A revision of the African wolf spider genus Amblyothele Simon
Author
Russell-Smith, Tony
,,
Author
Jocqué, Rudy
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:
Royal Museum for Central Africa, B- 3080 Tervuren, Belgium & -
Author
Alderweireldt, Mark
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:
Royal Museum for Central Africa, B- 3080 Tervuren, Belgium & -
text
ZooKeys
2009
2009-07-29
16
16
149
180
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.16.233
7838bb10-6ff5-4333-823c-cb5debdb973c
1313–2970
576480
AC717D1B-B74E-4C1D-86D8-0F3030C3C4F9
Amblyothele togona
Roewer, 1960
Figs 1-9
,
33-39
,
Map 8
Diagnosis
.
The median apophysis of the male palp most resembles that of
A. longipes
but the apical lobe is considerably broader in relation to its length and the basal lobe is shorter and not forked at its tip. The embolus is broader in relation to length than that of
A. longipes
and is more apparent in ventral view. The female epigyne has a very deeply notched posterior margin that is distinctive. The stout banded legs are characteristic.
Type
material.
Holotype
.
Female
:
TOGO
.
Without
further data (
SMF
).
Other
material examined.
CÔTE D’IVOIRE
:
1 ♀
(with egg-sac):
Ganhoué
, near
Touba
,
8°11’N
7°51’W
,
27.VIII.1993
,
pitfall trap
in upland rice field,
A. Russell-Smith
leg.
;
1♀
:
Bouaflé
,
6°59’N
5°45’W
,
28.I.1981
,
pitfalls
,
J. Everts
leg. (
MRAC 174006
)
.
CAMEROON
: 5 ♁
3 ♀
:
Ebolowa
,
02°54’N
011°09’E
,
IV.1980
,
pitfall traps
, A. Russell-
Smith
leg. (
MRAC 223302
)
;
♀
:
Chabal Mbabo
,
7°25’N
12°47’E
,
8.IV.1983
, from litter in gallery forest,
Bosmans
and
Van Stalle
leg. (
MRAC 162625
)
.
KENYA
:
1 ♀
:
Kakamega
Forest
,
00°13’N
034° 54’E
,
17-24.III.2002
,
Malaise trap
,
D. Shilabira Smith
leg. (
MRAC 212619
)
;
1 ♀
:
Kakamega
Forest
,
00°13’N
034°54’E
,
6.IV.2002
,
malaise trap
,
D. Shilabira Smith
leg. (
MRAC 220463
)
.
CONGO DR
: 1 ♁
3 ♀
:
Kisangani
,
Forêt de Masako
,
N 00°35’
E 025°11’
,
20.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211829
)
;
1 ♁
1 ♀
: same locality,
27.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211842
)
;
2 ♀
: same locality,
18.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211854
)
;
2 ♀
: same locality,
20.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211866
)
;
1 ♀
: same locality,
13.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211926
)
;
2 ♀
: same locality,
12.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 211978
)
;
1 ♁
4 ♀
: same locality,
13.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212019
)
;
1 ♀
: same locality,
12.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212033
)
;
2 ♀
: same locality,
5.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212063
)
;
1 ♀
: same locality,
11.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212070
)
;
2 ♀
: same locality,
11.VII.2001
, young fallow,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212111
)
;
1 ♀
: same locality,
5.VII.2001
, young fallow,
pitfall
,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 212115
)
;
2 ♁: same locality,
17.XII.2002
, young fallow,
pitfall
,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 214364
)
;
1 ♁: same locality,
24.IX.2002
, young fallow,
pitfall
,
J.-L. Juakaly
leg. (
MRAC 214572
)
.
Description
.
Female (
holotype
): Total length,
3.33 mm
.
Carapace.
Length
1.42 mm
, width
1.20 mm
. Orange brown suffused with greyish black except for central longitudinal band. Head region not noticeably raised. Fovea relatively short. Immediate surroundings of eyes suffused with black.
Eyes
. Anterior row very slightly recurved. AME 2 × diameter of ALE and touching them, separated by ca 0.2 × their own diameter. Middle eyes 1.75 × diameter of AME, separated by 0.43 × their own diameter. PLE 0.57 × diameter of PME separated by 3.75 × their own diameter.
Chelicerae
. Greyish orange. Relatively short and stout for genus, with a few dark bristles. Posterior margin with two teeth, that nearest fang the larger, anterior margin with three small teeth, the central largest.
Maxillae and labium
. Maxillae ca 2 × length of labium and with relatively rounded distal margins. Labium as long as wide, sub-quadrate. All pale yellow except for darker triangle at base of labium.
Sternum
. Pale yellow. Shield-shaped and produced between hind coxae.
Legs
. Only three legs surviving on specimen. Pale yellow with two dark grey rings on femora and tibiae. Relatively stout, ratio of length/breadth of tibia IV 9.1:1. Ventral spines of leg I; metatarsus 2-2-(2), tibia 2-2-(2). Spines long, thin and pale. With three tarsal claws, the outer pair with three long thin teeth, the central claw small, on a raised pad and bent at right angles.
Abdomen
. Dorsally very
Figures 33-38.
Amblyothele togona
Roewer
(male from Ebolowa,
Cameroon
).
33
right male palp, ventral view
34
right male palp, prolateral view
35
epigyne (specimen from Ebolowa,
Cameroon
)
36
epigyne, specimen from Masako,
DR Congo
37
epigyne,
holotype
38
epigyne, dorsal view, cleared, specimen from Masako,
DR Congo
. Scales:
33-34
0.5 mm
35-38
0.1 mm
.
dark greyish brown with a feint paler central folium. Ventrally pale whitish yellow.
Spinnerets
. Coloured as abdomen. PLS long, the distal segment 0.8 × length of basal segment.
Epigyne
.
Figs 3
,
35-39
. Very similar in general appearance to that of
A. longipes
. Epigynal plate almost twice width of that of
A. longipes
. Outline of spermathecae through cuticle larger and sperm ducts shorter and broader. Notch on hind margin of epigynal plate broader than that of
A. longipes
and lobes pointed.
Male
.
Total length
3.50 mm
.
Carapace
. Length
1.75 mm
, width
1.17 mm
. Head region not at all raised. Fovea long, 0.25 × length of carapace. With a broad pale yellowbrown dorsal stripe along carapace and with grey-black wedges radiating from fovea to carapace margin. A series of long dark bristles along the central stripe of the carapace.
Eyes
. Anterior row recurved. AME 1.67 × diameter of ALE and almost touching them. Middle eyes 1.80 × diameter of AME and separated by 0.33 × their own diameter. PLE 0.78 × diameter of PME and separated by 2.1 × their own diameter. Immediate eye region suffused with black.
Chelicerae
. Relatively long and narrow. Chestnut brown with a narrow darker stripe extending along half the length of the anterior face. Hind margin with two teeth, that nearest to fang the larger, posterior margin with one large tooth.
Maxillae and labium
. Maxillae ca 2 × length of labium and strongly truncate at distal end. Pale yellow-brown. Labium subquadrate, as long as broad, coloured as maxillae.
Sternum
. Shield shaped and somewhat produced between hind coxae. Pale yellow.
Legs
. Relatively long and thin, ratio of length/breadth of tibia IV 15:1. Leg IV 1.33 × length
Figures 39-42.
Epigynes, cleared, dorsal view
39
Amblyothele togona
sp. n.
(Masako,
Congo DR
)
40
Amblyothele longipes
sp. n.
(Mbé,
Ivory Coast
)
4 1
Amblyothele latedissipata
sp. n.
(Mkomazi,
Tanzania
)
42
Amblyothele albocincta
(Okavango)
. Scale =
0.1 mm
.
of leg I. Ventral spines of leg I; metatarsus 2-2-(2), tibia 2-2-(2). Spines relatively short for genus. All segments pale orange-yellow, clothed in short dark setae. Tarsal claws (fig. 9) with 2-3 fine teeth, typical of genus. Inferior claw with five small teeth. Tarsal organ with keyhole shaped opening (
Fig. 8
).
Abdomen
. With greyish-brown markings on a paler yellow background. With a dark dorsal folium anteriorly and behind this 3 faint chevrons. Ventrally pale whitish.
Spinnerets
(
Figs 4-5
). PLS ca 2 × length of AMS. Terminal segment of PLS 0.7 × length of basal segment. Coloured as the abdomen.
Male
Palp.
Figs 6, 7
,
33, 34
. Median apophysis rather similar to that in
A. longipes
. Apical lobe sickle-shaped but not tapering to a narrow tip as in
A. longipes
. Basal lobe with short forward pointing projection which is truncate at tip. Anterior and posterior lobes of MA do not approach close to one another. Embolus very broad, clearly visible alongside MA.
Variation
.
Total length, males
3.50-3.83 mm
(
5 specimens
). There is some variation in depth of pigmentation between individuals and in the distinctness of the dorsal pattern of the abdomen varies. The shape of the epigyne may vary considerably depending on the inclination. In the
holotype
the V-shaped notch is not conspicuous because the posterior part of the epigyne is slightly invaginated.
Distribution
.
Known from
Côte d’Ivoire
,
Cameroon
, D.R.
Congo
and
Kenya
(
Map 8
).
Biology
.
Unlike other species of the genus,
A. togona
has been recorded in the litter of a riverine forest.