Coronarachne Haddad & Lyle 2024, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Haddad, Charles R.
name: Lyle, Robin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Trachelidae
Coronarachne

description: Coronarachne gen. nov.
Type species. Coronarachne denticulata sp. nov.
Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin term corona, meaning crown, referring to the denticles at the distal end of the dorsal RTA that resemble a crown, and the Greek αράχνη (arachne), meaning spider. Incidentally, the genus is described amidst the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, so its name should serve as a reminder of this inconvenient event. Gender feminine.
Diagnosis. Males of Coronarachne gen. nov. can be recognized by the presence of two moderately small RTA, with the dorsal RTA distinguished by the presence of several fine denticles distally that resemble a crown (Figs 57, 61). The palps are further characterized by the absence of femoral, patellar and cymbial apophyses, the embolus coiled and closely associated with a long conductor (Figs 58, 59), and the embolus tip associated with several modified flattened setae on the ventral side of the cymbium in several species (Fig. 63), a trait shared with some species of Trachecymbius gen. nov. The female epigynes are weakly sclerotized, with a wrinkled integument surrounding the anterior copulatory openings (Fig. 64), and usually with small bilobed posterior ST I.
Description. Small spiders, 2.08–3.20 mm in length; carapace bright orange to deep red-brown (Figs 1, 5, 10, 65–73); carapace oval, broadest at posterior of coxae II, gradually narrowed towards eye region (Figs 15, 27); fovea indistinct, a short shallow slit (Figs 5, 10); posterior margin very slightly concave, almost straight; weakly convex in lateral profile, slightly elevated from clypeus to approximately ⅓ carapace length, with steeper slope in posterior quarter (Figs 6, 11); carapace surface finely wrinkled, with scattered short fine curved setae with small tuberculate bases. All eyes surrounded by black rings (Figs 5, 10); AER procurved in anterior view, slightly recurved in dorsal view (Figs 16, 28), AME slightly smaller than ALE; AME separated by approximately ½ their diameter, almost touching ALE; PER strongly recurved in dorsal view, PME slightly oval and flattened, PLE round, PME approximately ¾ times PLE diameter; PME separated by distance equal to their diameter, separated from PLE by approximately 1¼ PME diameter; MOQ narrower anteriorly than posteriorly, posterior width slightly larger than length. Chilum indistinct, a narrow transverse sclerite; cheliceral promargin with two teeth, retromargin with two or three teeth; cheliceral escort seta absent; fang with distinct serrula; endites with parallel lateral margins, mesal margins with longitudinal groove (Figs 17, 29), distal margins with distinct serrula comprising sharp straight denticles (Fig. 30) and dense maxillar hair tuft on mesal margins (Fig. 17); labium trapezoidal, slightly longer than wide, narrower distally than basally (Fig. 17). Pleural bars sclerotised, isolated; sternum pentagonal, longer than broad, broadest between coxae II and III (Figs 7, 12, 18, 31), surface smooth centrally, sparsely covered in long straight setae, setae with more pronounced tuberculate bases towards borders (Fig. 32); precoxal triangles present, intercoxal sclerites present between all coxal pairs. Leg formula 4123 or 1423, sparsely covered in long fine setae; femora I swollen, with strongly convex dorsal surface, ventral surface slightly convex (Figs 8, 13); all femora strongly constricted proximally (Figs 8, 13); patellar indentation on retrolateral side narrow, with lyriform organ at proximal end (Figs 19, 20); anterior legs of males with pronounced tuberculate setal bases on tibiae and metatarsi, less pronounced on tarsi (Figs 8, 21–26, 33–38), less strongly developed in females (Fig. 13); metatarsi with sparse chemosensory setae and trichobothria dorsally (Figs 42, 43), with strongly developed metatarsal stopper (Fig. 44) and ventral preening comb at distal end (Figs 9, 14, 39); tarsi with sparse tactile hairs, few dorsal trichobothria and chemosensory setae (Figs 25, 37, 45–48, 51); trichobothria with slightly lowered distal plate, distal margin of hood overlapping plate, hood with four curved ridges, roughly concentric (Fig. 47); tarsal organ at approximately ¾ tarsus length, only very slightly elevated from integument, surface finely wrinkled, opening oval and distally placed (Figs 45, 46, 49, 51, 52); paired tarsal claws short, with at least eight (Fig. 50) to twelve (Fig. 40) teeth and dense tenant setae forming claw tufts in between; female palpal claw simple, sharply curved distally. Abdomen oval, with two pairs of cream markings on grey background, clearly larger in females than males, with dorsal scutum in males only (Figs 5, 6, 10, 11); dorsum with very sparse fine setae (Fig. 41) and two pairs of sigilla, distinct in females, barely distinguishable on scutum in males; venter without sclerites or markings (Figs 7, 12), sparsely covered in fine setae (Fig. 53). Spinnerets short, conical, in compact group (Fig. 54), spigot detail not studied. Male palpal femora and patellae without apophyses (Figs 55, 56, 59), patella with retrolateral lyriform organ (Figs 56, 60); palpal tibiae with denticulate dorsal and digitiform ventral retrolateral apophyses (Figs 55, 57, 61); tegulum transversely oval in ventral view (Fig. 62), broader than cymbium, rarely with prolateral tegular apophysis (Fig. 62), with spiralling conductor and embolus (Figs 55, 58, 59, 62); embolus tip slender or sharply hooked, with modified spatulate setae ventrally on cymbium in close proximity (Fig. 63). Female epigyne occupying most of epigastric plate length, with translucent spiralling wrinkles, with at least one corresponding to internal connecting ducts, with copulatory openings near centre of epigyne or anteriorly (Figs 64, 76, 83, 88, 92); posterior of epigyne often with pronounced median lip; copulatory ducts weakly sclerotized, initially spiralling in C. denticulata sp. nov. (Fig. 76), with single loop in C. penicillus sp. nov. (Fig. 83), but not in C. setosa sp. nov. (Fig. 88) and C. unigena sp. nov. (Fig. 92), continuing around periphery of epigyne to posterior ST I with posteriorly-directed fertilization ducts.
Composition. Five species, all newly described: C. denticulata sp. nov., C. neethlingi sp. nov., C. penicillus sp. nov., C. setosa sp. nov. and C. unigena sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Haddad, Charles R. & Lyle, Robin, 2024, Three new genera of arboreal dark sac spiders from southern Africa (Araneae: Trachelidae), pp. 451-504 in Zootaxa 5399 (5) on pages 455-458, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5399.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10517393