Pochyta insulana Simon 1910
Creators: name: Wesołowska, Wanda
name: Szűts, Tamás
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Pochyta
Pochyta insulana

description: Pochyta insulana Simon, 1910
Figs 40–49
Pochyta insulana Simon 1910: 436 (D ♂ ♀).
Type material. Lectotype (designated here), male: SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE, Princípe: without precise locality, (MNHN 21088) [MNHN-AR-AR15860]. Paralectotype: together with lectotype, 1♀.
Other material examined. SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE: Ilha Principe road to Sundi, ponte de Ministro, 1°39’N 7°23’E, 1♂ 2♀, 19.V.2001, leg. J.M. Ledford (MRAC).
Diagnosis. The palpal organ of this species is similar to that in P. fastibilis and P. tendicula sp. n., but may be distinguished by the clearly shorter embolus (compare Fig. 44 with Fig. 141) and the forked tibial apophysis (Fig. 45). The female is distinctive in having an epigyne with two large oval depressions divided by a median ridge (Fig. 48).
Redescription. Male. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 3.3–3.5, width 2.5–3.0, height 1.5–2.0. Eye field: length 1.6–1.8, anterior width 2.2–2.5, posterior width 1.9–2.0. Abdomen: length 3.0–3.6, width 1.6–2.0. General appearance as in Fig. 40. Carapace high, brown, with lighter median thoracic area, sides brownish-orange, with thin dark lines along lateral edge. Eyes large, surrounded by blackish rings and small white scales, some light bristles near eyes, short brownish hairs on carapace dorsum, white on slopes. Chelicerae massive, with big retrolateral tooth and two separated small teeth on promargin, additional semi-circular sclerotized flange on ventral surface (Fig. 43). Mouthparts brown, with whitish tips, sternum yellow. Abdomen ovoid, slender, brownish, with light pattern composed of streak in anterior half and pair of rounded patches medially, and several chevrons in posterior half (Fig. 40). Lateral surfaces of abdomen light, venter with large dark brown patch medially. Short dense brown hairs on abdominal dorsum. Spinnerets light yellow. Legs long (especially first pair), light yellow, only metatarsus and tarsus of leg I brown, leg hairs and spines brown. Patella of leg I with single prolateral spine, tibia with four pairs of spines on ventral surface and 1-1 on pro- and 1-0 on retrolateral sides; metatarsus ventrally 2-2-2. All spines slightly shorter than in P. fastibilis. Pedipalps long and thin, brown, bearing long dense hairs, especially on prolateral surface. Palpal tibia long, as long as cymbium, with short bifid apophysis (Fig. 45). Bulb rounded, small, with coiling embolus (Figs 41, 44). Cymbium long and narrow (Fig. 46).
Female. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 2.6–3.1, width 2.1–2.3, height 1.4–1.5. Eye field: length 1.5– 1.6, anterior width 2.0–2.1, posterior width 1.8–1.9. Abdomen: length 2.5–3.2, width 1.4–2.0. Slightly smaller than male, similarly coloured. Chelicerae slightly smaller than in male but with same dentition. Abdomen greyish with delicate herring-bone pattern composed of lighter dots. Legs light brown with yellow rings. Spination of leg I as in male, but prolateral spines on metatarsus delicate. Epigyne weakly sclerotized, oval, with large shallow depressions separated by median ridge and paired pockets at epigastric furrow (Figs 47, 48). Copulatory openings placed posteriorly and mesially, seminal ducts thin, directed anteriorly, looping laterally and posteriorly before entering two-chambered spermathecae laterally (Fig. 49).
Distribution. Species known only from Principe Island, probably endemic.
Remarks. The original description was based on two syntypes representing both sexes. The male is designated here as the lectotype and the accompanying female as the paralectotype for stability of the nomenclature.
description: Published as part of Wesołowska, Wanda & Szűts, Tamás, 2021, A revision of the genus Pochyta Simon, with descriptions of new species (Araneae: Salticidae: Thiratoscirtina), pp. 1-41 in Zootaxa 5052 (1) on pages 12-14, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5052.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5565881