Micropholcus khenifra Huber, Lecigne & Lips sp. nov.

Figs 4 G, 68, 69, 70, 71

Type material.

Holotype. Morocco – Béni Mellal-Khénifra • ♂; Imi n’Ifri; 31.724 ° N, 6.971 ° W; 1050 m a. s. l.; 26 Sep. 2018; B. A. Huber leg.; ZFMK Ar 24687.

Other material.

Morocco – Béni Mellal-Khénifra • 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 24688 to 24689 • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mor 104 • 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; near Sidi Ben Daoud; 32.5347 ° N, 6.1285 ° W; 700 m a. s. l.; 25 Sep. 2018; B. A. Huber leg.; ZFMK Ar 24690 to 24691 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 102 • 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, 1 juv.; W of El Ksiba; 32.560 ° N, 6.053 ° W – 32.562 ° N, 6.050 ° W; 950 m a. s. l.; 25 Sep. 2018; B. A. Huber leg.; ZFMK Ar 24692 to 24693 • 1 ♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol; same collection data as for preceding; ZFMK Mor 103 • 1 ♀; Jbel Bou-Guergour, Ghar-el-Ghazi; 32.869 ° N, 5.689 ° W (?); 970 m a. s. l.; 26 May 2001; C. Ribera leg.; ZFMK Ar 24700 .

Diagnosis.

Easily distinguished from known congeners by whitish dorsal process of male palpal tarsus (asterisk in Fig. 69 C; absent in congeners), by large and prominent flat ventral process of procursus (arrowed in Fig. 69 C; much smaller or absent in congeners), by complex tip of procursus with distinctive dorsal spine (Fig. 69 A – C), by rounded uncus (Fig. 69 E, F; similar only in M. agadir), by very small appendix (larger and more complex in Moroccan congeners), by long prominent embolus (Fig. 69 E, F; in Moroccan congeners shorter and in prolateral view largely hidden behind uncus and appendix), by pair of dark internal structures visible at anterior margin of epigynum (Fig. 71 A; absent in congeners), by distinctive m-shaped dorsal arc in female internal genitalia (Fig. 71 C), and by very narrow (short) sclerotised band posteriorly on epigynum carrying epigynal ‘ knob’ (Fig. 71 A).

Description.

Male (holotype). Measurements. Total body length 3.9, carapace width 1.5. Distance PME - PME 205 µm; diameter PME 90 µm; distance PME - ALE 30 µm; distance AME - AME 20 µm; diameter AME 50 µm. Leg 1: 34.5 (8.7 + 0.6 + 9.0 + 14.4 + 1.8), tibia 2: 6.4, tibia 3: 4.0, tibia 4: 5.3; tibia 1 L / d: 75; diameters of leg femora (at half length) 0.14–0.15; of leg tibiae 0.12.

Colour (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs mostly ochre-yellow, carapace with brown median mark, ocular area and clypeus without darker pattern, sternum with brown margins; legs with slightly darkened patellae, anterior femora ventrally only very slightly darkened, tibia-metatarsus joints not darkened; abdomen monochromous pale grey.

Body. Habitus as in Fig. 4 G. Ocular area raised (distinct in frontal view). Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.88 / 0.72), unmodified. Abdomen oval, approximately twice as long as wide.

Chelicerae. As in Fig. 70 A, B; with pair of strong distal frontal apophyses, each with two cone-shaped hairs; and two pairs of smaller proximal processes.

Palps. As in Fig. 68; coxa unmodified; trochanter with ventral apophysis provided with terminal modified hair (Fig. 69 D); femur cylindrical, proximally with small retrolateral process and larger prolateral-ventral process; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia very large relative to femur; tibia-tarsus joints not shifted to one side; tarsus with cone-shaped light dorsal process carrying tarsal organ. Procursus (Fig. 69 A – C) proximally with sclerotised prolateral ridge; proximal half with flat ventral process (arrowed in Fig. 69 C), distally divided into dorsal and ventral parts and complex hinged structure between them (mostly on prolateral side), with pointed process originating from membranous connection between dorsal part and hinged process. Genital bulb (Fig. 69 E, F) with strong proximal sclerite; putative appendix small; putative uncus flat with retrolateral process; and long, partly sclerotised embolus.

Legs. Without spines, without curved hairs, without sexually dimorphic short vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 9 %; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with> 30 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Variation (male). Tibia 1 in 14 males (incl. holotype): 6.9–9.2 (mean 8.2). There was very slight variation in palpal structures among localities: in males from near Sidi Ben Daoud and from W of El Ksiba, the uncus was slightly rounder, the appendix slightly larger, and one small, pointed element of the dorsal part of the procursus (arrowed in Fig. 69 A) was absent. The number of modified hairs on the frontal cheliceral apophyses was two or three, and was sometimes asymmetrical (as in Fig. 70 A).

Female. In general very similar to male. Tibia 1 in 12 females: 7.1–8.4 (mean 7.7). Epigynum (Fig. 71 A) anterior plate mostly light, anteriorly with pair of dark internal structures variably visible in untreated specimens, posteriorly with narrow darker transversal band and median ‘ knob’; posterior epigynal plate short and very indistinct. Internal genitalia (Figs 70 C, 71 B, C) with pair of small oval pore plates and distinctive ventral and dorsal anterior arches and sclerites.

Etymology.

The species name is derived from Béni Mellal-Khénifra, the region in Morocco where all available specimens were collected; noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Known from several localities in Morocco, all in Béni Mellal-Khénifra Region (Fig. 13 D).

Natural history.

At Imi N’ifri (Fig. 14 G) and west of Ksiba, the spiders were found in small cavities of rocks, on the undersides of very large boulders, and in small caverns at ground level. Near Sidi Ben Daoud, the spiders were found in a small cave from which a brook emerged. The spiders sat flat on the rock and appeared very unwilling to leave the spot upon disturbance. At all localities, M. khenifra sp. nov. was found in close proximity with Holocnemus reini .