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

description: Smeringopus lubondai new species
Figs. 747, 751–752, 759–760, 774–781
Type. Male holotype from Congo D.R., Lulua Prov., Lubondai [6°54’S, 22°36’E], Mission protestante, date unknown, leg. Rev. Stegall (“T49/3347”), in MRAC (65956).
Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.
Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar species with proximal and distal cheliceral apophyses (S. roeweri, S. carli, S. sambesicus) by shapes of procursus (only one distal blade-shaped apophysis, Figs. 774–776), bulb (processes of embolus, Figs. 777, 778), cheliceral apophyses (short proximal apophyses, Figs. 779, 780); from S. carli and S. sambesicus also by shorter frontal epigynal plate (Fig. 759).
Male (holotype). Total body length 8.3, carapace width 2.6. Leg 1: 56.6 (15.3 + 1.1 + 14.8 + 23.1 + 2.3), tibia 2: 10.4, tibia 3: 7.7, tibia 4: 10.8; tibia 1 L/d: 51. Habitus as in Fig. 747. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown median and lateral marks, clypeus with pair of brown stripes, leg femora and tibiae with light tips and distinct dark subdistal rings, patellae also darkened, abdomen ochre-gray with distinct dorsal and ventral pattern. Distance PME-PME 195 µm, diameter PME 195 µm, distance PME-ALE 80 µm, distance AME-AME 60 µm, diameter AME 195 µm. Ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; deep thoracic pit. Chelicerae with relatively small proximal apophyses and distal apophyses (Figs. 779, 780). Palps as in Figs. 751 and 752, coxa with distinct retrolateral apophysis and shallow wide furrow, trochanter barely modified, femur with shallow retrolateral furrow with ventrally distinct rim, procursus with distinctive sclerotized and membranous processes (Figs. 774–776), bulb with distinctive embolus (Figs. 777, 778). Legs without spines, few vertical hairs, with curved hairs on tibiae and metatarsi 1 and 2, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1. Gonopore with two epiandrous spigots.
Variation. Extent and intensity of carapace pattern varies widely. In some males, the membranous flap dorsodistally on the procursus (arrow in Fig. 774) is slightly bent towards dorsal. Tibia 1 in 5 males: 12.3–14.5 (mean 13.7).
Female. In general similar to male; tibia 1 in 12 females: 9.1–12.8 (mean 10.7). Epigynum a simple plate, round pockets posteriorly deeper but also anteriorly with distinct rim (Fig. 759), similar S. roeweri but pockets slightly closer together; internal genitalia as in Figs. 760 and 781.
Distribution. Widely distributed in southern Congo D.R. (Fig. 718).
Material examined. CONGO D.R.: Lulua Prov.: Lubondai: 1♂ type above. Lualaba Prov.: Sandoa [=Sanduwa, 9°41’S, 22°53’E], 1932 (Denis), 1♂ 7♀ in MRAC (26871–79); same locality, no date (G.F. Overlaet), 1♂ 1♀ in MRAC (26922–27 part). Kasai Prov.: Tshikapa [6°24’S, 20°48’E], “Tshaka”, 1930 (Fourche), 1♂ 2♀ in MRAC (25681–82). Tshikapa, “Tshemanginda”, 1930 (Fourche), 1♂ 3♀ in MRAC (25683–86). Tanganyika Prov.: Kapona [7°11.0’S, 29°08.7’E], iii.1966 (J. Bafort), 1♂ in MRAC (129785 part). Haut-Katanga Prov.: Lusinga, riv. Ntumbwa [8°56’S, 27°13’E], 9./ 11.iv.2001 (PNU staff), 2♀ (2 vials) in MRAC (211723, 29). Sankuru Prov.: Komi [=Ekomi; 3°23’S, 23°46’E], 19.i.1930 (J. Ghesquière), 1♂ in MRAC (25691). Haut-Lomami Prov.: Mulongo (Nyunzu) [7°50’S, 27°00’E?], v.1930 (P. Gerard), 1♂ 1♀ in MRAC (25671–72); same locality, 20.–30.v.1930 (P. Gerard), 3♀ 1 juv. in MRAC (25667–70).
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 124-125, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3461.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6415657