Lepthercus filmeri Ríos-Tamayo &amp; Lyle 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ríos-Tamayo, Duniesky
name: Lyle, Robin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Nemesiidae
Lepthercus
Lepthercus filmeri

description: <i>Lepthercus filmeri</i> sp. nov. (Figs. 2E, 8 A–E, 24) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C0534EB5-4A0D-4EFE-A7C5-28B8CC73908A <b>Material examined. Type material</b>: Holotype &amp;female;. SOUTH AFRICA. Mpumalanga Province, Belfast [25°40’S 30°2’E], 1 Jun 1991, Filmer, M. <i>leg.</i>, (NCA 91 /1437). — Paratypes. Same data as holotype, Leeuwenbank [25°48’S 29°57’E], 2.ii.1990, Filmer, M. <i>leg.</i>, 3 &amp;female;&amp;female; (NCA 91/560). Same data, 2.vi.1991, Filmer, M. <i>leg.</i>, 1 &amp;female; (NCA 91/1440). <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case in honor of Martin R. Filmer, who was a prominent South African amateur arachnologist and who collected the specimens that this species is described from. <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>L. filmeri</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, can be recognized inside of “Group dregei” by the shape of their spermathecae with strong and twisted stalks with a developed receptacle (Fig. 8E). It can be differentiated too, by the presence of labial cuspules (only one), similar to <i>L. lawrencei</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, but differ in the less number of maxillary cuspules (97 <i>vs</i> 59) and chelicerae denticles (45 <i>vs</i> 15). Males are unknown. <b>Description.</b> Female holotype (NCA 91/1437, Fig. 8 A–E). Total length 14.47. <i>Carapace</i> (Fig. 8A): length 4.87, width 3.71, with small marginal bristles and soft pubescence. <i>Cephalic region</i>: length 3.14, clypeus small (almost absent) with 4 marginal bristles; 6 bristles in front of the OQ and 7 between the PME, line of bristles until fovea. <i>Fovea</i>: width 0.43, almost straight (slightly procurved). <i>Ocular measurements</i>: AME 0.10, ALE 0.24, PME 0.18, PLE 0.17, OQ length 0.42, width 0.74; AME–ALE 0.07, PME–PLE 0.02, AME–PME 0.08, ALE–PLE 0.02, AME–AME 0.14, PME–PME 0.31. <i>Chelicerae</i> (Fig. 8D): length 2.99, width 1.83; with dorsal-retrolateral dark bristles. Fang groove with 8 promarginal teeth and 15 mesobasal denticles. <i>Labium</i>: length 0.39, width 0.90, dorsally slightly concave with 1 cusp. <i>Maxillae</i>: length 1.65, width 0.95, with 59 cuspules posterior on inner corner, prolateral face straight, soft area long, with long uniformly distributed hairs, serrula present on anterior inner corner (Fig. 2E). <i>Sternum</i> (Fig. 8C): length 2.35, maximum width 2.09. <i>Abdomen</i> (Fig. 8B): length 7.24, with small bristles in the dorsum. PMS: length 0.68; PLS: length of basal:medial:apical segments 0.87:0.86:1.03; total length 2.76. <i>Lengths of legs and palp</i>: I: 3.15, 2.06, 2.14, 1.64, 1.15, 10.14. II: 2.88, 1.87, 1.78, 1.63, 1.20, 9.36. III: 2.61, 1.63, 1.49, 2.01, 1.26, 9.00. IV: 3.42, 1.90, 2.38, 2.52, 1.31, 11.53. Palp: 2.19, 1.38, 1.38, —, 1.38, 6.33. <i>Chaetotaxy</i>: Leg I: femur, 1-1-1-1-1-1 d, 1 P A; patella, 1 pa; tibia, 2-1-3 v; metatarsus, 2-1-1 V; tarsus, 0. Leg II: femur, 1-1-1-1-1 d, 1 P A; patella, 1 P A; tibia, 1 P, 2-2-3 V; metatarsus, 2-1-2 V; tarsus, 0. Leg III: femur, 1-1- 1-1-1 d, 1 P A; patella, 1 P, 1 R; tibia, 1-1 P, 1 D, 1 R, 2-2-3 V; metatarsus, 1-1 P, 1-1-1 D–P, 1-1-1 D–R, 2-1-3 V; tarsus, 0. Leg IV: femur, 1-1-1-1 d, 1 R A; patella, 1 R; tibia, 1 P, 1-1-1 R, 2-2-3 V; metatarsus, 1-1-1-1 P, 1-1-1 D–P, 1-1 D–R (1:2 A), 1-2 R (1:2 A), 2-2-3 V; tarsus, 0. Palp: femur, 1-1-1-1 d, 1 P A; patella, 0; tibia, 1 P, 2-2-3 V; tarsus, 2 V B. <i>Scopulae</i>: Metatarsi: I, dense, uniformly distributed and divided by bristles; II, dense (3:4 A) and divided by band of bristles; III–IV, 0. Tarsi: I-II dense, uniformly distributed and divided (I, narrow band; II wide band of bristles); III–IV, sparse, uniformly distributed and divided by a wide band of setae. <i>Trichobothria</i>: Tibiae: palp 7-8; I 9- 10; II 9-8; III 9-9; IV 10-10. Metatarsi: I (4)1(2)1(4)1; II (4)1(2)1(5)1; III (4)1(2)1(4)1; IV (4)1(2)1(4)1(4)1. Tarsi: palp 10; I-II 11; III-IV 11. <i>Preening combs</i>: metatarsus: II 3 P V; III 4 P V–3 R V; IV 2 P V–3 R V. <i>Spermathecae</i>: as in Fig. 8E. <i>Color</i>: Overall brown–orange (chelicerae darker), sternum lighter. Abdomen and spinnerets light brown. Abdomen dorsally spotted with light spots, and covered with small hair and bristles, ventrally ligther. <b>Remarks.</b> In the lack of any other data to support the georeference, the coordinates added to the paratype are based on the proximity of the locality (Leeuwenbank) to Belfast. There are several farms called Leew[en]bank around the country also. <b>Distribution.</b> Mpumalanga Province, South Africa (Fig. 24).
description: Published as part of <i>Ríos-Tamayo, Duniesky &amp; Lyle, Robin, 2020, The South African genus Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) phylogeny and taxonomy, pp. 261-305 in Zootaxa 4766 (2)</i> on pages 276-277, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4766.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/3765467