Asceua ventrofigurata, Jocqué & Henrard, 2024

Jocqué, Rudy & Henrard, Arnaud, 2024, A revision of Afrotropical Asceua (Araneae, Zodariidae), ant-eating spiders with puzzling distributions, African Invertebrates 65 (2), pp. 161-198 : 161-198

Asceua ventrofigurata sp. nov.

Figs 21 , 22 , 23 , 24

Type material.

Holotype: Tanzania • ♂; Mbeya Region, Igaya, Road to Ileje, Kabulu Forest Reserve ; - 9.8533, 33.5; 28. XI. 1991; miombo woodland, sieved litter; R. Jocqué leg.; RMCA_247697 .

Paratypes: • 1 ♂ 2 ♀♀; together with holotype; RMCA_173229 ; • 5 ♂♂ 7 ♀♀; same data as holotype; RMCA_173168 .

Etymology.

The species name is an adjective referring to the abdominal venter provided with a dark pattern on pale background.

Diagnosis.

Males of this species are characterised by the uniform medium brown carapace, the relatively large AME and details of the male palp: the distal spine-shaped part of the dorsal tibial apophysis is implanted slightly before the tip directed forward at an angle of 90 ° with the base of the apophysis which is broad and concave in prolateral view; females are recognized by fairly large AME and the epigyne with narrow parallel sided scape and copulatory ducts hardly visible in transparency.

Description.

Male Holotype. Fig. 21 A – C . Total body length 3.27. Colour in ethanol: carapace uniform medium brown with narrow darker margin, narrow dark rings around eyes and rectangular dark area in front of AME; chelicerae and sternum pale brown; endites and labium medium brown with pale frontal margin; legs: femora pale with dark anterior stripes on Fe I – IV and dark posterior stripe on Fe III and IV in distal two thirds; abdomen: dorsum dark grey with dark sepia scutum covering 2 / 3 of abdomen length; with four pale spots adjacent to scutum: pair of short, longitudinal ones in anterior half, a pair of procurved longer ones in posterior half; sides dark with narrow longitudinal pale lines; venter pale with dark patch on each side and dark area around pale yellow spinnerets, yellow in front of epigastric fold. Carapace 1.70 long, 1.21 wide, 1.14 high. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME: 0.12; ALE: 0.08; AME – AME: 0.07; AME – ALE: 0.03; PME: 0.08: PLE: 0.10; PME – PME: 0.13; PME – PLE: 0.12. MOQ: frontal width 0.30, posterior width 0.31, length 0.31. Clypeus 0.39 high. Chilum: small triangle 0.08 wide and as high. Sternum shield-shaped, 1.14 long, 0.75 wide. All femora with one short dorsal spine in proximal half; measurements in Table 9 .

Palp (Figs 22 A – E , 23 A, B ): very large: length including Ti 0.75 times carapace length. Tibia with three apophyses: dorsal one broad (DP), concave in prolateral view, slightly curved forward, with distal spine shaped prong pointing forward at an angle of 90 °, inserted just under apophysis tip; median prong ( MP) roughly square; inferior one (VP) short, straight with rounded extremity; cymbium laterally compressed with large lateral semicircular fold (CF); tegulum with three appendages: largest one voluminous mainly visible prolaterally, retrolateral one pear-shaped with small tapered forward directed prong, ventral one membranous, directed forward with small prolateral prong directed backward, tegular tooth sharp (TT); embolus long and whip-shaped with large triangular base directed backward, frontal margin concave.

Female Paratype ( RMCA _173229 ). Figs 21 D – F , 23 C . Total body length 3.80. Colour as in male but for the absence of a scutum and presence of two extra dorsal abdominal spots: a transverse pale bar in posterior half followed by a small spot in front of spinnerets. Carapace 1.73 long, 1.20 wide, 0.91 high. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME: 0.13; ALE: 0.10; AME – AME: 0.05; AME – ALE: 0.05; PME: 0.10: PLE: 0.10; PME – PME: 0.10; PME – PLE: 0.13. MOQ: frontal width 0.31, posterior width 0.30, length 0.33. Clypeus 0.33 high. Chilum: small triangle 0.08 wide and as high. Sternum shield-shaped, 0.92 long, 0.78 wide. All femora with one short dorsal spine in proximal half; measurements in Table 10 .

Epigyne (Figs 22 F – H , 23 D ): rectangular area slightly wider behind than in front; scape widened towards posterior part situated in the centre of the epigyne; copulatory duct strongly wound, with six loops visible in transparency,

Variation.

Males (n = 7): TL 3.00–3.36, CL 1.40–1.68; white spots on dorsum 11–13. Females (n = 9): TL 3.40–4.04 CL 1.64–1.80. The shape and configuration of the dorsal spots varies to some extent: the frontal pair may be circular or oval; the second pair comma-shaped or transverse and straight, rarely with a tiny spot behind them; the posterior spot covers the entire width, sometimes narrower, rarely divided,

Distribution.

The species is known from the type locality in south-western Tanzania (Fig. 24 ).

Figures

Figure 21. Asceua ventrofigurata sp. nov, male and female habitus (paratypes RMCA _ 173168) A – C male D – F female A, D dorsal view B, E ventral view C, F lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 22. Asceua ventrofigurata sp. nov., male and female genitália A, B holotype male (RMCA _ 173229) C – E paratype male (RMCA _ 173168) F – H paratype female (RMCA _ 173168) A palp, prolateral view B idem, retrolateral view C SEM view of palpal tibial apophyses D idem, showing median apophysis E idem, detail view. Abbreviations: C = conductor; CF = cymbial fold; E = embolus; DP = dorsal prong of palpal tibial apophysis; MA = median apophysis; MP = median prong of palpal tibial apophysis; TT = tegular tooth; Sc = scape; VP = ventral prong of palpal tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B, F – H); 0.1 mm (C); 50 µm (D, E).

Figure 23. Asceua ventrofigurata sp. nov., drawings A, B holotype male C, D paratype female (RMCA _ 173168) A palp, prolateral view B idem, retrolateral view C Abdomen, dorsal view D epigyne, ventral view. Abbreviations: CF = cymbial fold; DP = dorsal prong of palpal tibial apophysis; MA = median apophysis; MP = median prong of palpal tibial apophysis; TT = tegular tooth; Sc = scape; VP = ventral prong of palpal tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B, D); 1 mm (C).

Figure 24. Distribution map of Asceua species occurring in the Afrotropics.