Udubidae Griswold & Polotow 2015
Creators: name: Henrard, Arnaud
name: Griswold, Charles
name: Jocqué, Rudy
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Udubidae

description: Family Udubidae Griswold & Polotow, 2015
Udubidae Griswold & Polotow in Polotow et al., 2015: 151.
Type genus
Uduba Simon, 1880: 343 (Type species by monotypy: Olios madagascariensis Vinson, 1863 = Uduba madagascariensis (Vinson, 1863)).
Diagnosis
Udubidae are entelegyne RTA-clade spiders with three tarsal claws (Fig. 21A–B), multiple rows of tarsal trichobothria of about equal length (Figs 13F, 20E–F), eight eyes in 2 nearly straight rows (Figs 3C, F, 8A–B, 13C–D, 17A, 22A, C, 24A, C), indirect eyes with canoe-shaped tapeta and the cheliceral fang with interior serrula weak to absent. Males may or may not have a subbasal crack or line of autospasy on the leg tibiae (Fig. 24B, arrow; Griswold 1993: figs 3–4). All species have a hyaline conductor (C = the “Sierwald conductor” of Polotow et al. 2015), which is relatively small, transverse, hyaline and fan-shaped, prolaterally extending from narrow base to wide flattened tip (Figs 5A–C, 6D–F, 9A–C, 11A–C, 12E, 14D, F, 15D–F). Most have an additional tegular process accompanying the embolus that is a narrow membranous or sclerotized extension inserted between the tegulum and the base of the median apophysis (MA), running backward to MA and ending with fattened fan-shaped tip accompanying the embolus: this is the paraconductor (Pc = the “MTP” and “STP” of Griswold 1993) (Figs 5A–C, 6D–F, 9A–C, 11A–C, 12E, 14D, 15D–F). The paraconductor is found in other members of the Oval Calamistrum (OC) clade (the “TA” in Griswold et al. 2005: figs 186B–C, 195B–C), and the Sierwald conductor (C) occurs widely among the OC clade and Dionycha Petrunkevitch, 1928 (Polotow et al. 2015: figs. 13E–F, 15A–B, E–F).
Udubidae may be distinguished from most other araneomorph spider families found in Madagascar by the form of their tarsi. The presence of tarsal trichobothria distinguishes udubids from the Filistatidae Ausserer, 1867, Synspermiata Michalik & Ramírez, 2014, Palpimanoidea Forster & Platnick, 1984, Araneoidea Latreille, 1806, Eresidae C.L. Koch, 1845 (in Berendt 1845), Hersiliidae Thorell, 1869 and Oecobiidae Blackwall, 1862, Phyxelididae Lehtinen, 1967 and Titanoecidae Lehtinen, 1967. Multiple rows of tarsal trichobothria distinguish Udubidae from taxa with only a single row of tarsal trichobothria including Agelenidae C.L. Koch, 1837, Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871, Hahniidae Bertkau, 1878 and most Zodariidae Thorell, 1881 and Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833. Among taxa with multiple rows of tarsal trichobothria udubids may be distinguished from Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833, Pisauridae Simon, 1890 and Oxyopidae Thorell, 1869 in that these latter families have at least one eye row strongly curved, whereas Udubidae have both eye rows nearly straight. Udubids have at least a rudiment of the inferior tarsal claw and lack claw tufts, characters that distinguish them from Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 and the Dionycha (Cheiracanthiidae Wagner, 1887, Clubionidae Simon, 1878, Corinnidae Karsch, 1880, Gallieniellidae Millot, 1947, Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892, Liocranidae Simon, 1897, Philodromidae Thorell, 1869, Salticidae Blackwall, 1841, Selenopidae Simon, 1897, Trachelidae Simon, 1897, Trochanteriidae Karsch, 1879 and Viridasiidae Lehtinen, 1967). Finally, like Udubidae, the lone genus of Desidae Pocock, 1895 from Madagascar, Desis Walckenaer, 1837, has numerous tarsal trichobothria and straight eye rows but the latter is quite distinct in having elongate chelicerae, a dense cover of fine hairs and the posterior tracheal spiracle on the abdomen advanced.
Composition
Campostichomma Karsch, 1892 (Sri Lanka), Raecius Simon, 1892 (Africa), and Tabiboka gen. nov., Uduba Simon 1880, Zorascar gen. nov. and Zorodictyna Strand, 1907 (Madagascar).
Key to Udubidae of Madagascar
1. Male palp without process between tibia and patella; cymbium with retrobasal extension (CE), short to as long as rest of cymbium (Figs 5B–C, 6A–C, 9B–C, 11B–C, 12B–D, 14A–C, 15A–B, 16A–B, 23B–C, 25C); embolus broad and flat to slender, cylindrical, firmly attached to point of origin on retromargin of tegulum (Figs 5A–B, 6D–E, 8F, 9A–B, 11A–B, 12E, 14E–F, 15B, D–F, 23A–B, 25A–B); tegulum oval apically; conductor hyaline, fan-shaped crest arising from middle to apex of tegulum; female endogyne with spermathecal ducts short, stout, not making loops, at most twisted (Figs 5E, 7C–E, 9E, 11E, 12H, 16D, 18B–D, 19C–F, 23E, 25E) ..................................................... 2
– Male palp with small ventral process at base of tibia between tibia and patella (“ UTA ” in Griswold et al. 2022: figs 27A–B, 39A–C, 40A–C, 41B); cymbium rounded retrobasally; embolus flexibly attached to large, swollen base, embolus elongate and extending behind tegulum and subtegulum to emerge from alveolus near bulb apex (Griswold et al. 2022: figs 27A–B, 32C, 41F, 51A); tegulum trilobed apically, with retrolateral (TA1), median (TA2) and prolateral (TA3) processes interacting apically (Griswold et al. 2022: figs 27A–B, 29A–I, 51A–C); conductor rectangular hyaline crest arising along apical margin of prolateral tegular lobe near TA3; female endogyne with spermathecal ducts elongate, making at least one (to as many as five) loops (Griswold et al. 2022: figs 68B–D, 80B–D, F–G, I–J) ............................................................................................................................... ......... Uduba Simon, 1880 (the key to Uduba species is amply detailed in Griswold et al. 2022: 13)
2. With entire cribellum or vestige; PLS and ALS equal in length; strong scopulae beneath leg tarsi and most of length of metatarsi; males with crack-suture on leg tibiae just anteriad of basalmost pair of ventral spines (Fig. 24B) ........................................................................3. Zorodictyna Strand, 1907
– Ecribellate; PLS much smaller than ALS; scopulae absent or only with weak scopulae beneath leg tarsi; most males without crack-suture on leg tibiae ........................................................................ 5
3. Male palpal cymbium with rounded retrolateral paracymbial process (PP) (Figs 23B–C, 25B–C); cymbial retrobasal extension (CE) extending at least one-third length of tibia (Figs 23B–C, 25B–C); female epigyne lateral lobes (LL) lacking teeth (Figs 23D, 25D) .................................................... 4
– Male palpal cymbium evenly convex retrolaterally, without paracymbial process (Griswold 1993: figs 20–21); cymbial retrobasal extension, short, extending only to tibial apex (Griswold 1993: figs 20–21); female epigyne lateral lobes with short teeth (Griswold 1993: fig. 24) ......................... ...................................................................................................... Zorodictyna oswaldi (Lenz, 1891)
4. Male palp with basal embolic process (EBP) nearly triangular, embolus lacking crest, tegulum with retromedian longitudinal ridge that extends for most of tegulum length (Fig. 23A–C); female epigyne lateral lobes (LL) parallel, median sector (MS) rectangular (Fig. 23D); female endogyne with copulatory ducts (CD) larger than spermathecae (Fig. 23E) .......... Zorodictyna almae sp. nov.
– Male palp with basal embolic process (EBP) slender, crescentic, embolus with subapical distal crest, and tegulum retromedian longitudinal ridge weak, short, extending for less than one-half tegulum length (Figs 25A–C); female epigyne lateral lobes (LL) converging posteriorly, median sector (MS) triangular (Fig. 25D); female endogyne with copulatory ducts (CD) and spermathecae equal in size (Fig. 25E) ....................................................................................... Zorodictyna silvadavilae sp. nov.
5. Male palp with cymbial retrobasal extension (CE) elongate, extending most of length of tibia, palpal tibia with RTA only, lacking VTA (Figs 14A–B, 15A–B, 16A–B); female epigyne median lobe (ML) short, concave medially, not extending to posterior margin, copulatory openings (CO) exposed (Figs 16C, E, 18A) ............................................................................................6. Zorascar gen. nov.
– Male palp with cymbial retrobasal extension (CE) shorter, extending to or just past tibial apex, palpal tibia with both VTA and RTA (Figs 5A–C, 6A–C, 9A–C, 11A–C, 12A–D); female epigyne median lobe (ML) extends to posterior margin, separating lateral lobes (LL) and covering copulatory openings (CO) (Figs 4B, 5D, 7A–B, 9D, 11D, 12G) .......................................................7. Tabiboka gen. nov.
6. Female epigyne median lobe (ML) broad and shallowly concave medially, copulatory openings (CO) exposed anteromedially (Fig. 16C), spermathecae elongate, curved, eggplant-shaped (Fig. 16D); male palp as in figures (Figs 14A–F, 15A–F, 16A–B) ..................... Zorascar pasunepipe gen. et sp. nov.
– Female epigyne median lobe (ML) narrow and deeply concave medially, copulatory openings (CO) exposed laterad of median lobe (Figs 16E, 18A, 19A–B), spermathecae stout, rounded, reniform (Figs 18B–D, 19C–F); male unknown ................................ Zorascar pasunepomme gen. et sp. nov.
7. Male palp with conductor base originating anteriorly, hidden behind embolus or paraconductor (Pc), embolus short, arising retrolaterally near 270° (Figs 5A–C; 6D–F, 8F, 9A–C); female epigyne median lobe (ML) heart-shaped, sides rounded (Figs 4B, 5D, 7A, 9D) ....................................................... 8
– Male palp conductor originating medially, near embolus base, not hidden, embolus elongate, arising retrobasally near 200° (Figs 11A–C, 12A–C, E); female epigyne median lobe (ML) rectangular, narrowest in middle or with sides straight (Figs 11D, 12G) ...... Tabiboka polotowae gen. et sp. nov.
8. Male palpal tibia with elongate retrobasal process (RTA), embolus broad, median apophysis (MA) short, apex far proximad of embolus apex (Figs 5A–C, 6D–F); female epigyne median lobe (ML) narrow anteriorly, anterior width less than one-half total width (Figs 4B, 5D, 7A), endogyne with each spermatheca as broad as long (Figs 5E, 7C–E) ...................... Tabiboka milleri gen. et sp. nov.
– Male palpal tibia with short, blunt retromedian process (RTA), embolus slender; median apophysis (MA) elongate, cruciform, apex extends to embolus apex (Figs 8C–F, 9A–C); female epigyne median lobe (ML) broad anteriorly, anterior width greater than one-half total width (Fig. 9D), endogyne with each spermatheca narrow, longer than broad (Fig. 9E) ................... Tabiboka milloti gen. et sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Henrard, Arnaud, Griswold, Charles & Jocqué, Rudy, 2024, On new genera and species of crack-leg spiders (Araneae, Udubidae) from Madagascar, pp. 1-80 in European Journal of Taxonomy 966 (1) on pages 11-13, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.966.2697, http://zenodo.org/record/14001790