Acanthinozodium sahelense, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rudy Jocqué
name: Arnaud Henrard
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Zodariidae
Acanthinozodium
Acanthinozodium sahelense

description: Acanthinozodium sahelense sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:01A0026D-5A5E-4CCD-A6CE-241708236D18
Figs 4–9, 13
Diagnosis
The male of this species is recognized by the shape of the RTA, which is about as long as the length of the tibia, slightly curved down and dorsoventrally Fattened; it has a typical large ventral bulge; extremity of the MA is slightly indented (Fig. 8 A). Females are characterized by the epigyne (Figs 5 G–H, 6C) in which the three sections of the frontal margin are strongly curved.
Etymology
The name refers to the wide area of distribution in the Sahel zone of western Africa.
Type material
Holotype
CAMEROON: Ƌ, Waza, 11°25’ N 14°34’ E, 28 Aug. 1972, Geraert E. (MRAC 144790).
Other material examined
CAMEROON: 3 ƋƋ, 4 ♀♀: Faro Game Reserve, 8°24’ N 12°49’E, 4 May 2007, wooded savanna, pitfall, Jocqué R., Loosveldt K., Baert L., Alderweireldt M. (MRAC 221205); 2 ♀♀: as previous, 1 May 2007 (MRAC 221147); 1 ♀: as previous, 5 May 2007, gallery forest, pitfall (MRAC 221183). IVORY COAST: 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀: N of Korhogo, Bandama river, 9°27’ N 5°38’ W, 4 Feb. 1980, edge of riverine forest, Everts J. (MRAC 174271); 1 Ƌ: Bouaké, Mbé, WARDA The Africa Rice Centre, 7°52’ N 5°06’ W, 22 Aug. 1992, pitfall trap, hydromorphic rice, Russell-Smith A. (MRAC 235937). BURKINA FASO: 1 Ƌ: Sissamba, 13°30’ N 2°28’ W, 19 Oct. 1993, pitfalls, treated C1, De Visscher M.-N. & Balança G. (MRAC 207576). SENEGAL: 1 ♀: S. of Richard Toll, 16°20’ N 15°30’ W, 28 Aug. 1989, pitfall, savanna, Everts J. (MRAC 170712); 1 ♀: as previous, 20 Aug. 1989 (MRAC 170716); 2 ƋƋ: as previous, 2 Sep. 1989 (MRAC 170719).
Description
Male
TOTAL LENGTH 3.55.
CARAPACE. (Figs 4 A, C–E, 5A–B). 1.85 long and 1.49 wide.
COLOUR. (Figs 4, 5 A–B). Carapace and chelicerae yellow; brown suffusion on cervical grooves; fovea dark reddish brown; sternum and mouthparts pale yellow; legs uniform yellow. Abdomen: dorsum dark sepia with large white spot in front of pale yellow spinnerets, the latter surrounded by ill-deFned dark ring; sides turning into pale along pale cream venter.
CLYPEUS. 0.31 high.
EYES. (Fig. 4 F). AME large, round; anterior eye row straight, posterior row strongly procurved; AME: 0.20; ALE: 0.10; PME: 0.10; PLE: 0.08; AME-AME: 0.10; AME-ALE: 0.03; PME-PME: 0.20; PME-PLE: 0.07. MOQ: width 0.49 in front, 0.44 at the back; 0.39 long.
STERNUM. 1.42 long, 0.99 wide.
LEGS. Spination: all femora with one dorsal spine and two rows of long ventral setae.
ABDOMEN. With row of thin modiFed setae in front of spinnerets.
LEG MEASUREMENTS.
PALP. (Figs 6 A–B, 7–8, 9A–D). Tibia protruding dorsally; RTA about as long as length of tibia, slightly curved down and dorso-ventrally Fattened; with conspicuous ventral bulge; cymbium with large plugpit just in front of tibial bulge; embolus curved, Fat, distal part with dorsal and ventral lamellae; MA strongly curved backward, distal extremity slightly indented; conductor rounded, membranous.
Female
TOTAL LENGTH. 5.04.
CARAPACE. (Fig. 5 C) 2.34 long and 1.85 wide.
COLOUR. (Fig. 5 C–F). Similar to male, but cephalic area more strongly suffused with dark brown.
CLYPEUS. 0.26 high.
EYES. AME: 0.20; ALE: 0.10; PME: 0.08; PLE: 0.10; AME-AME: 0.10; AME-ALE: 0.03; PME-PME:
0.33; PME-PLE: 0.08. MOQ: width 0.46 in front, 0.43 at the back; 0.39 long.
STERNUM. 1.28 long, 1.07 wide.
LEG MEASUREMENTS.
EPIGYNE. (Figs 5 G–H, 6C). Wider than long; with two atria divided by thin median septum; anterior atria margin with three sections, one central, two lateral; all curved; spermathecae visible in transparency at extremities of central section.
Variation
Intensity of suffusion in cephalic area is variable. Total length of females varies between 3.4 and 5.1; that of males between 3.3 and 3.5.
Distribution
Very wide, from northern Cameroon in the east, to Senegal in the west (Fig. 13).
description: Published as part of Rudy Jocqué & Arnaud Henrard, 2015, Revalidation of Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966 with description of three new species and discovery of a remarkable male palpal character (Araneae, Zodariidae), pp. 1-23 in European Journal of Taxonomy 114 on pages 8-14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2015.114, http://zenodo.org/record/1406552