Description of a new genus and three new species of the family Palpimanidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from Kenya Author Oketch, Ambata D. Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China & National Museums of Kenya, Museum Hill, P. O. Box 40658 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Author Zonstein, Sergei Tel Aviv University, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel & Department of Zoology and Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa Author Kioko, Esther N. National Museums of Kenya, Museum Hill, P. O. Box 40658 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya Author Li, Shuqiang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3290-5416 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China lisq@ioz.ac.cn text African Invertebrates 2020 2020-07-28 61 2 93 106 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.61.54004 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.61.54004 2305-2562-2-93 81DB0EF4176D5E8E94036F35D8EDFF30 E63F61C8-1E75-48C7-ABDB-242FC9B0A0C4 Sceliscelis marshi Oketch & Li sp. nov. Figs 1 , 2 Type material. Holotype ♂, Kenya, Taita Taveta County, near Mtito Andei, Tsavo West National Park, Rhino Sanctuary, 38°19.96'E , 03°1.230'S , 730 m, 28.VII.2016, sifting leaf litter, Grace Kioko leg. Paratype 1♀, same data as holotype. Etymology. This species is named after Mr. Brian Marsh OBE, the founder of the Marsh Christian Trust Awards for Ecologists in Africa, which the third author was awarded in 2019; noun (name) in genitive case. Diagnosis. See diagnosis of the genus. Description. Male. Habitus as in Fig. 1A-C . Total body length 3.83. Color in alcohol: carapace, sternum, chelicerae, labium, leg I coxa and epigastric scutum uniformly reddish orange to reddish brown, entire palp and most of leg I slightly paler reddish orange, legs II-IV with yellowish femur and patella and darkened distal segments. Carapace 2.13 long, 1.75 wide. Fovea longitudinal, open posteriorly. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.13, PME 0.05, PLE 0.06, ALE 0.06, AME-AME 0.09, PME-PME 0.19, AME-PME 0.09, AME-ALE 0.06, PME-PLE 0.13, ALE-PLE <0.01. AER almost straight. Labium triangular 0.25 long, 2 times the length of labium notch, clypeus 2 times shorter than length of chelicerae. Sternum 1.00 long, 0.78 wide, granulate. Endites trapezoidal, pale yellow anteriorly. Abdomen as in genus description. Palp: Patella sub-globular, as long as 1/3 length of tibia. Tibia 0.35 long, 0.31 wide. Cymbium about 2 times longer than wide. Figure 1. Sceliscelis marshi sp. nov., male holotype A-C habitus in dorsal, ventral and lateral aspects D-F palp: D prolateral E ventral and F retrolateral aspects. Abbreviations: am-accompanying membrane, co - "conductor," cy - cymbium, ds - dorsal portion of scutum, em - embolus, hle - hook-like extension, pe - palm-like embolic extension. Scale bars: 1 mm (A-C) , 0.1 mm (D-F). Female. Cephalothorax in dorsal and ventral aspects as in Fig. 2A, B , respectively. Color in alcohol: carapace, sternum, chelicerae, labium, leg I coxa and epigastric scutum and abdomen same as in male. Body length 5.1. Carapace 3.1 long, 2.2 wide, fairly granulate. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.15, PME 0.08, PLE 0.06, ALE 0.06, AME-AME 0.09, PME-PME 0.19, AME-ALE 0.06, PME-PLE 0.13, ALE-PLE <0.01. Notch is approximately 1/2 the length of labium which is 0.24 long. Clypeus/chelicera length ratio 1:1. Epigastric scutum sclerotized, book lung operculum visible, lateral sclerites present, posterior edge strongly undulate. Vulva not visible through integument, distant from epigastric fold, with stalked grape-shaped glands. Receptacles oval, mounted on a pair of irregular receptive chambers, separated (Fig. 2C, D ). Leg and palp measurements in Table 1 . Table 1. Type male (female) leg and palp measurements.
- Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total
Palp 0.91 (0.85) 0.15 (0.13) 0.35 (0.37) - 0.50 (0.42) 1.91 (1.77)
I 0.85 (0.94) 0.94 (0.80) 0.70 (0.75) 0.30 (0.25) 0.31 (0.22) 3.10 (2.96)
II 1.00 (0.69) 0.50 (0.50) 0.65 (0.63) 0.50 (0.38) 0.32 (0.31) 2.97 (2.51)
III 0.63 (0.52) 0.50 (0.41) 0.50 (0.50) 0.35 (0.47) 0.24 (0.22) 2.22 (2.51)
IV 1.25 (0.78) 0.30 (0.50) 0.88 (0.81) 0.75 (0.56) 0.25 (0.25) 3.31 (2.90)
Figure 2. Sceliscelis marshi sp. nov., female paratype. Cephalothorax A dorsal and B ventral aspects C, D endogyne, ventral and dorsal aspects, respectively. Abbreviations: Bl - book lung operculum, ch - receptive chamber, ds - dorsal portion of scutum, Gr - grape-shaped glands, Ls - lateral sclerite, Re - rigid extension of posterior wall of epigastric fold, sco - scopula, Sr - sac like receptacle. Scale bars: 1 mm ( A, B ), 0.2 mm ( C, D ). Distribution. This species is currently known only from the type locality.