Coryssiphus cinerascens Simon, 1903

Bosselaers, Jan, 2024, A revision of the genus Coryssiphus Simon, 1903, with its transfer to Systariinae (Araneae: Miturgidae), Zootaxa 5415 (1), pp. 153-168 : 162-165

Coryssiphus cinerascens Simon, 1903

Figs 1B , 2E–G , 5 , 6C–E , 8

Coryssiphus cinerascens Simon, 1903a: 32 (holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: “Cap! Prom. Bonae Spei!” (MNHN 18821); Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2021: 9, 4 figs.

Coryssiphus unicolor Simon, 1903a: 32 (holotype ♀: SOUTH AFRICA: “Cap! Prom. Bonae Spei!” (MNHN 13003); Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2021: 11. syn. nov.

Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 1♂, Cape Peninsula, Constantia, Vlakkenberg , fynbos near summit, 16 September–4 October 1992, leg. B. Heydenrych ( RMCA 174990 ) ; 1♂, Same data as previous but 4–12 October 1992, leg. Heydenrych ( RMCA 174995 ); 1♀, Same data as previous but 19 October–8 November 1992 ( RMCA 177006 ); 1♀, Cape Province, Houtbaai, Tierbos , in litter, December 1960, leg. N. Leleup ( RMCA 131824 ) ;

Additional data on material only examined from photographs. SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 2♀, Cape Town , Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, 33°55’04’’S, 18°25’36’’E, 214 m a.s.l., leaf litter in Afromontane forest , 11 December 2012, leg. J.A. Neethling ( NCA 2013 /673); 1♂, Same locality 33°59.216’S, 18°25.742’E, 165 m a.s.l., sifting litter, Afromontane forest , 4 October 2022, leg. C. Haddad, D. Harms, R. Booysen & J. Neethling ( NMBA 18840 ); 1♀, Cape Town, Western slope of Table Mountain , 6 November 1949, leg. B. Malkin ( CAS 9033195 ); 3 imm. 2♀, Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, 33°59.584’S, 18°57.358’E, 405 m a.s.l., sifting litter, Afromontane forest , 4 October 2022, leg. C. Haddad, D. Harms, R. Booysen & J. Neethling ( NMBA 18876 ) .

Diagnosis. Coryssiphus cinerascens is close to C. praeustus , but differs from it by the smaller body size, the slightly shorter, sturdier legs, especially the tibiae of legs and palps ( Tables 1 , 2 ), the shorter cymbium of the male palp ( Figs 5C, D , 6D ), the epigyne that has a trapezoidal instead of bell-shaped central depression ( Figs 6C , 8E ), and the ST2 that are oriented antero-laterally instead of almost longitudinally ( Figs 6E , 8G ).

Description. Male (holotype unless mentioned otherwise). Somatic morphology as described for the genus. Total l (n = 3) 3.2–3.3; carapace l 1.6, w 1.3; sternum l 0.9, w 0.9. Fovea situated 1.1 from front, fovea l 0.3 ( Fig. 5A ). Eye arrangement: AER w 0.34, PER w 0.47, MOQ frontal end 0.20, posterior end 0.26, longitudinal l 0.24. Legs relatively short and sturdy ( Table 1 ). Leg spination as in Fig. 2E ; ventral side of ti I with 6 vsp, ti II with 5 vsp. Male palp with cylindrical ti, cy about twice as long as diameter of bulbus ( Table 2 , Figs 5C , 6D ).

Leg measurements:

fe pa ti mt ta Total

I 1.47 0.66 1.60 1.18 0.71 5.62

II 1.24 0.58 1.24 0.92 0.60 4.58

III 0.97 0.39 0.79 0.87 0.58 3.60

IV 1.42 0.60 1.47 1.29 0.71 5.50

Female (holotype of C. unicolor unless otherwise stated). Somatic morphology as described for the genus. Total l 4.7–5.2 (n = 3), carapace l 1.7, w 1.5; sternum l 1.0, w 0.9. Fovea situated 1.1 from front, fovea l 0.3 ( Fig. 8A ). Eye arrangement: AER w 0.45, PER w 0.55, MOQ frontal end 0.21, posterior end 0.28, longitudinal l 0.26. Legs relatively short and sturdy ( Table 1 ). Leg spination as in Fig. 2F, G ; ventral side of ti I with 6–7 vsp, ti II with 6 vsp. Epigyne with trapezoidal central depression and sclerotised lateral rims that diverge over their entire length ( Figs 6C , 8E ). Long axis of ST2 oriented in antero-lateral direction ( Figs 6E , 8G ).

Leg measurements:

fe pa ti mt ta Total

I 1.53 0.71 1.60 1.05 0.74 5.62

II 1.39 0.63 1.37 0.92 0.68 5.00

III 1.26 0.53 1.05 0.95 0.63 4.42

IV 1.71 0.66 1.66 1.47 0.82 6.31

Distribution. At present only known from the Cape Peninsula and Stellenbosch, South Africa, but most probably present within a radius of at least 60 km from the latter (Haddad, pers. comm.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Coryssiphus spp., male habitus. A. C. praeustus, NMSA 18885. B. C. cinerascens, RMCA 174995. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Leg spination schematics. A. Legend; B. Coryssiphus praeustus, male holotype; C. C. praeustus, female, RMCA 131898; D. Same, RMCA 247653; E. C. cinerascens, male holotype; F. C. unicolor, female holotype = C. cinerascens; G. C. cinerascens, RMCA 131824.

FIGURE 5. Coryssiphus cinerascens, male holotype (A–C, E), male RMCA 174990 (D). A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Left palp, left to right: prolateral, ventral, retrolateral; D. Palp and retrocoxal hymen (arrow); E. Label. Scale bars: A, B: 1 mm; C, D: 250 µm.

FIGURE 6. A, B. Coryssiphus praeustus, female RMCA 131898 (A), female RMCA 247653 (B, left), female RMCA 131872 (B, right). C–E. C. cinerascens, female RMCA 177006 (C, left), C. unicolor, holotype (C, right), male holotype (D), female RMCA 131824 (e). A. Vulva, dorsal; B, C. Epigynes. D. palp, ventral (left) and retrolateral (right). E. Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A, E: 100 µm; B, C: 250 µm; D: 0.5 mm. Abbreviations: ID, Insemination duct; Sss, Sickle-shaped sclerite; ST1, Spermatheca 1; ST2, Spermatheca 2 (“bursa”).

FIGURE 8. Coryssiphus cinerascens, female, C. unicolor holotype (A, B, D, E top, F), RMCA 177006 (C, E bottom right), RMCA 131824 (E bottom left, G). A. Habitus, dorsal; B, Habitus, ventral; C. Spinnerets, ventral; D. Same, caudal; E. Epigynes. F. Label; G. Vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: A, B: 2 mm; C–E: 250 µm; G: 100 µm.