Thunberga gen. nov., a new genus of huntsman spiders from Madagascar (Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropodinae)
Author
Jäger, Peter
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-06-11
4790
2
245
260
journal article
21701
10.11646/zootaxa.4790.2.3
9b05d547-bf04-4d25-ae26-03140d447255
1175-5326
3889486
2C58B9E4-2126-4A76-8F55-39607D1B5A1E
Thunberga malagassa
(
Strand, 1907
)
comb. nov.
Figs 17–22
,
38–40
,
47
Olios malagassus
Strand 1907: 558
(description of
female
;
holotype
female
from
Nossibé [=Nosy Be
in
Antsiranana Province
,
S 13°19’51’’
,
E 48°16’59’’
,
100 m
elevation],
Museum Lübeck
, presumably lost; see also
Nentwig
et al
. 2020
).
Strand 1916: 71
(description of
male
;
1 male
[
PJ 744
],
Madagascar
,
Nossibé
[see above],
A. Stumpff
leg.
1881
,
SMF 4692
, examined).
Jäger & Kunz 2005: 170
, figs 86–98 (illustration of male).
Diagnosis.
Medium-sized
Sparassidae
(body length of male: 12.7). Males may be recognised by their embolus, basally broad and apically running a U-turn, resulting in a prolaterad tip (
Fig. 17
).
Description. Male:
PL 6.6, PW 5.6, AW 3.0, OL 6.1, OW 3.7. Eyes: AME 0.41, ALE 0.37, PME 0.35, PLE 0.41, AME–AME 0.26, AME–ALE 0.10, PME–PME 0.49, PME–PLE 0.49, AME–PME 0.39, ALE–PLE 0.29, clypeus height at AME 0.21, clypeus height at ALE 0.25. Cheliceral furrow with 3 promarginal, 5(5 + 1 small) retromarginal teeth and 22 denticles, all in patch close to promarginal teeth (
Fig. 21
). Retromargin of chelicerae close to fang base with 1 bristle. Spination: Palp: 131, 001, 2121; legs: femur I–III 323, IV 3(4)22; patella I–IV 101; tibia I–IV 2226; metatarsus I–II 1014,
III 2024
, IV 3036. Metatarsus III with single ventro-distal bristle, embedded in scopula; IV with ventro-distal field of several bristles and a double row of bristles along metatarsus. Leg formula 2143. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 8.6 (2.7, 1.2, 2.0, -, 2.7), I - (7.8, 3.5, 8.5, 7.0, -), II - (9.0, 3.8, 9.8, 7.7, -), III - (6.9, 2.7, 6.5, 5.3, -), IV - (7.5, 2.7, 7.2, 6.7, -).
Palp as in diagnosis (
Figs 17–18
). RTA with prolaterad apex in ventral view, otherwise simple, straight, broad at base, pointed in lateral view. Tegulum distinctly narrower proximally, spermophor moderately wide retrolaterally, narrow after proximal bend. Embolus arising from tegulum in 10-o’clock-position, broad at base, running retrolaterally, tip bending to prolateral side. Conductor arising disto-centrally from tegulum.
Colouration (
Figs 20
,
38–40
). Yellowish-brown. Prosoma dorsally with dots along and between striae, and between eyes and fovea. Chelicerae with indistinct longitudinal stripes frontally consisting of small dots. Sternum, gnathocoxae, labium and ventral coxae pale yellow, without pattern. Legs yellowish-brown, femora dotted. Opisthosoma dorsally with two pairs of dark patches above muscle sigilla, posterior one darker, otherwise with small dots, especially in posterior half; ventrally pale yellow, without pattern; spinnerets pale yellow.
Female.
See
Strand (1907)
. Actually, this species was described from the female sex, but the
holotype
seems to be lost (
Nentwig
et al
. 2020
). So far, no female matching the description of
Strand (1907)
or a similar size and colour pattern could be recognised, neither from the type locality nor from adjacent localities on the main island of
Madagascar
.
Distribution.
Madagascar
: Nosy Bé (
Fig. 47
: yellow square).