Hexophthalma damarensis ( Lawrence, 1928 )

Lotz, Leon N., 2018, An update on the spider genus Hexophthalma (Araneae: Sicariidae) in the Afrotropical region, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 424, pp. 1-18 : 9

Hexophthalma damarensis ( Lawrence, 1928)

Figs 9 , 19 , 25

Sicarius damarensis Lawrence, 1928: 221 .

Sicarius damarensis – Newlands 1986: 47. — Lotz 2012: 4.

Hexophthalma damarensis – Magalhaes et al. 2017: 852.

Diagnosis

Female inner spermathecae unique, with short, bulbous, finger-like sacs that branch off the copulatory tube part, without reduced outer spermathecae ( Fig. 9 ). Male embolus ending in a thin, pointed apex; thicker basal part of embolus with a hump on one side, slightly basal from median ( Fig. 19 ); this is similar to in H. goanikontesensis sp. nov. except that the thinner apical part lacks a basal embolus keel and the hump on the side of the thicker part is more basal.

Material examined

Holotype

NAMIBIA: ♀, Outjo [20°07′ S, 16°09′ E] ( SAMC 7057 ).

Other material

NAMIBIA: 1 ♂, Helio , 19°03′ S, 16°29′ E, 14 Feb.–23 Mar. 1987, E. Griffin leg. ( NMNW 40160 ) ; 1 ♀, 1 imm., same data as for preceding but 8 Aug. 1987 – 27 Mar. 1988 ( NMNW 40986 ) ; 1 ♂, same data as for preceding but 27 Mar.–4 May 1988 ( NMNW 41135 ) .

Natural history

Hexophthalma damarensis have been collected in Savanna biomes using pitfall traps.

Distribution

Hexophthalma damarensis is distributed in the northern central part of Namibia ( Fig. 25 ).

Figures

Figs 9–16. Female internal genitalia. 9. Hexophthalma damarensis (Lawrence, 1928). 10. H. dolichocephala (Lawrence, 1928). 11–15. H. hahni (Karsch, 1878). 16. H. spatulata (Pocock, 1900). Scale bar =1mm.

Figs 17–23. 17–22. Male palps (right side prolateral). 17. Hexophthalma albospinosa (Purcell, 1908). 18. H. goanikontesensis sp. nov. 19. H. damarensis (Lawrence, 1928). 20. H. dolichocephala (Lawrence, 1928). 21. H. hahni (Karsch, 1878). 22. H. spatulata (Pocock, 1900). 23. H. spatulata, enlarged femoral seta (not to scale). Scale bars=1 mm.

Figs 24–25. Distribution maps for species of Hexophthalma Karsch, 1879. 24. H. goanikontesensis sp. nov., H. binfordae sp. nov. and H. leroyi sp. nov. 25. H. albospinosa (Purcell, 1908, H. damarensis (Lawrence, 1928), H. dolichocephala (Lawrence, 1928) and H. spatulata (Pocock, 1900).