Asceua foordi Jocqué & Henrard, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Jocqué, Rudy
name: Henrard, Arnaud
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Zodariidae
Asceua
Asceua foordi

description: Asceua foordi sp. nov.
Figs 3, 4, 5, 6, 24
Type material.
Holotype: South Africa • ♂; Eastern Cape Province, Mazeppa Bay; 32°28.476'S, 28°38.873'E; 28. X. 2006; grassy litter, Acacia thicket, behind dunes; C. Haddad leg; NCA 2007 / 206.
Paratypes: South Africa • 3 ♂♂ 1 ♀; Eastern Cape Province, Mazeppa Bay, 32°28.734'S, 28°39.118'E; 28. X. 2006; C. Haddad leg.; NCA 2007 / 219; • 1 ♂, Eastern Cape Province, Mazeppa Bay; 32°26.495'S, 28°36.968'E; 28. X. 2006; leaf litter, Eucalyptus plantation; C. Haddad leg.; NCA 2007 / 280; • 2 ♀♀; Eastern Cape Province, Coffee Bay; 31°58.862'S, 29°09.119'E; 2. XI. 2006; leaf litter coastal dune forest; C. Haddad leg.; NCA 2007 / 168; • 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀; KwaZulu-Natal, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve; 30°16.250'S, 30°36.400'E; 486 m a. s. l.; 9–12. X. 2020; Hand collecting; R. Booysen and R. Steenkamp leg.; NCA 2020 / 782; • 2 ♀♀ (DNA Z 015); Eastern Cape Province, Coffee Bay; 31°59.148'S, 29°09.076'E; 5 m a. s. l.; 9. I. 2011; base of grass tussocks; C. Haddad leg.; RMCA_245369; • 1 ♀ (drawing epigyne); Kwazulu Natal Province, Alfred District, Oribi Gorge; 30°42'S, 30°16'E; XI. 1961, N. Leleup leg., RMCA_1326311; • 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀; Eastern Cape Province, Kei Mouth; 32°41'S, 28°23'E; 12. XII. 2002; C. Haddad leg.; RMCA_215900; • 1 ♂; Kwazulu Natal Province, Krantzkloof, Krantzkloof Nature reserve; 28°51'S, 30°43'E; 25. VI. 2002, forest, sieved litter; R. Jocqué leg.; RMCA_212169; • 3 juv.; as previous; winkler extraction from sieved litter; R. Jocqué leg.; RMCA_212323; • 1 ♂; Kwazulu Natal Province, Mtunzini; 28°57'S, 31°45'E; 26. VI. 2002; coastal forest, sieved litter; R. Jocqué leg.; RMCA_212282; • 3 ♂♂ 1 ♀; Eastern Cape Province, Silaka N. R.; 31°39'S, 29°30'E; 1. XI. 2011; 43 m a. s. l.; base of grasses and ferns; C. Haddad leg.; RMCA_239310; • 2 ♀♀; Eastern Cape Province, Port St Johns, Cremorne Estate: 31°36'S, 29°32'E; 1. X. 2011; 43 m; sifting leaf litter, coastal forest, C. Haddad leg., RMCA_239309; • 1 ♀; Eastern Cape Province, Coffee Bay; 31°58.862'S, 29°09.119'E; 10. I. 2011; 15 m a. s. l.; sifting leaf litter coastal dune forest; C. Haddad leg.; RMCA_239312; • 2 ♀; Kwazulu Natal Province, Eshowe District, Dhlinza forest; 28°53'S, 31°27'E; X. 1960; dans l’humus; N. Leleup leg. RMCA_132650.
Other material examined.
Guinea • 1 ♂; Mount Nimba, Pierré Richaud; 7°39'N, 8°22'W; 10–7. X. 2011; fogging 04, top of gallery forest, open area, canopy of trees; 1625 a. s. l.; Van den Spiegel Didier, et al. RMCA _238012); DR Congo • 1 ♀; Parc National Salonga, 505 m a. s. l.; 2.28766S 21.02188E, 3. XII. 2022, B. Pett, and M. Jocque leg. RMCA _247696; • 1 ♂; as previous; RMCA _247694) • 1 ♂; as previous; RMCA _247695.
Diagnosis.
Males of this species are characterised by details of the palp (Figs 4 A, B, 5 A, B): the distal spine-shaped part of the dorsal tibial prong is directed forward at an angle of 90 ° with the base of the apophysis; the cymbium has a wide, S-shaped fold of which the distal part is particularly deep and curved upwards; females are recognized by the epigyne with scape strongly widened apically ending in the middle and the complex copulatory duct with six loops visible in transparency along its course (Figs 4 C – E, 5 C).
Etymology.
The specific name is a patronym in honour of our friend and colleague, the late Stefan Foord, who was a dynamic arachnologist and driving force for arachnology in South Africa and beyond.
Description.
Male Holotype. Figs 3 A – C, 6 C – E. Total body length 2.77. Colour in ethanol: carapace uniform medium brown with narrow dark rings around eyes and W-shaped dark area in front of fovea; chelicerae, endites and labium medium brown; sternum medium brown with darker margin; legs: femora pale with dark anterior stripes on Fe I – IV and dark posterior stripe on Fe III and IV in distal two thirds; abdomen: dorsum dark grey with narrow dark brown scutum in anterior half, 13 tiny white spots (Fig. x); sides dark with oblique white streak; venter pale, narrow yellowish patch in front of white spinnerets and yellow in front of epigastric fold. Carapace 1.28 long, 0.92 wide, 0.64 high. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME: 0.07; ALE: 0.08; AME – AME: 0.03; AME – ALE: 0.05; PME: 0.07: PLE: 0.10; PME – PME: 0.07; PME – PLE: 0.08. MOQ: frontal width 0.16, posterior width 0.21, length 0.24. Clypeus 0.34 high. Chilum: small triangle 0.08 wide and as high. Sternum shield-shaped, 0.57 long, 0.54 wide. All femora with one short dorsal spine in proximal half.
Legs: measurements in Table 2.
Palp (Figs 4 A, B, 5 A, B): very large: length including Ti 0.8 times carapace length. Tibia with three apophyses: dorsal prong (DP) broad, directed up, slightly curved forward, with distal spine shaped tip pointing forward at an angle of 90 °; median prong (MP) shorter, curved downward with rounded extremity, with sharp triangular extension visible by transparency (Ex); inferior one (VP) short, straight with rounded extremity; cymbium laterally compressed with large lateral S-shaped fold (CF), its distal curve deep and directed upwards; tegulum with two appendages: largest one, mainly visible prolaterally; second one pear-shaped with long tapered forward directed prong; median apophysis (MA) subcircular with short rounded lip directed forward; conductor (C) large, directed forward; embolus long and whip-shaped originating on dorsal side of tapered posterior end of roughly triangular base.
Female (paratype NCA 2007 / 219). Figs 3 D – F, 6 A, B. Total body length 3.20. Colour as in male; dorsum with 15 white spots; lateral spot rounded. Carapace 1.42 long, 0.78 wide, 0.71 high. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME: 0.07; ALE: 0.07; AME – AME: 0.03; AME – ALE: 0.07; PME: 0.07: PLE: 0.08; PME – PME: 0.07; PME – PLE: 0.10. MOQ: frontal width 0.16, posterior width 0.20, length 0.26. Clypeus 0.30 high. Chilum: small triangle 0.08 wide and as high. Sternum shield-shaped, 0.64 long, 0.57 wide. Legs without spines; measurements in Table 3.
Epigyne (Figs 4 C – E, 5 C): rectangular area slightly wider behind than in front; scape (Sc) widened towards posterior part situated in the centre of the epigyne, its tip slightly indented, copulatory openings (O) situated in posterior half; copulatory ducts narrow, strongly wound, with six loops visible in transparency; very complex internal structure with many loops mainly longitudinal in posterior part, mainly transverse in anterior part.
Variation.
South Africa: Males (n = 5): TL 2.77–3.00, CL 1.28–1.50; white spots on dorsum 11–13. Females (n = 11): TL 2.70–3.83, CL 1.21–1.68; white spots on dorsum 13–16. The shape of the small spots may vary from circular to elongate oval.
DR Congo: Males (n = 2): TL 2.63–2.77, CL 1.35–1.42; dorsum in the centre with two transverse rectangular white spots. Female (n = 1): TL 2.51, CL 1.21; dorsum as in males. Guinea: Male (n = 1): TL 2.59; CL 1.44. Abdominal pattern as in type series.
Distribution.
The species is known from South Africa, DR Congo and Guinea (Fig. 24).
description: Published as part of Jocqué, Rudy & Henrard, Arnaud, 2024, A revision of Afrotropical Asceua (Araneae, Zodariidae), ant-eating spiders with puzzling distributions, pp. 161-198 in African Invertebrates 65 (2) on pages 161-198, DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.138029