Metellina haddadi Marusik &amp; Larsen 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Marusik, Yu. M.
name: Larsen, N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Tetragnathidae
Metellina
Metellina haddadi

description: <i>Metellina haddadi</i> sp. n. (figs 1–34) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 65B0A77E-FA5E-487D-96DB-C266EE3071C0: T y p e s: Holotype &amp;male; (NCA) and paratypes 2 &amp;male;, 3 &amp;female; (NCA), 1 &amp;male;, 4 &amp;female; (SAMC) and 2 &amp;male;, 2 &amp;female; 1 juv (ZMMU), <b>South Africa</b>, Western Cape, Cape Town, foothills of the Table Mountain, Newlands Forest, 33°58’14.2” S, 18°26’59.2” E, 250 m, 4.01.2014 (Y. M. Marusik &amp; N. Larsen). Diagnosis. The males of this new species well differ from African congeners by having the cymbium as long as the palpal femur (shorter in other species) and the shape of paracymbium which has a bifid lateral process (<i>Lp</i>) (not bifid in other species). The epigyne of the new species resembles that of <i>M. merianopsis</i> by having a ventral projection of the median plate. The two species can be differentiated by the presence of the sclerotized plate (<i>Sp</i>) in front of the epigyne in the new species and lacking in <i>M. merianopsis</i>. D e s c r i p t i o n. Male (holotype). Total length 7.90. Carapace 3.75 long, 2.50 wide. General appearance as in figs 1–2, 32. Carapace light brown, with dark-brown broad median band and marginal stripes. Fovea deep, appears as inverted Y. Chelicera, endites and sternum brown. Chelicera with 3 pro- and 4 retromarginal teeth (figs 20–22). Legs light brown, with dark round spots around spines on femora I–II, tibiae I–II with 4 dark annulations; tibiae III–IV with 2 dark annulations; coxa II with gray prolateral spot distally; coxa IV with grey hue basally, and coxa III. Abdomen twice as long as wide, background formed by white guanine spots, median dark band located in Fig. 32–33. <i>Metellina haddadi</i> sp. n. in natural anterior part, posterior 1/3 with series of dark habitats: 32 — male and female; 33 — resting female, showing ventral abdominal pattern. transverse stripes; venter with wide dark median band bordered by whitish stripes and a pair of round spots near spinnerets. Leg segment lengths in male Fe Pt Ti Mt Ta Total Palp 1.07 0.4 0.5 1.07 3.13 I 8.0 2.0 8.8 8.5 2.2 29.5 II 7.0 1.8 7.0 7.6 1.7 25.1 III 3.7 1.1 2.7 3.3 1.1 11.9 IV 5.0 1.1 4.0 4.5 1.1 15.7 Spination of leg I: femur d1p4r7 to10; patella d1; tibia d1or 2 p3 r3; metatarsus d1p1r1. Metatarsi and partly tibiae I–II with strong, erect, inflexible setae. Palp as in figs 5–15, 23–28. Femur as long as cymbium and slightly shorter than patella+tibia, tibia and cymbium and ventral part of paracymbium with long macrosetae. Cymbium long, more than3times longer than wide, paracymbium complex, with subconical, weakly sclerotized ventral part (<i>Pv</i>) covered with long setae and heavily sclerotized dorsolateral part (<i>Pl</i>), the latter with 2 processes: the bifid lateral process (<i>Lp</i>) and the dorsal process (<i>Dp</i>); the dorso-lateral part of the paracymbium and cymbium form a deep fovea (pocket) (<i>Pf</i>). The tegulum and sperm duct distinct, transverse; conductor (<i>Co</i>) wide at base, with parallel margins, tip (<i>Ct</i>) tapering, weakly sclerotized; embolic division with massive and complex base (<i>Eb</i>) comprising a main square part (<i>Mp</i>) with a deep cavity (<i>Dc</i>) and lamellate process (<i>Ll</i>) guiding the embolus (<i>Em</i>); embolus partly hidden by conductor. Female (paratype). Total length 9.3. Carapace 3.75 long, 2.65 wide. Prosoma coloured as in male (figs 4, 32). Abdomen lighter than male, with more guanine spots, long, light median band, running all over dorsum, mid part with short, dark stripe; median band bordered with wide sublateral bands, mid part of bands lighter than anterior and posterior parts; sides of abdomen white with slanted dark band anteriorly and series of broken slanted stripes. Leg segment lengths in female Fe Pt Ti Mt Ta Total Palp 1.1 0.4 08 1.25 3.55 I 5.6 1.75 5.7 5.9 1.6 20.55 II 4.5 1.5 4.05 4.5 1.25 15.8 III 2.7 1.0 1.85 2.15 0.85 8.55 IV 3.8 1.05 3.0 3.25 0.9 12.0 Spination of leg I: femur d2 p4 or 5 r5; patella d1; tibia d2 p3 r3; metatarsus d1 p1 r1. Metatarsi and partly tibiae I–II as in male with erect, inflexible setae, but shorter and less dense in comparison to males. Epigyne as in figs 16–19, 29–31. Epigynal plate almost 3 times wider than long, median plate (<i>Me</i>) weakly sclerotized, slightly projected ventrally; anterior part of plate with distinct fovea (<i>Af</i>); in caudal view, median plate pentagonal, with pair of shallow pits (<i>Pi</i>). Small transverse rectangular sclerotized plate (<i>Sp</i>) located anterior to epigyne. Receptacles cylindrical, bent in mid part, basal part diverging, distal parts converging, distal part spaced by about 3.5 diameters. V a r i a t i o n s. Body length in males varies from 6.5 to 7.4 and in females from 7.0 to 9.3. Habitat. The species occur in large numbers in shaded places along mountain creeks with stony banks. During the daytime it is not easy to find specimens although webs are rather common. In the nighttime, spiders stay at the web hub and can be easily seen and collected. D i s t r i b u t i o n. Known only from the type locality (fig 34). Etymolog y. The specific name is a patronym in honour of our friend and colleague Charles Haddad (Bloemfontein, South Africa) who helped to organize YM’s trip to South Africa. Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honour of our friend and colleague Charles Haddad (Bloemfontein, South Africa) who helped to organize YM’s trip to South Africa. We thank Seppo Koponen, who arranged stay of the senior author at Turku and the work carried out at the Zoological Museum and Charles Haddad (University of the Free State, South Africa) for his help in arranging of senior author’s trip to South Africa. Special thanks to Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman (NCA, South Africa) for valuable comments that improved our manuscript. English of the final manuscript was kindly checked by Sarah Crews (Californian Academy of Sciences, USA).
description: Published as part of <i>Marusik, Yu. M. &amp; Larsen, N., 2018, A Synopsis Of African Metellina (Aranei, Tetragnathidae, Metainae) With Description Of A New Species From South Africa, pp. 205-216 in Vestnik Zoologii (Vestn. Zool.) (Vestn. Zool.) 52 (3)</i> on pages 212-215, DOI: 10.2478/vzoo-2018-0021, http://zenodo.org/record/6454685