Mystaria flavogutatta Honiball Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman 2014, comb. n.
Creators: name: Honiball Lewis, Allet S.
name: Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Thomisidae
Mystaria
Mystaria flavogutatta

description: Mystaria flavogutatta (Lawrence, 1952) comb. n.
Figs 2, 11–13, 45–48, 116
Paramystaria flavoguttata Lawrence 1952: 14; fig. 8 (descr. juvenile ♀). Jézéquel 1964: 1111.
Type material: Holotype (designated by Lawrence 1952): juvenile ♀, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): Katanga Region, Grotte de Kakontwe [10°59’S, 26°40’E] found at entrance of cave beneath stones, 3 August 1948, N. Leleup (MRAC 81211, examined).
Other material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, sub-adult ♂, juvenile ♀, Cwebe Nature Reserve, The Haven [31°45’S, 29°16’E], beating of coastal dune forest, 30 October 2006, R. Lyle & C. Haddad (NCA 2007/332). KwaZulu-Natal Province, 1 ♀, Ndumo Game Reserve [26°54’S 32°15’E], Malaise traps in sand forest and broad leaf deciduous forest, 4–8 December 2009, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs (NMBA); 1 ♀, Richards Bay [28°47’S, 32°06’E], tree beating, 26 April 2004, T. Wassenaar (NCA 2009/5037). Limpopo Province, 1 ♂, Kruger National Park, Punda Maria Camp, Shipudze [22°27’S, 31°13’E], 19 December 1962, R.F. Lawrence (NM 23345). SWAZILAND: Hhohho Region, juvenile ♀, Piggs Peak area, Hhlehhlele [25°50’S, 31°13’E], handpicked outside pit-toilet, at foot of mountain, 29 October 2011, A.S. Lewis (NCA 2012/325).
Diagnosis. Both sexes recognised by carapace with highly elevated thoracic region; in female usually with pattern (Fig. 12) or in holotype juvenile female abdomen uniform in colour with two prominent spots posteriorly. Femora I–IV with numerous short setae ventrally. Female epigyne with atrium well-defined cube-shape (Fig. 47), intromittent canals as in Fig. 48. Male palp with VTA finger-shaped, RTA tooth-like (Fig. 45) extending laterally with a slight curve (Fig. 46) and a small cymbial apophysis.
Re-description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 1). TL: 4.58; CL: 1.53; CW: 1.41; CI: 1.08; CH: 1.18; CLL: 0.24; MOQ-L: 0.31. Colour. Carapace and legs copper-brown to orange-yellow; leg III sometimes paler; abdomen pale copper, may resemble M. rufolimbata in both having two contrasting spots postero-dorsally; two spots may either be circles, or form contrasting border encircling abdomen (Fig. 12). Chelicerae. As in Fig. 2. Sternum. SL: 0.59 SW: 0.75 SI: 0.78. Eyes. PME fairly small; eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.29; ALE–AME: 0.35; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.83; PME–PME: 0.41; PLE–PME: 0.33; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.25; ALE/AME: 1.20; PLE/PME: 0.80; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.71; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.43; CLYP/AME–AME: 0.80. Legs. Two to three spiniform setae in a row, present on tibiae directed latero-ventrally to leg and dorsally on tibiae and patellae; leg formula: II:I:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.87, Pat 0.33, Tib 0.94, Mt 0.73, Ta 0.54, total 3.41; II—Fe 1.01, Pat 0.38, Tib 0.99, Mt 0.78, Ta 0.61, total 3.76; III—Fe 0.71, Pat 0.33, Tib 0.63, Mt 0.47, Ta 0.38, total 2.51; IV—Fe 0.89, Pat 0.35, Tib 0.73, Mt 0.54, Ta 0.40, total 2.91. Abdomen: AL: 3.06; AW: 2.59; AI: 1.18. Epigyne. Atrium well-defined cube-shaped; intromittent orifices open laterally (Fig. 47); intromittent canals complex (Fig. 48); spermathecae small, situated postero-laterally.
Male. Size, measurements (n = 1). TL: 3.43; CL: 1.36; CW: 1.36; CI: 1.00; CH: 0.96; CLL: 0.32; MOQ-L: 0.28. Resemble females but differs as follows: Colour. Carapace uniform reddish-brown; abdomen orange to copper. Legs uniform in colour, leg III sometimes paler. Carapace. With denser setae. Clypeu s. With long and numerous setae on edge. Sternum. SL: 0.59; SW: 0.67; SI: 0.88. Eye s. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.28; ALE–AME: 0.32; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.89; PME–PME: 0.40; PLE–PME: 0.35; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.13; ALE/AME: 1.13; PLE/PME: 0.88; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.89; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.13; MOQ-AW/ MOQ-PW: 0.71; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.40; CLYP/AME–AME: 1.13. Legs. Leg formula: I:II:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 1.08, Pat 0.35, Tib 0.94, Mt 0.73, Ta 0.56, total 3.67; II—Fe 1.13, Pat 0.38, Tib 0.89, Mt 0.68, Ta 0.56, total 3.64; III—Fe 0.75, Pat 0.31, Tib 0.59, Mt 0.45, Ta 0.35, total 2.44; IV—Fe 0.87, Pat 0.31, Tib 0.63, Mt 0.49, Ta 0.38, total 2.68; Abdomen. AL: 2.07: AW: 1.81; AI: 1.14. Palp (only left palp available). Embolus long, thin, coiling at least twice around bulb (Fig. 45); RTA broad at base, tip sharply pointed; VTA finger-shaped (Fig. 46).
Natural history. Sampled from trees in savanna and coastal forest habitats. The holotype was found under a stone at a cave entrance. Adults were sampled from December to April and juveniles in October.
Distribution. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). New record: South Africa (Fig. 116).
description: Published as part of Honiball Lewis, Allet S. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S., 2014, Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region, pp. 101-144 in Zootaxa 3873 (2) on pages 118-119, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4948115