Survey of the Ethiopian linyphiid spider fauna. I. Subfamily Erigoninae (Arachnida, Araneae, Linyphiidae)
Author
Tanasevitch, Andrei V.
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-09-20
5346
4
420
442
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5346.4.4
journal article
269786
10.11646/zootaxa.5346.4.4
f631dec3-14e8-4dab-b340-df57d7cc8c5a
1175-5326
8390441
3D23DF3F-6B66-4C60-BE3D-A98EA43F01C5
Callitrichia
Fage, 1936
Type
species:
Callitrichia hamifera
Fage
, in
Fage & Simon, 1936
, by original designation.
Previously considered as a small Afrotropical genus,
Callitrichia
has recently been revised based on a morphological cladistic analysis by
Lin
et al.
(2022)
, resulting in a significant expansion of its composition to 56 species. The genus is characterized by an elongated palpal tibia carrying teeth apically, a massive paracymbium, the embolic division with a small embolus, totally reduced radix and a large convector. Convector with two distal apophyses (see
UDA
and
LDA
in
Figs 2F
,
4B
), of which the lower one (
LDA
) is usually long and protruding from the bulb. As the shape of the embolic division is extremely similar in most congeners, the species mainly differ in details of the shape of the palpal tibia and carapace in the male. For more information see
Lin
et al.
(2022: 458)
. Since the structure of the epigynum in the female is also very similar, reliable differences between congeners are only possible to reveal in the presence of the corresponding male.
Distribution.
The genus mainly occurs in the eastern part of the Afrotropical Region: chiefly in
Kenya
,
Uganda
,
Tanzania
, thus being new to be recorded from
Ethiopia
.
Two species described below can easily be assigned to
Callitrichia
, being very similar to other congeners in showing the same chaetotaxy (2.2.1.1) and trichobothriotaxy (Tm I–IV present), a similar conformation of the male palp, namely, the modified palpal tibia, a short embolus with a large convector furnished with two distal apophyses, as well as by a similarly shaped epigynum plate.