Mystaria mnyama 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 mnyama

description: Mystaria mnyama sp. n.
Figs 23–25, 61–64, 120
Type material: Holotype: ♀, SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal Province, Tembe Elephant Park, sparse woodland, sweeping grasses [26°52’S, 32°27’E], 7 July 2007, C. Haddad (NCA 2008/2839). Paratype: 1 ♂, Tembe Elephant Park [27°03’S, 32°24’E], open woodland, beating short shrubs, 7 July 2007, C. Haddad (NCA 2008/2822).
Etymology. ‘Mnyama’ means black in Zulu, as this species is recognised by the black-tinted areas on the cephalic and eye area. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. Females can be recognised by the distinct colour patterns on body (Fig. 23); epigyne with atrium bullet-shaped and small notch anteriorly (Fig. 63). Male is very dark with pale legs (Fig. 25); bulb with sturdy RTA (Fig. 62); RTA with long tip directed antero-laterally, tutaculum present retro-laterally (Fig. 61).
Description. Female. Size, measurements (n = 1). TL: 2.64; CL: 1.06; CW: 0.94; CI: 1.13; CH: 0.73; CLL: 0.23; MOQ-L: 0.24. Colour. Carapace copper-red, black tint in eye region and postero-lateral side of carapace (Fig. 23, 24); clypeus with orange patch; sternum dark; abdomen dorsally very pale with two dark spots laterally; ventrally blue tint with metallic purplish-blue to pinkish-brown striae; legs uniform yellow with femora I–II a darker orange (Fig. 24). Carapace. Slightly granular. Sternum. SL: 0.43; SW: 0.46; SI: 0.95. Eye s. AME large; eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.22; ALE–AME: 0.29; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.75; PME–PME: 0.34; PLE–PME: 0.26; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.27; ALE/AME: 1.33; PLE/PME: 0.79; MOQ-AW/PW: 0.64; MOQ-L/ MOQ-W: 0.37; Clyp/AME–AME: 1.06. Legs. All legs with medium-length setae; spiniform setae present on the following leg segments: on femora I–III three short, thick setae; tibiae I–IV with at least three setae; tibiae III–IV dorsally and ventrally with setae; leg formula: I:II:IV:III; leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.74, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.64, Mt 0.52, Ta 0.40, total 2.58; II—Fe 0.76, Pat 0.29, Tib 0.61, Mt 0.50, Ta 0.37, total 2.53; III—Fe 0.50, Pat 0.20, Tib 0.40, Mt 0.30, Ta 0.24, total 1.64; IV—Fe 0.60, Pat 0.23, Tib 0.49, Mt 0.41, Ta 0.29, total 2.02. Abdomen. AL: 1.58; AW: 1.58; AI: 1.00. Epigyne. Atrium small, bullet-shaped, small notch anteriorly (Fig. 63); intromittent orifices small, open antero-laterally; intromittent canals as in (Fig. 64).
Male. Size, measurements (n = 1). TL: 2.29; CL: 0.97; CW: 0.88; CI: 1.11; CH: 0.66; CLL: 0.22; MOQ-L: 0.22. Differ from female as follows: Colour. Body dark blackish to copper with a white border in anterior half of abdomen; ventrally greyish to brownish-purple striae; legs uniformly pale-yellow in contrast to body (Fig. 25). Carapace. Round. Sternum. SL: 0.40 SW: 0.44 SI: 0.89. Eyes. Eye measurements: AME–AME: 0.20; ALE–AME: 0.28; AME–AME/AME–ALE: 0.74; PME–PME: 0.31; PLE–PME: 0.23; PME–PME/PME–PLE: 1.37; ALE/ AME: 1.35; PLE/PME: 0.73; MOQ-AW/MOQ-PW: 0.65; MOQ-L/MOQ-W: 0.33; Clyp/AME–AME: 1.06. Legs. With dense short to medium setae on all segments; femora I–III with three spiniform setae; patella and tibiae I–IV with fairly long, thick and erectile spiniform setae; leg formula: II:I:III (leg IV damaged); leg measurements: leg I—Fe 0.77, Pat 0.25, Tib 0.68, Mt 0.55, Ta 0.42, total 2.68; II—Fe 0.84, Pat 0.26, Tib 0.76, Mt 0.55, Ta 0.42, total 2.83; III—Fe 0.52, Pat 0.23, Tib 0.46, Mt 0.31, Ta 0.29, total 1.80; IV—Fe 0.60. Abdomen. Round, anteriorly straight border, posteriorly slightly pointed; scutum with fine setae; AL: 1.32; AW: 1.18; AI: 1.12. Palp. With RTA longer than VTA, with sharp blackened tip (Fig. 61, 62).
Natural history. Sampled from sweeping and beating vegetation in open woodlands of Tembe Elephant Park. Known from only two adults sampled in July, during Winter.
Distribution. South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal Province) (Fig. 120).
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 122-123, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4948115