Micaria plana Booysen & Haddad 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Booysen, Ruan
name: Haddad, Charles R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gnaphosidae
Micaria
Micaria plana

description: Micariaplana sp. nov.
Figs 28, 29, 63, 70, 151 – 154
Type material. Holotype ♀, ETHIOPIA: Shewa Region: Addis Alem, 10 km Wof Addis Alem, under stones, in pasture, handcollecting, 09°02.828’N, 38°24.452’E, leg. A. Russell-Smith, 28.VI.1988 (MRAC 225606).
Paratypes: ETHIOPIA: Shewa Region: Between Debre Berhan & Ankober, under stones near stream, hand collecting, 09°41’N, 39°42’E, leg. A. Russell-Smith, 27.IV.1983, 4 ♂ (MRAC 225570).
Etymology. The species name is taken from the Latin adjective planus (flat), female -a, referring to the flattened and laterally extending copulatory ducts of the females.
Diagnosis. Females of this species can be recognised by the atypical structure of their copulatory ducts, in that they are laterally extending and tapered at the tip, opposed to the tubular structure of other Micaria species. The males of this species typically have a short (free part approximately half the size of the MA) embolus that is thick. The MA is large and curves inwards.
Description. Female (holotype from Addis Alem, Ethiopia, MRAC 225606): Measurements: TL 2.45, CL 1.03, CW 0.68, CL:CW 1.52, CLH 0.08, CLH:AME 1.65. Eyes: ALE 0.06, AME 0.05, PLE 0.05, PME 0.04, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.04, MOQAW 0.11, MOQPW 0.13, MOQL 0.16. SL 0.64, SW 0.49, AL 1.25, AW 0.80. Leg measurements: Palpal segment lengths: 0.29, 0.18, 0.16, 0.24. Leg I: 0.64, 0.30, 0.46, 0.37, 0.46. II: 0.59, 0.30, 0.41, 0.35, 0.43. III: 0.48, 0.27, 0.33, 0.38, 0.34. IV: 0.73, 0.33, 0.56, 0.59, 0.42. TLoflegs (I–IV): 2.23, 2.08, 1.80, 2.63; leg formula: 4123.
Colouration: carapace dark brown; abdomen dark brown or black; femora darkened; sternum, endites, labium, and chelicerae similar in colour to carapace (Fig. 28). Carapace: smooth in texture; decorated with squamose setae; dark pattern present medially, radiating; posterior margin indented medially; fovea absent; anterior margin narrowing slightly from coxa I; PER procurved in dorsal view, AER slightly recurved in anterior view. Chelicerae: decorated with plumose setae. Labium: triangular in shape, truncating where chelicerae meet. Endites: slanting inwards. Sternum: shield-like; broadest between coxa Iand II; posterior margin truncating behind coxa IV; decorated with aculeate setae. Legs: femora laterally flattened, highest at base, leg Imore pronounced in this fashion; rest of legs normal, thin. Leg macrosetae: Palps: 1pl, 1do, 1pl, 1pl, 2plv, 1rlv, 3vt. Leg I: 1do, 1pl. II: 1d. III: 1do, 1plv, 2plv, 2rlv, 4vt. IV: 1do, 1plv, 2vt, 2plv, 3vt. Legs I–IV with two rows of scopulate setae on metatarsi and four rows on tarsi. Abdomen: cylindrical in shape; decorated with squamose setae; two white spots dorsally near anterior margin, white median transverse line broken into three smaller transverse stripes (Fig. 28); venter similar in colour to dorsum; sigilla not visible. Epigyne: in ventral view, anterior hood divided, recurved; posterior pockets present medially, straight; copulatory openings at tipof copulatory ducts. In dorsal view, copulatory duct projecting laterally outwards from anterior margin of spermathecae, curved, tapered; fertilisation duct curved laterally outwards; spermathecae globular (Figs 151, 152).
Male (paratype collected between Debre Berhan and Ankober, Ethiopia, MRAC 225570): Measurements: TL 2.65, CL 1.10, CW 0.80, CL:CW 1.38, CLH 0.08, CLH:AME 1.41. Eyes: ALE 0.06, AME 0.06, PLE 0.06, PME 0.05, AME–AME 0.02, PME–PME 0.04, MOQAW 0.13, MOQPW 0.14, MOQL 0.16. SL 0.67, SW 0.49, AL 1.40, AW 0.26. Leg measurements: Palpal segment lengths: 0.36, 0.19, 0.12, 0.30. Leg I: 0.81, 0.40, 0.68, 0.52, 0.51. II: 0.64, 0.33, 0.49, 0.41, 0.46. III: 0.52, 0.27, 0.37, 0.41, 0.37. IV: 0.75, 0.35, 0.57, 0.65, 0.46. TLoflegs (I–IV): 2.92, 2.33, 1.94, 2.78; leg formula: 1423.
Colouration: carapace dark brown; abdomen black; femora darkened; sternum, endites, labium and chelicerae similar in colour to carapace (Fig. 29). Carapace: smooth in texture; decorated with squamose setae; broad somewhat rectangular dark marking medially, radiating dark lines project from it; posterior margin straight; fovea absent; anterior margin narrowing slightly from coxa I; PER procurved in dorsal view, AER recurved in anterior view.
Chelicerae: decorated with plumose setae. Labium: triangular in shape; cluster of setae present on tip. Endites: oblique; constricted just above halfway; posterior margin rounded. Sternum: shield-like; broadest between coxa I and II; posterior margin tapering behind coxa IV. Legs: femora laterally flattened, highest at base, leg Imore pronounced in this fashion; rest of legs normal, thin; decorated with lanceolate setae (Fig. 70). Leg macrosetae: Palps: 1do, 1pl, 1do, 1pl, 1pl, 1plv. Leg I: 1do, 1pl. II: 1do, 1plv, 2vt. III: 1do, 1pl, 1plv, 2vt, 2plv, 2rlv, 4vt. IV: 1do, 1plv, 2vt, 2plv, 1rlv, 3vt. Legs I–IV with two rows of scopulate setae on metatarsi and four rows on tarsi. Abdomen: cylindrical in shape; decorated with squamose setae; two white spots dorsally near anterior margin, broken transverse line medially (Fig. 29); venter similar in colour to dorsum; sigilla not visible. Palp: retrolateral tibial apophysis present apically on dorsal surface; median apophysis present, large, next to embolus, broad basally; sperm duct with slight bend posterior to embolus base, curved medially at an angle and continuing retrolaterally, straight, towards base of median apophysis; embolus base elongate, tip short, straight; cymbium elongate, pear-shaped and widest near basal third; two short spines present on tipof cymbium; three elongate ventral terminal spines present in front of embolus (Figs 153, 154).
Distribution. Micaria plana sp. nov. is limited to two localities in Ethiopia (Map 5).
description: Published as part of Booysen, Ruan & Haddad, Charles R., 2021, Revision and molecular phylogeny of the spider genus Micaria Westring, 1851 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in the Afrotropical Region, pp. 1-82 in Zootaxa 4940 (1) on pages 58-59, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4940.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4580917