Copuetta litipo Haddad, 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Haddad, Charles R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Corinnidae
Copuetta
Copuetta litipo

description: Copuetta litipo sp. nov.
Figs 51, 130, 131
Etymology: The species name is a noun in apposition of the type locality.
Diagnosis: Females of this species can be easily recognised by the epigyne with oval sclerotised rims laterally with the oval copulatory openings situated within them (Fig. 130). This differs from the female of C. naja sp. nov., which has inverted comma-shaped sclerotised rims incorporating the copulatory openings (Fig. 147).
Remark: The female holotype is in rather poor condition and five of its legs are missing. However, the epigyne structure is very distinctive and warrants description of the species here.
Female (holotype, Litipo, ZMUC). Measurements: CL 2.83, CW 2.26, AL 3.70, AW 3.00, TL 6.80, FL 0.30, SL 1.33, SW 1.30, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.01, ALE–ALE 0.45, PME–PME 0.13, PME–PLE 0.05, PLE–PLE 0.56, PERW 0.83, MOQAW 0.46, MOQPW 0.48, MOQL 0.54.
Length of leg segments: I 2.45 + 1.05 + 2.00 + 1.98 + 1.18 = 8.66; II missing; III 2.25 + 0.98 + 1.74 + 2.06 + 1.03 = 8.06; IV 2.90 + 1.05 + 2.30 + 3.10 + 1.10 = 10.45.
General appearance as in Fig. 51. Carapace bright yellow-orange, eye region grey; broad median black line from PER to posterior slope, broken up by paler line from fovea to posterior margin of carapace; pale striae radiating from fovea, directed between coxae; lateral margins with narrow mottled black fringe, expanded between leg coxae; markings covered with black feathery setae, areas between them covered in yellowish feathery and short straight setae. AME separated by distance equal to 1⁄5 their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance less than 1⁄10 AME diameter; clypeus height slightly less than ½ AME diameter; PLE very slightly larger than PME; PME separated by distance equal to ½ their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance equal to ¼ PME diameter; CW: PERW = 2.72:1. Chelicerae yellow-brown with faint black mottling, yellow prolaterally distally; promargin with two teeth separated by basal width of proximal tooth, distal tooth much larger; retromargin with two teeth separated by slightly less than their basal width, distal tooth slightly larger, close to fang base. Endites pale orange, cream prolaterally distally; labium pale orange, cream distally; sternum yellow, darker around margins. Legs (both leg II missing) yellow with faint black mottling, without distinct markings except faint black spots at spine bases and tibiae III and IV with faint proximal and distal black bands. Leg spination (both leg II missing): femora: I pl 3 do 3 rl 1, III pl 2 do 3 rl 2, IV pl 2 do 3 rl 1; all femora with scattered erect ventral setae; patellae: I, III and IV with long fine distal seta dorsally; tibiae: I pl 1 plv 2 rlv 2 spines, do 1 long fine seta distally, III pl 2 do 1 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2, IV pl 2 do 1 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2; metatarsi: I plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 3 rl 3 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 3, IV pl 3 rl 3 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 3. Palpal spination: femora: pl 1 do 2, with rlv 5 erect setae; patellae: pl 1 do 2; tibiae: pl 1 do 1 plv 1; tarsi: pl 1 plv 2 rlv 1. Abdomen with yellow-orange anterior dorsal scutum extending to ½ abdomen length; dorsum cream, sparsely covered in black feathery and short straight setae, feathery setae yellow-brown posteriorly; spinnerets surrounded by narrow faint black ring; venter cream, covered in black feathery setae; epigastric scutum and inframamillary sclerite yellow. Female epigyne with oval sclerotised rim laterally in posterior half of epigyne, with transverse oval copulatory openings situated within them (Fig. 130); copulatory ducts very short, entering ST II posterolaterally; ST II n-shaped with anterior bend, broadly connected to diverging posterior ST I; ST with several folds on their surface, ST I equal in width to ST II (Fig. 131).
Male: Unknown.
Type material: Holotype Ƥ: TANZANIA: Lindi Region, Lindi District, Litipo Forest Reserve, 10°02'S, 39°29'E, leg. Frontier Tanzania, VII–IX.1993 (ZMUC)
Additional material examined: None.
Distribution: Known only from the type locality (Fig. 132).
Biology: Collected in a forest but details of the sampling methodology are unknown.
description: Published as part of Haddad, Charles R., 2013, Taxonomic notes on the spider genus Messapus Simon, 1898 (Araneae, Corinnidae), with the description of the new genera Copuetta and Wasaka and the first cladistic analysis of Afrotropical Castianeirinae, pp. 1-79 in Zootaxa 3688 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3688.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/284201