Smeringopus mgahinga Huber 2012, new species
Creators: name: HUBER, BERNHARD A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Smeringopus
Smeringopus mgahinga

description: Smeringopus mgahinga new species
Figs. 25, 32–33, 46–49, 73–93
Type. Male holotype from Uganda, Kisoro District, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Garama Cave, cave entrance (1°21.4’S, 29°37.9’E), 2500 m a.s.l., 25.xi.2010 (B.A. Huber), in ZFMK (Ar 8516).
Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.
Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar congeners (other species of the rubrotinctus group) by shapes of procursus and embolus (Figs. 73–75, 78, 79) and by strongly protruding posterior epigynal plate (Fig. 47); from most other congeners also by long apophyses on male chelicerae (Figs. 25, 76, 77).
Male (holotype). Total body length 6.2, carapace width 2.1. Leg 1: 56.2 (13.7 + 0.9 + 14.0 + 23.9 + 3.7), tibia 2: 10.3, tibia 3: 8.1, tibia 4: 10.9; tibia 1 L/d: 69. Habitus similar S. ruhiza (cf. Fig. 20). Carapace with wide median and lateral brown bands, clypeus with pair of wide, indistinct brown bands, sternum brown, leg femora and tibiae with indistinct subdistal rings and light tips, abdomen dorsally with indistinct pattern, ventrally with three dark bands behind gonopore separated by narrow light lines. Distance PME-PME 175 µm, diameter PME 185 µm, distance PME-ALE 70 µm, distance AME-AME 60 µm, diameter AME 125 µm. Ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with indistinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; deep but small thoracic pit (Fig. 82). Chelicerae as in Figs. 76 and 77, with pair of strong apophyses; without modified hair at tip of apophysis (Fig. 87). Palps as in Figs. 32 and 33, coxa with indistinct bulge, trochanter barely modified, femur with deep retrolateral furrow with distinct rim proximally (Fig. 84), ventral end of rim with apophysis, cymbium without projection near tarsal organ, procursus with distinctive tip with bifid ventral apophysis and whitish prolateral process (Figs. 73–75, 83, 84), bulb with relatively simple bifid embolus (Figs. 78, 79, 85). Legs without spines, few vertical hairs, with curved hairs mainly on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2, but also some on femora and metatarsi and on legs 3 and 4, on tibiae and metatarsi also dorsally; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1. Gonopore with two epiandrous spigots (Fig. 91).
Variation. Tibia 1 in 11 other males: 8.8–15.1 (mean 12.4). The cheliceral apophyses vary slightly in width and length.
Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 14 females: 8.1–13.9 (mean 11.4). Epigynum anterior plate with indentation, without pockets (Figs. 46, 48); posterior plate strongly projecting (Fig. 47); internal genitalia as in Figs. 49 and 80. ALS with eight spigots each (Fig. 93).
Distribution. Known from southwestern Uganda and from a female from Congo D.R. (Nord-Kivu) assigned tentatively (Fig. 58).
Material examined. UGANDA: Western Region: Kisoro District, Mgahinga Gorilla N.P., Garama Cave: 1♂ holotype above; same data, 4♂ 4♀ in ZFMK (Ar 8517); same data, 2 juvs in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Uga 105). Mgahinga Gorilla N.P., Gorge (1°22.9’S, 29°35.8–36.0’E), 2900–3000 m a.s.l., 25.xi.2010 (B.A. Huber), 3♂ 3♀ in ZFMK (Ar 8518-19); same data, 1♀ 2 juvs in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Uga 146). Mgahinga Gorilla N.P., bamboo forest (~1°22.0–22.3’S, 29°36.3–36.9’E), 2500–2600 m a.s.l., 25.xi.2010 (B.A. Huber), 1♂ 1♀ in ZFMK (Ar 8520). Kabale District, Ruhiza, Bwindi Impenetrable N.P. (~ 1°02’S, 29°46’E), ~ 2300 m a.s.l., roadcut, 25.ix.1996 (C.E. Griswold), 2♂ 1♀ in CAS; same data, on buildings and roadcut, 12.–16.ix.1996 (C.E. Griswold), 1♂ 4♀ 2 juvs in CAS.
Assigned tentatively: CONGO D.R.: Nord-Kivu Prov.: Bikara, 18 km S Lubéro on route Lubéro-Goma [0°15’S, 29°12’E], 1200 m a.s.l., xii.1976 (M. Lejeune), 1♀ in MRAC (159843).
description: Published as part of HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2012, Revision and cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical endemic genus Smeringopus Simon, 1890 (Araneae: Pholcidae), pp. 1-138 in Zootaxa 3461 (1) on pages 19-22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3461.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6415657