Afrodrassex catharinae Haddad & Booysen 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Haddad, Charles R.
name: Booysen, Ruan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Gnaphosidae
Afrodrassex
Afrodrassex catharinae

description: Afrodrassex catharinae sp. nov.
Figures 9, 10, 39–43
Type material. Holotype ♀: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Ndumo Game Reserve, Crocodile farm, 26°54.426’S, 32°19.185’E, 12.I.2007, leg. C. Haddad (under rocks) (NCA 2007/3068).
Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Ndumo Game Reserve, Nyamiti Pan, 26°53.409’S, 32°17.576’E, 35 m a.s.l., 3.XII.2019, leg. C. Haddad & V. Swart (canopy fogging, Pappea capensis), 2♂ 1♀ (NCA 2020/270).
Etymology. The species is named for Catharine Hanekom, Regional Ecologist of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for the Maputaland Region, in recognition of more than twenty years of logistical support to the senior author during arachnid surveys in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province.
Diagnosis. This species is most similar to A. balrog sp. nov., but females can be distinguished by their large copulatory openings and globular spermathecae (Figs 39, 40), which are small and transversely oval, respectively, in A. balrog sp. nov. (Figs 34, 35). Males of A. catharinae sp. nov. have a small sharp tooth-like retrolateral tibial apophysis in lateral view (Figs 41, 43), compared to an elongate spike-like retrolateral tibial apophysis in A. balrog sp. nov. (Figs 29, 38).
Description. Female (holotype, NCA 2007/3068). Colouration (Fig. 9): carapace and chelicerae yellow; labium and endites creamy-yellow; sternum cream, margins yellow-brown at coxae; femora creamy-yellow, remaining segments yellow; abdomen cream dorsally and ventrally.
Measurements: CL 1.16, CW 0.98, AL 1.73, AW 1.17, TL 3.20. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.08, PME 0.09, PLE 0.08, AME–AME 0.05, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.04, ALE–PLE 0.01. Leg measurements: I 0.78, 0.38, 0.59, 0.56, 0.41 = 2.72; II 0.87, 0.40, 0.65, 0.64, 0.44 = 3.00; III 0.72, 0.37, 0.49, 0.59, 0.30 = 2.47; IV 1.11, 0.44, 0.81, 0.95, 0.33 = 3.64.
Leg spination: femora: I do 2, II do 2, III do 2 rl 1, IV do 3 rl 1; patellae: spineless; tibiae: I plv 2 rlv 2, II plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 2 rl 1 plv 2, IV pl 2 rl 2 plv 1 vt 2; metatarsi: I plv 1 rlv 1, II plv 1 rlv 1, III pl 2 rl 1 plv 1 vt 3, IV pl 3 rl 2 plv 1 vt 3; palp: femur do 1, patella spineless, tibia pl 2 plv 1, tarsus pl 1 rl 1 plv 4 rlv 2.
Epigyne with elongate curved 6-shaped copulatory openings at anterior of epigynal plate (Fig. 39); copulatory ducts narrow, initially directed posteriorly, looping mesally and anteriorly before following path of faint external ridges around periphery of epigyne, laterally with distinct kink before continuing posteriorly, bending mesally before entering small globular spermathecae on their ventral surface; fertilization ducts on anterolateral margin of spermathecae, directed posteriorly (Figs 39, 40).
Male (paratype, NCA 2020/270). Colouration (Fig. 10): as for female.
Measurements: CL 1.16, CW 0.94, AL 1.19, AW 0.84, TL 2.35. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.08, PME 0.09, PLE 0.09, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 0.07, PME–PLE 0.05, ALE–PLE 0.01. Leg measurements: I missing; II 0.90, 0.41, 0.76, 0.67, 0.44 = 3.18; III 0.79, 0.37, 0.55, 0.62, 0.33 = 2.66; IV 1.24, 0.44, 0.88, 1.02, 0.37 = 3.95.
Leg spination (leg I derived from second male paratype in NCA 2020/270): femora: I do 2, II do 2, III do 3 rl 1, IV pl 1 do 3 rl 1; patellae spineless; tibiae: I plv 2 rlv 2, II plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 2 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 1, IV pl 2 rl 2 plv 1 vt 2; metatarsi: I plv 1 rlv 1, II plv 1 rlv 1, III pl 3 rl 1 plv 1 vt 3; IV pl 3 rl 2 plv 1 vt 3; palp: femur do 1, other segments spineless.
Palp: patella with small proximal ventral bump-like apophysis; tibia slightly longer than broad, with small sharp tooth-like apophysis, with additional tiny basal tooth (Figs 41, 43); tegulum ovoid, with large curved apical tegular process distally; median apophysis absent; conductor massive, translucent and comma-shaped, covering most of ventral aspect of tegulum; embolus originating proximally on tegulum, curling proximally and prolaterally, curving gradually along prolateral margin of tegulum, bending sharply near distal end of cymbium (Figs 41–43).
Additional material examined. None.
Variation. Total length: females 3.03–3.20 (average 3.12, n = 2); males 2.35–2.75 (average 2.55, n = 2).
Habitat and biology. Both of the known females had plugged epigynes. This species was sampled from the ground and canopies of a short tree (Pappea capensis) in savanna habitats.
Distribution. Only known from the type locality in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Fig. 44).
description: Published as part of Haddad, Charles R. & Booysen, Ruan, 2022, The ground spider genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in southern Africa, including the description of a new genus and seven new species, pp. 1-32 in Zootaxa 5194 (1) on pages 9-10, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5194.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7141932