigyna, ventral views and cleared female genitalia, dorsal views. 757–758. S. roeweri. 759–760. S. lubondai. 761–763. S. carli. 764. S. sambesicus.

FIGURES 805–810. Smeringopus sambesicus. 805. Left cymbium and procursus, retrolateral view. 806–807. Left procursus, prolateral and dorsal views. 808–810. Left embolus, prolateral, prolatero-ventral, and prolatero-dorsal views. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 782–790. Smeringopus carli. 782. Left cymbium and procursus, retrolateral view. 783–784. Left procursus, prolateral and dorsal views. 785–787. Left embolus, prolateral, prolatero-ventral, and retrolatero-ventral views. 788–789. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 790. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (782–787, 790), 0.5 mm (788–789).

FIGURES 765–773. Smeringopus roeweri. 765. Left cymbium and procursus, retrolateral view. 766–767. Left procursus, prolateral and dorsal views. 768–770. Left embolus, prolateral, prolatero-ventral, and prolatero-dorsal views. 771–772. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 773. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.