Smeringopina ogooue, Huber, Bernhard A., 2013

Huber, Bernhard A., 2013, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Guineo-Congolian spider genus Smeringopina Kraus (Araneae, Pholcidae, Zootaxa 3713 (1), pp. 1-160 : 33-35

Smeringopina ogooue new species

Figs. 8–9 , 479–483 , 513–514 , 527 , 553–568

Type. ♂ holotype from Gabon, Ogooué-Lolo, near Moudouma (1°23.5’S, 12°09.6’E), 475 m a.s.l., forest along brook, 24.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), in ZFMK (Ar 10264).

Other material examined. GABON: Ogooué-Lolo: near Moudouma : same data as holotype, 10♂ 5♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10265); same data, 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 159). Forest near Lastoursville (0°48.0’S, 12°44.4’E), 300 m a.s.l., 21.viii.2011 (B.A. Huber), 2♂ 4♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10266); same data, 1 juv. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 220). Grotte de Pahon Pira near Lastoursville (0°48.8’S, 12°45.1’E), 360 m a.s.l., in cave and near entrance, 22.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 6♂ 17♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10267); same data, 1 juv. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 162). Forest at brook near Lastoursville, near Grotte de Pahon Pira (0°48.8’S, 12°45.2’E), 290 m a.s.l., 22.–23.viii.2011 (B.A. Huber), 1♂ 3♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10268). Haut Ogooué : degraded forest at hill near Mouanda (1°34.3’S, 13°11.0’E), 460 m a.s.l., 20.viii.2011 (B.A. Huber), 1♂ in ZFMK (Ar 10269); same data, 1 juv. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 163). Forest at Lékoni River (1°10.7’S, 13°32.3’E), 305 m a.s.l., 18.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 3♂ 3♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10270); same data, 4 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 215). Forest near Bongoville (1°36.7’S, 13°57.4’E), 600–650 m a.s.l., 20.viii.2011 (B.A. Huber), 2♂ 2♀ 1 juv. in ZFMK (Ar 10271); same data, 1♀ 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 205). Ogooué-Ivindo: near Mohoba Mozeye (0°16.8’N, 13°20.9’E), 510 m a.s.l., forest along road, 17.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 4♂ 2♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10272); same data, 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 168). Monts de Belinga , forest near Mayebout (1°06.7’N, 13°06.6’E), 500 m a.s.l., 13.–14.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 2♂ in ZFMK (Ar 10273); Monts de Belinga , Mayebout (1°06.9’N, 13°06.4’E), 500 m a.s.l., in building, 13.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 1♂ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 226). Monts de Belinga , NE Makokou (0°47.0’N, 13°08.3’E), 530 m a.s.l., degraded forest along road, 15.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 2♂ 4♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10274); same data, 2♀ 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 224). N Tébé (0°02.3’S, 13°40.9’E), 550 m a.s.l., forest along brook, 17.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), 1♂ 2♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10275); same data, 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 165).

Etymology. The name is derived from the Ogooué River whose watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from similar congeners (large species with long abdomen, cone-shaped modified hairs on male chelicerae, simple unbranched procursus) by distinctive prolatero-ventral process on male palpal femur ( Fig. 481 ); also by shape of procursus (distally not curved toward ventrally; Fig. 554 ) and male cheliceral armature (cone-shaped hairs small, short distal apophyses with only 1–4 modified hairs each, Fig. 555 ); female not easily distinguished from similar species (e.g., S. bioko , S. etome ).

Male (holotype). Total body length 7.1, carapace width 1.8. Leg 1: 79.7 (18.4 + 0.8 + 18.1 + 39.1 + 3.3), tibia 2: 12.4, tibia 3: 8.4, tibia 4: 10.8; tibia 1 L/d: 105. Distance PME-PME 205 µm, diameter PME 170 µm, distance PME-ALE 70 µm, distance AME-AME 45 µm, diameter AME 160 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown mark posteriorly and brown lateral margins; ocular area posteriorly light brown, clypeus with pair of brown marks at rim, sternum dark brown; legs ochre-yellow, slightly darker rings subdistally on femora and tibiae (indistinct) and in patella area, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochre-gray with distinct black pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 479–480 , ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudolenses’; clypeus unmodified but with longer than usual hairs; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Fig. 555 , with lateral proximal apophyses and short distal apophyses; distal apophyses and frontal cheliceral face provided with several small modified (cone-shaped) hairs ( Fig. 562 ). Palps as in Figs. 481–483 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with wide retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur proximally with ventral sclerotized ridge but without pocket, with long retrolateral apophysis and distinctive prolateral process; prolateral femur-patella joint strongly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with several strong hairs dorsally; procursus very simple, apparently without hinge between proximal and distal part ( Figs. 553–554 , 559–560 ); bulb with widened but weakly sclerotized proximal part of embolus ( Figs. 556 , 561 ). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible. ALS with eight spigots each ( Figs. 564, 566 ); gonopore with two epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 563 ).

Variation. Tip of procursus slightly longer in males from near Bongoville. Distal cheliceral apophyses with variable number of cone-shaped hairs (1–4 each). Tibia 1 in 28 other males: 15.1–19.9 (mean 17.2).

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus variably dark (often darker than in males). Tibia 1 in 39 females: 12.5–15.6 (mean 14.0). Epigynum consisting of trapezoidal anterior plate slightly indented between anterior and posterior half and weakly sclerotized medially near posterior rim, and large posterior plate ( Figs. 513–514 , 557 ); internal genitalia as in Figs. 527 , 558 , 565, 568 . Spinnerets as in male ( Fig. 567 ).

Natural history. S. ogooue was found in well preserved forests (e.g. near Mohoba Mozeye; near Moudouma ) and in disturbed forest patches (e.g. NE of Makokou; near Mouanda). Juveniles often built their webs quite freely among the vegetation but the large webs of adults were mainly built among large tree buttresses; as a result, adult specimens were difficult to find in forests where the large trees were missing (e.g. near Tébé ; at Lekoni River). At Mayebout , S. ogooue was found to share the forest with the superficially similar S. mayebout . While S. mayebout was rather found in hollow trees and cavities in the ground, S. ogooue was collected among tree buttresses. Strategies to avoid predation seemed to vary among localities: in the forests near Bongoville and Moudouma , the spiders fled extremely rapidly at the slightest disturbance, making capture very difficult; at the entrance to the Pahon Pira cave near Lastoursville they just vibrated and were easy to catch.

Distribution. Known from several localities in eastern Gabon ( Fig. 468 ).

Figures

FIGURE 468. Known distribution of the simplex species group. The square in western Cameroon denotes the probably misidentified juvenile paralectotypes of S. africana (Thorell) from Kitta in NHRS.

FIGURES 2 – 16. Smeringopina, alive specimens in their natural habitats. 2 – 3. S. bineti, mating pair (Sêbori, Guinea) and female with juveniles (Doucki, Guinea). 4. S. guineensis, female with juveniles (Mount Nimba, Guinea). 5. S. pulchra, male (Ankasa N. P., Ghana). 6. S. ebolowa, male (Kribi, Cameroon). 7. S. essotah, female with eggsac (Essotah, Cameroon). 8 – 9. S. ogooue, male (NE Makokou, Gabon) and female with eggsac (Pahon Pira, Gabon). 10. S. belinga, male (Monts de Belinga, Gabon). 11. S. chaillu, male (near Iboundji, Gabon). 12. S. bwiti, male (Moulandoufouala, Gabon). 13. S. sahoue, male (Sahoué, Gabon). 14. S. tchimbele, male (Monts de Cristal, Gabon). 15 – 16. S. simplex, female with eggsac and juveniles (Mt. Koupé, Cameroon).

FIGURES 479 – 488. Smeringopina ogooue n. sp. (479 – 483) and S. bioko n. sp. (484 – 488). 479 – 480, 484 – 485. Males, dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. 481 – 483, 486 – 488. Left male palps, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views.

FIGURES 509 – 524. Female abdomens in ventral and lateral views, simplex group. 509 – 510. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 511 – 512. S. djidji n. sp. 513 – 514. S. ogooue n. sp. 515 – 516. S. bioko n. sp. 517 – 518. S. etome n. sp. 519 – 520. S. africana (Thorell). 521 – 522. S. simplex Kraus. 523 – 524. S. bwiti n. sp.

FIGURES 525 – 533. Cleared female genitalia in dorsal view, simplex group. 525. Smeringopina camerunensis Kraus. 526. S. djidji n. sp. 527. S. ogooue n. sp. 528. S. bioko n. sp. 529. S. etome n. sp. 530. S. africana (Thorell). 531. S. simplex Kraus. 532. S. bwiti n. sp. 533. S. luki n. sp.

FIGURES 553 – 558. Smeringopina ogooue n. sp. 553 – 554. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 555. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 556. Left embolus, prolateral view. 557. Epigynum, ventral view. 558. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5.

FIGURES 559 – 568. Smeringopina ogooue n. sp. 559. Right male palp, dorsal view. 560. Left palp (without bulb), prolatero – dorsal view. 561. Left bulb. 562. Modified hairs on male chelicerae. 563. Male gonopore; arrow points at unidentified asymmetric structure. 564. Male spinnerets. 565. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal (slightly frontal) view. 566. Male ALS and PMS. 567. Female ALS. 568. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Abbreviations: b: bulb; e: embolus; fe: femur; pr: procursus. Scale lines: 20 µm (566, 567), 40 µm (562), 80 µm (564), 100 µm (563), 200 µm (559 – 561, 565, 568).