Foordana distincta Haddad, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Haddad, Charles R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Trachelidae
Foordana
Foordana distincta

description: Foordana distincta sp. nov.
Figs 1 A – C, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 D, G, H
Material examined.
Holotype. South Africa • ♂; Free State Province; Clocolan, Amahelo-ho-Spitskop; 28°48.561'S, 27°39.255'E; 17 Mar. 2010; C. Haddad leg.; base of grass tussocks; NCA 2010/349.
Paratypes. South Africa • 4 ♀; together with holotype • Eastern Cape Province; 1 ♀; Queenstown / Komani district, Farm Arphen; 31°51.546'S, 26°34.112'E; 1160 m a. s. l.; 4 Apr. 2021; C. Haddad leg.; hand collecting; NCA 2021/1044 • 1 ♂ 2 ♀; Amatola Mountains, Hogsback, Amatole Forestry Company; 32°33.727'S, 26°54.924'E; 1460 m a. s. l.; 23 Mar. 2013; C. Haddad leg.; active search, grass tussocks and fynbos in grassland; NCA 2014/321 • Free State Province: 1 ♂ 2 ♀; Clocolan, Amahelo-ho-Spitskop; 28°48'S, 27°39'E; 9 Mar. 2007; C. Haddad leg.; Rhus litter; NCA 2007/1334 • 2 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 8 Mar. 2007; dense grass; NCA 2007/1336 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; grassy litter near dam; NCA 2008/2897 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Eucalyptus litter; NCA 2007/1335 • 1 ♀; Clocolan, Amahelo-ho-Spitskop; 28°48.561'S, 27°39.255'E; 2010; A. Jones leg.; in garden and around house; NCA 2010/328 • 3 ♀; Wepener district, Farm Dereham, 29°52.671'S, 27°04.456'E; 1520 m a. s. l.; 31 Mar. 2024; C. Haddad leg.; hand collecting in grassland; NMBA 19614 • KwaZulu-Natal Province; 3 ♀; Pietermaritzburg, Town Bush; 29°33'S, 30°21'E; 15 Apr. 1976; F. Wanless & A. Russell-Smith leg.; ground layer in grassland; BMNH • Western Cape Province: 1 ♀; Houw Hoek, Houw Hoek Inn; -34.2046, 19.1537; 275 m a. s. l.; 25 Nov. 2021; C. Haddad leg.; hand collecting in fynbos; NMBA 18796.
Diagnosis.
The male of this species shares with F. flavipoda sp. nov. a simple curved embolus in ventral view (Figs 8 B, 10 A), whereas it is S-shaped with a distal loop in F. kasouga sp. nov. (Fig. 11 B). Furthermore, it can be recognised by the generally similar size of the dorsal and ventral retrolateral tibial apophyses in lateral view (Fig. 8 C), whereas the ventral is far larger than the dorsal in F. flavipoda sp. nov. (Fig. 10 B) and the dorsal is larger than the ventral in F. kasouga sp. nov. (Fig. 11 C). Females can be separated from F. flavipoda sp. nov. and an undescribed species from Zimbabwe by the absence of a median hood (compare Fig. 9 G – J).
Description.
Male (holotype, Amahelo-ho-Spitskop, NCA 2010/349): Measurements: CL 2.36, CW 2.03, AL 2.77, AW 1.87, TL 5.15, FL 0.14, SL 1.33, SW 1.15, AME - AME 0.07, AME - ALE 0.04, ALE - ALE 0.41, PME - PME 0.11, PME - PLE 0.19, PLE - PLE 0.68, MOQ: AW 0.35, PW 0.36, L 0.40. Length of leg segments: I 2.05 + 0.95 + 1.61 + 1.22 + 0.81 = 6.64; II 1.80 + 0.88 + 1.35 + 1.12 + 0.76 = 5.91; III 1.32 + 0.63 + 0.88 + 1.07 + 0.43 = 4.33; IV 1.92 + 0.85 + 1.60 + 1.78 + 0.63 = 6.78. Carapace deep red-brown, with four pairs of mediolateral mottled markings, corresponding to palps and first three pairs of legs (Fig. 2 A); surface finely wrinkled, appearing asetose but with very short sparse setae (Fig. 3 B); fovea short, distinct, at ⅔ CL. AER slightly procurved, almost straight; clypeus height equal to AME diameter; AME very slightly larger than ALE; AME separated by distance equal ½ their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance equal to slightly less than ⅓ AME diameter; PER slightly recurved, PLE slightly larger than PME; PME separated by distance equal to slightly more than ⅘ their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance equal to 1 ½ PME diameter. Chelicerae, endites and labium dark orange-brown; anterior surface of cheliceral paturon covered with fairly dense long, fine setae mesally, sparse laterally; promargin with three slightly separated teeth, median tooth largest; retromargin with three adjacent teeth on common base, decreasing in size distally; endites slightly paler. Sternum dark orange, with faint black mottled patches laterally, border dark orange-brown; surface smooth, with scattered erect setae. Abdomen elongate-oval, creamy-grey dorsally, with narrow yellow-brown dorsal scutum, leaving narrow sliver between scutum and black lateral markings (Fig. 2 A); dorsum with continuous black line from anterior to posterior, with pair of narrow lines in posterior half of abdomen, joined by six faint transverse chevron markings; sides black (Fig. 2 B); venter creamy-grey, with pair of black mediolateral lines from epigastric fold to spinnerets (Fig. 2 C). Legs I to IV dark yellow-orange, I darker than others; ventral cusps present on tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi I and II (Fig. 8 A). Palp (Figs 7 A, B, 8 B, C, 9 D) dark red-brown; tegulum oval, with embolus originating mesally, initially with broad base directed prolaterally, bending sharply before gradually curving to tip, directed at 2 o’clock; vRTA slender, subtriangular, with rounded tip pointed inwards in ventral view; dRTA slightly smaller with sharp tip, triangular in lateral view.
Female (paratype, Amahelo-ho-Spitskop, NCA 2010/349): Measurements: CL 2.48, CW 2.05, AL 3.58, AW 2.35, TL 5.60, FL 0.24, SL 1.32, SW 1.05, AME - AME 0.06, AME - ALE 0.03, ALE - ALE 0.37, PME - PME 0.13, PME - PLE 0.14, PLE - PLE 0.65, MOQ: AW 0.31, PW 0.40, L 0.35. Length of leg segments: I 2.12 + 1.02 + 1.52 + 1.20 + 0.86 = 6.72; II 1.90 + 0.92 + 1.35 + 1.02 + 0.80 = 5.99; III 1.47 + 0.77 + 1.00 + 1.12 + 0.55 = 4.91; IV 2.25 + 0.98 + 1.80 + 1.95 + 0.70 = 7.68. Carapace deep orange-brown, with three paired mediolateral mottled grey markings and mottled patch in front of fovea (Fig. 2 F); AER slightly procurved, almost straight; clypeus height equal to ALE diameter; AME slightly larger than ALE; AME separated by distance approximately ⅖ their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance equal to ⅕ AME diameter; PER slightly recurved, PME and PLE subequal; PME separated by distance equal to their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance equal to PME diameter. Chelicerae, endites and labium orange-brown; cheliceral promargin with three slightly separated teeth, median tooth largest; retromargin with three adjacent teeth on common base, decreasing in size distally. Sternum deep yellow-brown, borders darker, with mottled lateral markings near coxal bases; surface finely wrinkled, covered with scattered short, fine setae. Abdomen without scutum, dorsal, lateral and ventral markings as for male (Fig. 2 F – H). Legs I to IV creamy-yellow, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi I and II yellow-brown. Epigyne (Figs 7 F, 8 D, E, 9 G, H) with broad, sharply curved atria mesally, with copulatory openings entering short lateral copulatory ducts before entering large teardrop-shaped anterior ST II, each with oval lateral accessory gland; connecting ducts exiting ST II posteromesally, curving laterally, making a twist before entering bilobed posterolateral ST I, with short channel leading to fertilization ducts.
Etymology.
The species name is the Latin for “ distinct, clear ”, referring to the well-defined abdominal markings of this species.
Distribution.
Widespread across the southern half of South Africa (Fig. 12).
description: Published as part of Haddad, Charles R., 2025, And they just keep coming: four new genera of dark sac spiders from southern Africa (Araneae, Trachelidae), pp. 19-64 in African Invertebrates 66 (1) on pages 19-64, DOI: 10.3897/AfrInvertebr.66.139299