Afroneutria immortalis Arts 1912, comb. nov
Creators: name: Polotow, Daniele
name: Jocqué, Rudy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Ctenidae
Afroneutria
Afroneutria immortalis

description: Afroneutria immortalis (Arts, 1912) revalidated, comb. nov.
Figs 4 A–D, 5 A–E, 12 A, 14 A–B, 16 A
Ctenus immortalis Arts, 1912: 202, pl. 2, fig. 25.
Ctenus velox – Benoit 1977: 700, fig. 2a–d (misidentified and wrongly synonymised with C. immortalis).
Ctenus immortalis – Polotow & Brescovit 2014: 335, 338, 348, 355.
Diagnosis
The males of Afroneutria immortalis comb. nov. differ from those of the other species of the genus by the elongated tip and short additional laminar projection of the embolus on the male palp (Figs 5 A, 14 A; Polotow & Brescovit 2014: fig. 8f, indicated by an arrow) and the shape of the RTA (Fig. 5 C; Polotow & Brescovit 2014: fig. 8d). The females can be distinguished by the acute lateral spurs (Figs 5 D, 12 A) and straight dorsal and ventral spermathecae with a swollen apical area (Fig. 5 E).
Material examined
Type material
TANZANIA: Ctenus immortalis, 1 syntype, ♂, Langenburg (currently Tukuyu), Fülleborn coll., ZMB 9884; syntypes, ♀♀, Dar-es-Salam, Stuhlmann coll., ZMB 9883; syntypes, ♀♀, Dar-es-Salam, Regner coll., ZMB 9881.
KENYA: Ctenus immortalis, syntypes, 1 ♀, 2 immature, Kibwezi, Schütter coll., ZMB 9882 and 9885.
Additional material
KENYA: Coast Province, Arabuko Sokoke National Park, 1 ♀, 25 Sep. 2001, D. Van den Spiegel coll. (MRAC 211539); Tsavo, Taita West National Park, Taita Hills, Mwachora, pitfalls, 1 ♂, 20 Jun. 1999, D. Van den Spiegel coll. (MRAC 208828); Tsavo, Taita Discovery Center, 1 ♂, 27 Mar. 2000, R. Jocqué & C. Warui coll. (MRAC 209543); Watamu, 1 ♂, 1977, J.L. Cloudsley-Thompson coll. (MRAC 148774).
TANZANIA: Amani, Amani Forest Reserve, 1 ♀, Dec. 1978, K.M. Howell coll. (MRAC 159481); Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya Hill, 1 ♂, 24 Nov. 1994, A. Russell-Smith coll. (MRAC 213883); Coast Province, Kisarawe, Kasimzumbwi Forest Reserve, 6o57’ S, 39o03’ E, 1 ♀, Jan.–Feb. 1991, Frontier Tanzania coll. (ZMUC); Coast Province, Mafia Island, 7o53’ S, 39o50’ E, 2 ♀♀, Oct.–Nov. 1990, Frontier Tanzania coll. (ZMUC).
Description
Male (MRAC 213883)
Total length 13.40. Carapace 7.20 long and 5.60 wide. Eye diameter: AME 0.32, ALE 0.18, PME 0.60, PLE 0.56. Leg measurements: I: femur 8.60 / patella 3.40 / tibia 8.90 / metatarsus 8.90 / tarsus 3.40 / total 33.20; II: 8.10 / 3.30 / 7.40 / 7.60 / 2.80 / 29.20; III: 6.80 / 2.60 / 5.70 / 6.40 / 2.30 / 23.80; IV: 9.50 / 2.80 / 9.10 / 11.30 / 3.50 / 36.20. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: tibia I and II v2-2 -2-2-2, r1-1, p1-1; III and IV v2-2 -2, r1-1, p1-1; metatarsus I, II and III v2-2 -2, p1-1-1, r1-1-1; IV v1-1 -1-1-1-2, r1-1-1, p1-1-1. Coloration: venter of abdomen black, with two white spots in front of spinnerets (Fig. 4 B). Palp: cymbium elongated, longer than tibia; conductor triangular; median apophysis slightly curved, with acute tip (Figs 5 A–C, 14 A–B).
Female (MRAC 211539)
Total length 16.40. Carapace 7.00 long and 5.40 wide. Eye diameter: AME 0.36, ALE 0.24, PME 0.60, PLE 0.48. Leg measurements: I: femur 6.80 / patella 3.00 / tibia 6.40 / metatarsus 6.00 / tarsus 2.20 / total 24.40; II: 6.30 / 2.90 / 5.40 / 5.50 / 2.10 / 22.20; III: 5.20 / 2.40 / 4.40 / 5.10 / 2.00 / 19.10; IV: 7.50 / 2.60 / 6.60 / 8.40 / 2.30 / 27.40. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: tibia I and II v2-2 -2-2-2, r0, p0; III and IV v2-2 -2, r1-1, p1-1; metatarsus I and II v2-2 -2, r0, p0; III v2-2 -2, r1-1-1, p-1-1-1; IV v1-1 -1-1-1- 2, r1-1-1, p1-1-1. Coloration: venter of abdomen black, with two white spots in front of spinnerets (Fig. 4 D). Epigynum: triangular median field and elongated lateral projections of lateral field (Figs 5 D, 12 A). Dorsal and ventral spermathecae elongated (Fig. 5 E).
Variation
Six ♂♂: total length 10.40–13.60, carapace length 5.30–7.20, femur I length 4.70–8.10. Two ♀♀: total length 15.70–16.40, carapace length 7.00–7.60, femur I length 6.80–7.90. Several ♀♀ with four white spots on venter of abdomen, two behind epigastric furrow, two in front of spinnerets.
Distribution
Kenya and Tanzania (Fig. 16 A).
description: Published as part of Polotow, Daniele & Jocqué, Rudy, 2015, Afroneutria, a new spider genus of Afrotropical Ctenidae (Arachnida, Araneae), pp. 1-27 in European Journal of Taxonomy 121 on pages 8-12, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2015.121, http://zenodo.org/record/885459