Opopaea wundanyi Tong & Li

Tong, Yanfeng, Liu, Shijia, Kioko, Esther N., Kioko, Grace M. & Li, Shuqiang, 2019, Taxonomic studies on seven species of the genus Opopaea (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Kenya, African Invertebrates 60 (2), pp. 255-289 : 255

Opopaea wundanyi Tong & Li sp. nov. Figs 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 G–I , 24E, F , 25G, M

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (NMK Ar-25121), Kenya, Taita-Taveta County, Wundanyi Town, Taita Hills Blocks: Ngangao Forest-dry side, 03°21.248'S, 38°20.288'E, 1832 m, 24.VII.2016, Kioko G.M., Yao Z. & Zhao Q. Paratypes: 1 ♀ (NMK Ar-25122), same data as holotype; 1 ♂ (NMK Ar-25123), 1 ♀ (NMK Ar-25124), same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

Diagnosis.

The new species is similar to O. kirindy Andriamalala & Hormiga, 2013, but can be distinguished by the blackish brown body color, the small eyes’ size, the cymbiobulbus is shorter than male palpal patella ( Figs 19A, B , 22G, H ) and with paddle-like sclerite of the female copulatory organ ( Fig. 24F ). Opopaea kirindy has dark orange body color, large eyes’ size, the cymbiobulbus is longer than male palpal patella and without paddle like sclerite of female copulatory organ ( Andriamalala and Hormiga 2013: figs 526, 527, 532, 533).

Description.

Male (holotype). Blackish brown. Habitus as in Fig. 18A, C, E . Body length 1.90. Carapace ( Fig. 18B ): wide oval in dorsal view; sides with longitudinal streaks; dorsal area smooth, with some hairs at lateral edges. Eyes: ALE largest, PLE and AME nearly equal sized; posterior eye row recurved viewed from above, procurved from front; ALE separated by their radius, ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Clypeus height about equal to ALE diameter ( Fig. 18G ). Sternum ( Fig. 18F ) longer than wide, fused to carapace; surface smooth; radial furrows present. Anterior end of endites with a small, sharply pointed projection. Legs brown, short, thick and spineless. Abdomen: booklung covers very small, ovoid, without setae. Pedicel tube short, ribbed, with small, dorsolateral, triangular extensions, scuto-pedicel region lower than diameter of pedicel, with arched scutal ridges and curved anterior scutal ridge ( Fig. 18H ). Palp ( Figs 19 , 22 G–I ): reddish brown; palpal femur about half the length of patella and inserted at the patella submedially; patella large; cymbiobulbus shorter than the patella; palpal fenestra large and located at nearly the tip of the palp. Tip of the palp very narrow.

Female. As in male except as noted. Habitus as in Fig. 20A, C, E . Body length 2.19. Endites without projections. Copulatory organ ( Figs 20H , 24E, F ): postgynal depression narrow, about one third the length between epigastric furrow and the shallow groove connecting tracheal spiracles; there a paddle-like sclerite (pls) dorsally, with thin, fork-shaped arms; nail-like process (nlp) well separated.

Measurements. Male (holotype). TL: 1.90; CL: 0.80; CW: 0.65; AL: 1.08; AW: 0.75; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.06; PLE: 0.06; EGW: 0.23; ALE-ALE: 0.04; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0; CBL: 0.27; CBW: 0.09; PTL: 0.30; FI: 0.13; FML: 0.16.

Female.

TL: 2.13; CL: 0.85; CW: 0.67; AL: 1.30; AW: 0.82; ALE: 0.08; PME: 0.06; PLE: 0.06; EGW: 0.23; ALE-ALE: 0.04; ALE-PLE: 0.01; PME-PME: 0; PLE-PME: 0.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.

Figures

Figure 18. Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov., male. A, C, E habitus, dorsal, lateral and ventral views B, D, F, G prosoma, dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior views H abdomen, anterior view. Abbreviations: boc = booklung covers; dte = dorsolateral, triangular extensions; sr = scutal ridge. Scale bars: 0.4 mm (A, C, E); 0.2 mm (B, D, F-H).

Figure 19. Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov., male left palp, SEM. A, B prolateral and retrolateral views C, D, G cymbiobulbus, prolateral, retrolateral and dorsal views E, F, H distal part of cymbiobulbus, prolateral, retrolateral and dorsal views.

Figure 20. Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov., female. A, C, E habitus, dorsal, lateral and ventral views B, D, F, G prosoma, dorsal, lateral, ventral and anterior views H abdomen, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.4 mm (A, C, E); 0.2 mm (B, D, F-H).

Figure 22. Male left palp. A-C Opopaea kulczynskii D-F Opopaea ngangao sp. nov. G-I Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov. A, D, G prolateral view B, E, H retrolateral view C, F, I dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A-C); 0.2 mm (D-I).

Figure 24. Female copulatory organ. A, B Opopaea makadara sp. nov. C, D Opopaea ngangao sp. nov. E, F Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov. A, C, E ventral view B, D, F dorsal view. Abbreviations: apo = apodeme; asr = anterior scutal ridge; ga = globular appendix; lpr = linguiform projection; nlp = nail-like process; pd = postgynal depression; pls = paddle-like sclerite. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 25. Habitus of males (A-G) and females (H-M). A, H Opopaea berlandi B, I Opopaea kulczynskii C, J Opopaea makadara sp. nov. D Opopaea ngulia sp. nov. E, K Opopaea ngangao sp. nov. F, L Opopaea sheldrick sp. nov. G, M Opopaea wundanyi sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.8 mm.