Drassodella quinquelabecula Tucker 1923
Creators: name: Mbo, Zingisile
name: Haddad, Charles R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gallieniellidae
Drassodella
Drassodella quinquelabecula

description: Drassodella quinquelabecula Tucker, 1923
Figs 2, 73, 89, 163, 164, 184–187
Drassodella quinquelabecula Tucker, 1923: 311, fig. 40A, B (Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: Caledon, 34°13'S, 19°25'E, VII.1910, leg. W.F. Purcell, SAM ENW-X150065—examined).
Diagnosis. Females of D. quinquelabecula are most similar to those of D. purcelli, but can be recognised by their generally lighter colouration and different markings (compare Figs 162 and 163), and the narrower and strongly recurved anterior hood (Figs 72, 184), which is broader and with an almost straight anterior margin in D. purcelli (Figs 72, 182). Males have a palpal structure most similar to D. aurostriata sp. nov., but differ in having a curved, retrodistally-directed median apophysis and a broad curved embolus (Fig. 186), while D. aurostriata sp. nov. has a prolaterally-directed hook-like median apophysis and a narrow oblique embolus (Fig. 178).
Description. Female (De Hoop Nature Reserve, NCA 2016/2820). Measurements: CL 1.72, CW 1.28, AL 2.20, AW 1.00, TL 4.16 (3.16–4.20), FL 0.12, SL 0.84, SW 0.76, CH 0.08, AME-AME 0.05, AME-ALE 0.02, ALE-ALE 0.17, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.08, PLE-PLE 0.32, PERW 0.38, MOQAW 0.13, MOQPW 0.16, MOQL 0.21.
Length of leg segments: I 1.08 + 0.60 + 0.88 + 0.84 + 0.74 = 4.14, II 1.08 + 0.54 + 0.78 + 0.80 + 0.68 = 3.88, III 1.00 + 0.48 + 0.68 + 0.88 + 0.56 = 3.60, IV 1.56 + 0.62 + 1.22 + 1.60 + 0.76 = 5.76.
General appearance as in Figs 2, 163. Carapace brown, with dark mottling outlining cephalic region; upsilon marking formed by brown, erect setae and white feathery setae from eye region to posterior margin, diverging behind fovea. Clypeus height equal to 1.60 AME diameter; AME smaller than ALE; AME separated by distance equal to their diameter, AME separated from ALE by distance equal to 0.40 AME diameter; PME smaller than PLE; PME separated by distance slightly larger than their diameter, PME separated from PLE by distance equal to 1.60 PME diameter. Chelicerae dark brown; promargin with three teeth, median tooth largest, distal tooth smallest, median tooth closer to proximal tooth than distal tooth; retromargin with two subequal teeth, close together. Endites brown, cream anteriorly, pale at maxillar hair tuft. Labium brown, cream anteriorly, longer than wide. Sternum brown, setae evenly dispersed. Legs pale yellow-brown, with faint black mottling on all segments except tarsi; tibiae I and II with broad white median rings, patellae and tibiae III and IV with narrow proximal and distal yellow rings. Leg spination: femora: I do 1 rl 1, II do 1 rl 1, III pl 2 do 2 rl 2, IV pl 1 do 2 rl 2; patellae: spineless; tibiae: I & II spineless, III pl 1 do 1 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2, IV pl 2 do 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2; metatarsi: I spineless, II plv 1 rlv 1, III pl 4 rl 4 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2, IV pl 4 do 1 rl 4 plv 1 rlv 2 vt 2; palpal spination: femora do 3; patellae do 2; tibiae do 2 rl 3; metatarsi pl 2 do 1 rl 3 rlv 1. Abdomen creamy-brown medially, black laterally, posterior half with five faint black chevron markings; two pairs of white dorsolateral spots of feathery setae; large white spot of feathery setae above spinnerets (Fig. 163); venter light brown. Spinnerets cream. Epigyne with shallow crescentshaped anterior hood, lateral ends terminating abruptly; lateral margins of median septum weakly sclerotised, forming ovoid extension from anterior hood posteriorly to ST I, short posterior section diverging slightly; ST II and connecting ducts yellow, ST I yellow-brown; ST II oval, directed anteromedially, separated by nearly double their width, similar in size to oval ST I (Figs 73, 184, 185).
Male (De Hoop Nature Reserve, NCA 2016/2820). Measurements: CL 1.64, CW 1.20, AL 1.60, AW 0.88, TL 3.44 (3.12–3.60), FL 0.16, SL 0.90, SW 0.76, CH 0.07, AME-AME 0.04, AME-ALE 0.02, ALE-ALE 0.17, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.08, PLE-PLE 0.31, PERW 0.37, MOQAW 0.13, MOQPW 0.16, MOQL 0.20.
Length of leg segments: I 0.96 + 0.56 + 0.88 + 0.78 + 0.70 = 3.88, II 1.00 + 0.70 + 0.68 + 0.76 + 0.62 = 3.76, III 0.88 + 0.40 + 0.64 + 0.80 + 0.54 = 3.26, IV 1.44 + 0.60 + 1.14 + 1.56 + 0.64 = 5.38.
General appearance as in Fig. 164. Carapace creamy-brown, with brown striae; dense white feathery setae cover carapace. Clypeus height equal to 1.40 AME diameter; AME smaller than ALE; AME separated by distance slightly smaller than their diameter, AME separated from ALE by distance equal to 0.40 AME diameter; PME equal to PLE; PME separated by distance slightly larger than their diameter, PME separated from PLE by distance equal to 1.60 PME diameter. Chelicerae brown proximally, paler distally; promargin with teeth, median tooth largest, proximal and distal teeth subequal; retromargin with two closely-positioned subequal teeth. Endites brown, cream anteriorly, pale at maxillar hair tuft. Labium brown, longer than wide, cream anteriorly. Sternum light brown. Legs with orange-brown proximal segments, tarsi pale; tibiae I and II with broad white median rings, patellae and tibiae III and IV with narrow proximal and distal yellow rings. Leg spination: femora: I do 1 rl 1, II do 1 rl 1, III pl 2 do 2 rl 2, IV do 3 rl 2; patellae: spineless; tibiae: I & II spineless, III pl 1 do 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2, IV pl 2 do 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2; metatarsi: I spineless, II plv 1 rlv 1, III pl 4 rl 4 plv 2 rlv 2 vt 2, IV pl 4 do 1 rl 4 plv 1 rlv 2 vt 2; palpal spination: femora do 3; patellae do 2; tibiae spineless; tarsi pl 2 do 1 rl 3 rlv 1. Abdomen orangebrown, dark grey laterally (Fig. 164), with five faint chevrons in posterior third of the abdomen; two pairs of large dorsolateral spots of white feathery setae; small white spot of feathery setae above spinnerets; venter cream; postepigastric sclerites present, lateral sclerites absent. Palp pale yellow-brown; RTA long, largely obscured in ventral view by retrolateral heel of cymbium; in retrolateral view subtriangular, directed dorsally but slightly curved ventrally, with narrow base and rounded tip; cymbium quite narrow, 1.92 times longer than wide, narrowed to rounded point distally; embolus originating prolaterally, curved and finger-like, with rounded tip; median apophysis curved, directed retrodistally (Figs 89, 186, 197).
Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: Caledon, 34°13'S, 19°25'E, VII.1910, leg. W.F. Purcell, 1♂ (SAMC ENW-X 150440); De Hoop Nature Reserve, Potberg, fynbos, 34°22.237'S, 20°32.482'E, 7.IV.2004, leg. C. Haddad (searching, under rocks), 3♂ 2 subadult ♀ (NCA 2016 /2820); Knysna, Uitzicht Annex, 34°00'S, 23°20'E, 19.X.1988, leg. L.N. Lotz (pitfall traps), 2♀ (NMBA 8617); Swartberg Nature Reserve, Gamkaskloof, 33°21'S, 21°41'E, XII.1999, leg. Z. van der Walt (on ground), 1♀ (NCA 2002 /196).
Other record. A live female specimen was photographed (Fig. 2) by Peter Webb in the Aardvark Nature Reserve in the Western Cape (33°49'S, 21°08'E), but was unfortunately not collected. The colouration of this specimen matches live specimens collected by the second author in the De Hoop Nature Reserve; particularly, the pale bands on the legs of this species and the orange-brown carapace distinguish this species from others in the genus.
Distribution. Known from several localities in the Western Cape (Fig. 188).
description: Published as part of Mbo, Zingisile & Haddad, Charles R., 2019, A revision of the endemic South African long-jawed ground spider genus Drassodella Hewitt, 1916 (Araneae: Gallieniellidae), pp. 1-62 in Zootaxa 4582 (1) on pages 46-48, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4582.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2643724