Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae)
Author
Bernhard A. Huber
Author
Philippe Le Gall
Author
Jacques Francois Mavoungou
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2014
81
1
46
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernhard_Huber/publication/265864695_Pholcid_spiders_from_the_Lower_Guinean_region_of_Central_Africa_an_overview_with_descriptions_of_seven_new_species_Araneae_Pholcidae/links/541ff0df0cf241a65a1ae4f6/Pholcid-spiders-from-the-Lower-Guinean-region-of-Central-Africa-an-overview-with-descriptions-of-seven-new-species-Araneae-Pholcidae.pdf
journal article
31879
10.5852/ejt.2014.81
347a4cd6-19e4-4116-9429-0d2796f033b5
830852
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AC69F89F-C11B-49B1-8EEE-183286EDA755
Leptopholcus gabonicus
Huber
,
sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3CA8906E-7688-405E-AEDE-0A365C40281A
Figs 1
,
22
,
44-52
Diagnosis
Distinguished from only other
Leptopholcus
species known from Gabon [
L. tipula
(
Simon, 1907
)
; cf. figs
82-86 in
Huber 2009
] by shapes of uncus (
Fig. 49
; much wider in
L. tipula
, with narrower semitransparent flap), appendix (
Fig. 49
; short and wide in
L. tipula
), and procursus (
Fig. 50
; wider tip in
L. tipula
); females of these two species are not easily distinguished. Distinguished from
L. obo
Huber, 2011
(São Tomé and
Príncipe
) by shapes of trochanter apophysis, procursus, uncus, appendix, and longer epigynum (cf. figs
324-327 in
Huber 2011b
); from other Central African species (
L. dschang
Huber, 2011
;
L. signifer
Simon, 1893
;
L. debakkeri
Huber, 2011
) by absence of clypeus modification in male (
Fig. 45
).
Etymology
Named for the country of Gabon, where this species is endemic.
Type
material
Holotype
♂
, in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11932
)
.
Figs 44-48.
Leptopholcus gabonicus
sp. nov.
44
. ♂, dorsal view.
45
. ♂ prosoma and palps, dorsal view.
46-47
. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views.
48
. ♀ epigynum, ventral view.
Type
locality
GABON
,
Ogooué-Ivindo
,
Monts de
Belinga
,
forest
near
Mayebout
(
1°06.7’N
,
13°06.6’E
),
500 m
a.s.l.,
13-14 Aug. 2011
(
B.A. & S.R. Huber
).
Figs 49-52.
Leptopholcus gabonicus
sp. nov.
49-50
. Left ♂ palp, prolateral and retrolateral views.
51
. ♂ chelicerae, frontal view (arrow points at lateral apophysis).
52
. Cleared ♀ genitalia, dorsal view. a = appendix; b = bulb; e = embolus; pr = procursus; u = uncus. Scale lines: 49-50, 52 = 0.3 mm; 51 = 0.2 mm.
Other material examined
GABON
:
Ogooué-Ivindo
:
3 ♂♂
,
4 ♀♀
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11933
), same data as holotype
;
2 ♀♀
,
3 juvs
in pure ethanol, in
ZFMK
(
Gab 160, 200
), same data
.
1 ♂
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11934
),
near
Mohoba
Mozeye
(
0°16.8’N
,
13°20.9’E
),
510 m
a.s.l.,
forest along road
,
17 Aug. 2011
(
B.A. & S.R. Huber
)
;
1 juv.
in pure ethanol, in
ZFMK
(
Gab 170
), same data
.
Moyen-Ogooué
:
1 ♂
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11935
),
near
Ndjolé
, ‘site 2’
(
0°05.9’S
,
10°52.4’E
),
140 m
a.s.l.,
forest near brook
,
11 Aug. 2011
(
B.A. & S.R. Huber
)
.
1 ♀
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11936
),
near
Ndjolé
, ‘site 1’
(
0°09.0’S
,
10°40.0’E
),
120 m
a.s.l.,
forest near brook
,
11 Aug. 2011
(
B.A. & S.R. Huber
)
;
1 juv.
in pure ethanol, in
ZFMK
(
Gab 229
), same data
.
Estuaire
:
2 ♂♂
,
1 ♀
in
ZFMK
(
Ar 11937
),
Monts de Cristal, near
Kinguélé
(
0°27.8’N
,
10°16.7’E
),
100 m
a.s.l.,
forest
,
10 Aug. 2011
(
B.A. & S.R. Huber
)
;
2 ♀♀
in pure ethanol, in
ZFMK
(
Gab 190
), same data
.
Description
Male
(
holotype
)
MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 6.0, carapace width 0.77. Leg 1: 33.4 (8.5 + 0.4 + 7.7 + 13.3 + 3.5), tibia 2: 5.8, tibia 3: 3.8, tibia 4: 6.4; tibia 1 L/d: 116. Distance PME-PME 290 µm, diameter PME 80 µm, distance PME-ALE 25 µm, AME absent.
COLOR. Entire animal pale whitish to ochre-yellow, only patella area and tibia-metatarsus joints darker.
BODY. Habitus as in
Fig. 44
; ocular area not elevated, each triad on low hump; carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (0.64/0.46), unmodified. Chelicerae as in
Fig. 51
, with pair of small lateral processes barely visible in dissecting microscope; without stridulatory ridges.
PALPS. As in
Figs 46-47
and
49-50
, coxa unmodified, trochanter with ventral apophysis with serrated tip, femur with large ventral hump and small retrolateral process proximally, procursus rather simple, with two membranous ventral processes, one arising from ventral ‘knee’, the other more distally; bulb with weakly sclerotized embolus, rod-shaped appendix with small scales, uncus consisting of sclerotized part with small scales and lighter dorsal flap.
LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 pseudosegments not seen.
VARIATION. Tibia
1 in
6 other males: 7.1-7.7 (mean 7.3).
Female
In general similar to male; tibia
1 in
6 females
: 6.2-7.0 (mean 6.6). Epigynum very simple, weakly sclerotized plate, without ‘knob’, internal structures visible through cuticle (
Fig. 48
); internal genitalia as in
Fig. 52
.
Natural history
All specimens were found on the undersides of leaves.
Distribution
Known from various localities in Gabon (
Fig. 22
).