Pochyta spinosa * Simon 1901
Creators: name: Wesołowska, Wanda
name: Szűts, Tamás
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Pochyta
Pochyta spinosa

description: Pochyta spinosa Simon, 1901
Figs 114–136
Pochyta spinosa Simon, 1901a: 69 (D ♀).
Pochyta albimana Simon 1902: 415 (D ♀), syn. n.
Pochyta pannosa Simon 1903a: 115 (D ♂); Maddison, Bodner & Needham 2008: 52, fig. 5, syn. n.
Type material. Holotype of P. spinosa, female: SIERRA LEONE: Freetown, 8°29′N 13°14′W, leg. A. Mocquerys (MNHN 12684) [MNHN-AR-AR15859]. Holotype of P. pannosa, male: CAMEROON: without precise locality (MNHN 22068) [MNHN-AR-AR15864]. Syntypes of P. albimana, 2 females: MADAGASCAR: without precise locality (MNHN 19138).
Other material examined. GABON: Ngouniené, Waka Natural Park, La Gran Crête, 1°12’S 11°06’E, forest, 700 m a.s.l., 5♂ 2♀, 21.VI.2007, leg. W. Maddison, D. de Bakker, M. Bodner (BBM); Waka Nat. Park, Oumba river, 1°03’S 11°08’E, riverside forest, 1♂, 19.VI.2007 (BBM); Waka Nat. Park, botanical garden, 1°08’S 11°09’E, 5♂ 1♀, 17-20.VI.2007 (BBM); Waka Nat. Park, near Oghoubi Camp, 1°07’S 11°05’E, 5♂ 9♀, 18.VI.2007 (BBM); same locality, forest, clearings, 3♂ 1♀, 21.VI.2007 (BBM); Woleu-Ntem, Monts de Cristal, Tchimbélé, 0°37’N 10°21’E, roadside, 1♂, 11.VI.2007 (BBM); same locality, 0°38’N 10°23’E, stream valley, 1♀, 19.VI.2007 (BBM); same locality, 0°37’N 10°24’E, forest, 600 m a.s.l., 1♀, 10.VI.2007 (BBM); Estuaire, Kinguelé, 0°27’N 10°17’E, riverine forest, 2♂ 5♀, 12.VI.2007 (BBM); Estuaire, Mondah forest, 0°35’N 9°20’E, forest, 2♀, 13.VI.2007 (BBM); Estuaire, Cap Esterias, 0°37’N 9°20’E, beach, forest mangroves, 1♂ 5♀, 24.VI.2007 (BBM) All specimens from Gabon collected by W. Maddison, D. de Bakker, M. Bodner; GHANA: ca 20 km N of Cape Coast, Kakum forest, 5°21’N 1°23’W, secondary forest, 2♂, 16.XI.2005, leg. R. Jocqué, D. de Bakker, L. Baert (BBM); GUINEA: Nimba Mts, 7°41’N 8°18’W, low grassy area, 1♂, leg. M. Lamotte 1952-62 (NHM); Nimba Mts, Nion, 7°36’N 8°28’W, 1♂, 16.IV.1942, leg. M. Lamotte (NHM); Nimba Mts, Seringbara Camp, primary forest, fogging, 2♂, 29.XI.2017, leg. A. Hernard, D. van den Spiegel, C. Allard (MRAC 246 067 E); Nimba Mts, Forest of Gbié Reserve, 1♀, 21.XI.2017, leg. A. Hernard, D. van den Spiegel, C. Allard (MRAC 246 068 A); MOZAMBIQUE: without precise locality, coll. C. Roewer (SMF 9655 A); NIGERIA: Cross River State, Calabar, 4°57N 8°19′E, stream edger, under leaves of Elaeis, 2♂, 3.VI.1978, leg. J. Reid (FSCA); Calabar, Atimbo Ferry road, 4°56’N 8°24’E, 1♀, 22.VI.1983, leg. J. Reid (FSCA).
Diagnosis. The male of this species is distinctive in having a short embolus coiled on the bulb tip and a separated retrolateral lobe of the bulb (Fig. 126). The epigyne has two large oval depressions and large spermathecae clearly translucent through integument (Figs 131–133).
Redescription. Male. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 2.2–2.5, width 1.6–2.1, height 1.1–1.2. Eye field: length 1.0–1.3, anterior width 1.7–1.8, posterior width 1.5–1.7. Abdomen: length 1.7–2.5, width 1.1–1.5. General appearance as in Fig. 114. Small spider. Carapace convex, high, sloping abruptly posteriorly, orange to dark brown, lateral slopes clothed in short white hairs, eyes surrounded with black rings (except anterior medians), anterior eyes encircled by white hairs. Eyes big, diameter of anterior lateral eyes slightly larger than diameter of posterior laterals. Fovea visible. White hairs form patches between anterior eyes, pair of large patches in front of posterior lateral eyes, and small pair behind these eyes. Chelicerae very variable, big, unidentati, with sclerotized long flange on ventral surface, teeth vary in size, in some (largest) specimens additional tooth on retrolateral margin at base of fang (Figs 121–123). Mouthparts light brown, white hairs on clypeus, sternum yellowish-brown. Abdomen oval, brown, with light pattern (Fig. 114), venter dark. Spinnerets long, orange. Legs thin and long, yellow or brown, with darker rings. Spination of distal segments of first leg: patella 1 prolaterally, tibia 2-2-2-2 ventrally, 1-1 pro- and retrolaterally; metatarsus 2-2-2 ventrally, 1-1 pro- and retrolaterally; ventral spines very long, spines on metatarsus equal to length of segment (Fig. 116). Pedipalps brown, clothed in dense long brown hairs, part of hairs (on dorsal surface) white. Bulb oval, with separate retrolateral lobe, embolus lying on bulb tip, coiled at base (Figs 118, 124, 126, 128), tibial apophysis bifid (Figs 119, 127, 130).
Female. Measurements. Cephalothorax: length 2.2– 2.4, width 1.7–1.8, height 1.0–1.2. Eye field: length 1.1– 1.2, anterior width 1.7–1.8, posterior width 1.5–1.6. Abdomen: length 1.8–2.9, width 1.4–2.3. General appearance as in Fig. 115. Medium-sized, light coloured spider. Carapace high, abruptly sloping posteriorly, brownish, with thin black line along margins, clothed in brown hairs, eye field lighter, yellowish. Eyes large, very convex, surrounded with black rings (except anterior median pair, which have thin frame composed of fawn hairs), longer brown bristles near eyes. White hairs form small patches between eyes of first row, larger at posterior median eyes and behind posterior laterals. Chelicerae unidentati, with short arched fang. Clypeus extremely low. Labium, endites and sternum whitish-yellow. Abdomen ovoid, brown and darkening posteriorly (bleached in holotype of P. spinosa), with pattern composed of light patches, some brown hairs and bristles on abdominal dorsum, denser anteriorly, venter light, sometimes with darker patch posteriorly. Spinnerets long, light. Legs whitish-yellow, with brown distal halves of segments, leg hairs brown, spines translucent. Spination of leg I as in male, retrolateral surface of tibia sometimes without spines. Single retrolateral spine on palp distally, hidden among dense brown hairs. Epigyne oval, with large shallow depression (Figs 120, 131–133). Seminal ducts narrow, their inlet parts weakly sclerotized, spermathecae ovoid, large (Figs 134–136).
Distribution. Widely distributed in western Africa, also with records from Mozambique and Madagascar (Fig. 158).
Remarks. In Prószyński (1987) the figures on p. 79 are not illustrating P. spinosa.
The occurrence of this species in the southeastern part of Africa is surprising, because all species of Pochyta are restricted to western Africa. This suggests the species may have been introduced to Mozambique and Madagascar.
P. spinosa and P. pannosa were originally described from single sexes only (female and male, respectively). Numerous studied samples contained males and females collected together from the same locality, same time. Thus, both species names should be synonymised. Hence we are certain these opposing sexes belong to the same species. Furthermore, the syntypes of P. albimana have a similar body size and colouration to P. spinosa, and the epigynes look the same as well. Thus, these names are also proposed as synonyms.
description: Published as part of Wesołowska, Wanda & Szűts, Tamás, 2021, A revision of the genus Pochyta Simon, with descriptions of new species (Araneae: Salticidae: Thiratoscirtina), pp. 1-41 in Zootaxa 5052 (1) on pages 29-33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5052.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5565881