Leroya silva 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
Leroya
Leroya silva

description: Leroya silva sp. n.
Figs 128–136, 139, 143–144, 147
Type material: Holotype: ♂, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): Bas Congo-Region, Mayombe, Luki Forest Reserve [5°37’S, 13°05’E], fogging, 5–10 November 2006, D. De Bakker & J.P. Michiels (MRAC 222238a).
Paratypes: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC): 2 ♂, 1 ♀, collected with holotype (MRAC 222238b); 1 juvenile ♀, 2 ♂ same locality data as holotype (MRAC 220995). RWANDA: Est Province, 1 ♀, Ibanda Makera [02°09’S, 30°55’E], October 1993, T. Wagner (ZFMK AR 1320). UGANDA: Masindi Province, 1 ♂, Budongo forest [01°45’N, 31°25’E], 15–25 January 1997, T. Wagner (ZFMK AR 1321). Etymology. “ Silva ” is the Latin word that means forest, and it refers to the habitat where all known individuals were sampled. Noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. Body without patterns (Figs 133, 135). Differs from L. unicolor in slightly darker body, shape of copulatory organs and carapace that is wider than long. Epigyne visible as two sclerotised areas (Figs 136, 143), in L. unicolor visible as one large sclerotised area. Male bulb as in Figs 134, 141, 142.
Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 4.10 (3.89–4.22); CL: 1.98 (1.91–2.04); CW: 2.00 (1.96–2.05); CI: 0.99 (0.97–1.03); CH: 0.99 (0.74–1.11); CLL: 0.20 (0.19–0.23); MOQ-L: 0.37 (0.34–0.37). Colour. Carapace with metallic-shine to copper-brown; eye tubercles copper; abdomen dorsally and ventrally pale brown (Fig. 135). Carapace. Slightly wider than long. Clypeus. With numerous thick, long setae on edge. Chelicerae. With short setae (Fig. 128). Sternum. SL: 0.85; SW: 0.84; SI: 1.02. Eye s. Eye spots on all eyes or only on LE; ALE and PLE situated on very flatish tubercles; eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.57; ALE–AME: 0.60; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.94; PME–PME: 0.72; PLE–PME: 0.68; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.07; ALE/AME: 1.07; PLE/PME: 0.94; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.97; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.46; Clyp/AME–AME: 0.36. Legs. With trichobothria, tarsal claws with long tufts that extend densely towards claws (Figs 129–132); leg formula: I:II:III:IV; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 1.47, Pat 0.57, Tib 1.39, Mt 1.14, Ta 0.81, total 5.38; II—Fe 1.48, Pat 0.46, Tib 1.28, Mt 1.15, Ta 0.80, total 5.17; III—Fe 1.10, Pat 0.38, Tib 0.78, Mt 0.62, Ta 0.51, total 3.40; IV—Fe 1.04, Pat 0.37, Tib 0.81, Mt 0.67, Ta 0.50, total 3.39. Abdomen. With numerous long and shorter setae, spiniform setae scattered in between, all embedded in distinct tubercles; sigillae bigger than other species. AL: 2.12; AW: 2.05; AI: 1.03. Epigyne. Spermathecae and intromittent canals as in Figs. 143, 144.
Male. Size, measurements (n = 3). TL: 3.39 (3.04–3.92); CL: 1.63 (1.42–1.94); CW: 1.68 (1.49–2.00); CI: 0.97 (0.95–0.99); CH: 0.82 (0.68–0.93); CLL: 0.20 (0.15–0.26); MOQ-L: 0.31 (0.28–0.35). Resemble females but differ as follows: Colour. Metallic-shine, copper or blackish-turquoise; abdomen dorsally and ventrally dark brown (Fig. 133). Clypeus. As in Fig. 139. Sternum. SL: 0.67 SW: 0.70 SI: 0.96. Eyes. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.47; ALE–AME: 0.50; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.93; PME–PME: 0.56; PLE–PME: 0.59; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 0.95; ALE/AME: 1.08; PLE/PME: 1.05; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.83; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.37; Clyp/AME– AME: 0.41. Legs. Leg formula: II:I:III:IV; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.99, Pat 0.28, Tib 1.00, Mt 0.84, Ta 0.54, total 3.65; II—Fe 1.50, Pat 0.41, Tib 1.44, Mt 1.20, Ta 0.77, total 5.32; III—Fe 0.97, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.71, Mt 0.57, Ta 0.45, total 2.98; IV—Fe 0.86, Pat 0.28, Tib 0.72, Mt 0.56, Ta 0.45, total 2.87. Abdomen. AL: 1.75; AW: 1.67; AI: 1.05. Palp. Bulb with slight swelling laterally; tibia with long setae; RTA and VTA long (Figs 134, 141, 142).
Natural history. This species lives in the canopy of rainforests. Adults and juveniles were collected from October until January.
Distribution. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Uganda (Fig. 147).
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 pages 136-138, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4948115