Mystaria oreadae Honiball Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman 2014, sp. n.
Creators: name: Honiball Lewis, Allet S.
name: Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Thomisidae
Mystaria
Mystaria oreadae

description: Mystaria oreadae sp. n.
Figs 29, 30, 69, 70, 95–98, 122
Type material: Holotype: ♀, RWANDA: Nord Province, Rwankuba [01°45’S, 29°51’E], alt. 2200 m, 23 August 1953, A.E. Bertrand (MRAC 78855).
Paratypes: 2 ♀, same locality data as holotype (MRAC 78856-7). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): Orientale Region, 1 ♀, Ituri, Mount Bugera [00°10’S, 29°14’E], November 1953, R.P. Bergmans & R.P. Celis (MRAC 76630).
Etymology. This species, which was sampled exclusively from mountainous regions is named after ‘Oread’, a mountain nymph in old Greek mythology. Noun in genitive case.
Diagnosis. Females can be recognised by the colour patterns on body. Femora I–IV infuscated totally or partially with brown band (Figs 29, 30). Epigyne with atrium rim horseshoe-shaped, small hood centrally (Fig. 69). Male unknown.
Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 3.20 (2.74–3.53); CL: 1.14 (1.01–1.27); CW: 1.09 (0.97–1.22); CI: 1.05 (1.04–1.07); CH: 0.66 (0.63–0.70); CLL: 0.23 (0.20–0.26); MOQ-L: 0.24 (0.24–0.25). Colour. Carapace varies from red to orange copper, may be tinted darker on thoracic region with paler triangles postero-laterally or darkened on posterior edge, colour and patterns varies between individuals; chelicerae orange to copper, with tinted black tips; sternum dark copper; abdomen dorsally pale white, may have a median longitudinal band which extends to spinnerets and striae; ventrally uniformly metallic blue to turqoise or slightly dark pink; striae blue-grey; all legs segments except femora I–IV uniform orange-yellow (Fig. 30). Carapace. Slightly granular; setae present on clypeal edge and laterally of ALE and PLE. Sternum. SL: 0.48; SW: 0.53; SI: 0.91. Eye s. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.22; ALE–AME: 0.31; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.72; PME–PME: 0.37; PLE–PME: 0.28; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.35; ALE/AME: 1.40; PLE/PME: 0.74; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.60; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.41; Clyp/AME–AME: 1.04. Legs. Short setae present on all legs; spiniform setae present on the following segments: femora laterally with two or three medium-length setae; tibia ventrally or dorsally with many scattered, erectile and long setae; tibiae ventrally with two fairly long setae situated distally; tarsal claws as in Figs 95–98; leg formula: II:I:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 1.75, Pat 0.30, Tib 0.59, Mt 0.50, Ta 0.40, total 2.53; II—Fe 0.75, Pat 0.30, Tib 0.62, Mt 0.50, Ta 0.40, total 2.57; III—Fe 0.58, Pat 0.26, Tib 0.43, Mt 0.34, Ta 0.29, total 1.89; IV—Fe 0.66, Pat 0.24, Tib 0.50, Mt 0.42, Ta 0.30, total 2.12. Abdomen. Slightly wider posteriorly; AL: 2.06; AW: 1.80; AI: 1.14. Epigyne. Intromittent orifices small, open antero-laterally (Fig. 69); intromittent canals visible ventrally, postero-laterally to rim; intromittent canals as in Fig. 70.
Male. Unknown.
Natural history. Specimens have been sampled from mountainous regions. Females were found to occur from August to November.
Distribution. Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Fig. 122).
description: Published as part of Honiball Lewis, Allet S. & Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie S., 2014, Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region, pp. 101-144 in Zootaxa 3873 (2) on page 126, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4948115