Holmelgonia afromontana, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Benoît Nzigidahera
name: Rudy Jocqué
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Holmelgonia
Holmelgonia afromontana

description: Holmelgonia afromontana sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F482911E-4987-4F7E-BC74-D4101DE9EE29
Figs 4-5, 8, 11-16, 26-29, 39
Diagnosis
The male is characterized by the dorsal tibial apophysis, which is smoothly rounded at the extremity and has a ventral concavity provided with a short, sharp, tooth-shaped excrescence inside. Proximal and distal arms of the paracymbium with short setae, distal arm strongly sclerotized and curved at the tip. The female is recognized by details of the epigyne of which the central depression and the kidneyshaped spermathecae are the most characteristic.
Etymology
The specific name ‘ afromontana’ refers to the high altitude habitat in which the species was collected.
Material examined
Holotype
BURUNDI: ♂, Parc National de la Kibira, Rwegura, Mt. Musumba, 2.86445° S, 29.49640° E, site 5, forest with Carapa grandiflora and Polyscias fulva, 25 Jun. 2008, 2252 m, pitfalls, B. Nzigidahera coll. (MRAC 227154).
Paratypes
BURUNDI: All from Parc National de la Kibira, Rwegura, Mt Musumba, pitfalls, B. Nzigidahera coll. ‒ 1 ♀, together with holotype (MRAC 227154). ‒ 2.86435° S, 29.49546° E, site 6, forest with Carapa grandiflora and Polyscias fulva, 2150 m: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 10 Mar. 2008 (MRAC 227159); 1 ♂, 25 Aug. 2008 (INECN); 3 ♂♂, 10 Nov. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 10 Nov. 2008 (INECN); 2 ♂♂, 25 Jul. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 1 juv., 10 Jul. 2008 (MRAC 227157); 1 ♀, 25 Mar. 2008 (MRAC 227161). ‒ 2.86445° S, 29.49640° E, site 5, forest with Carapa grandiflora and Polyscias fulva, 2252 m: 1 ♂, 10 Apr. 2008 (MRAC 227148); 1 ♂, 10 May 2008 (MRAC 227156); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 25 Aug. 2008 (MRAC 227151); 1 ♂, 10 Aug. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 10 Aug. 2008 (MRAC 227158); 2 ♂♂, 10 Jun. 2008 (INECN); 5 ♂♂, 25 Feb. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 25 Nov. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 10 Feb. 2008 (INECN); 2 ♂♂, 1 juv., 25 Sep. 2008 (INECN). ‒ 2.86455° S, 29.50427° E, site 4, forest with Macaranga neomildbraediana and Polyscias fulva, 2352 m: 1 ♀, 25 Jun. 2008 (MRAC 227152); 3 ♂♂, 10 Feb. 2008 (MRAC 227153); 1♂, 25 Feb. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 10 Oct. 2008 (INECN); 1 ♂, 1 juv., 10 Sep. 2008 (INECN); 1♂, 25 Feb. 2008 (INECN). ‒ 2.87149° S, 29.49641° E, site 3, 2444 m: 2 ♂♂, 26 Jan. 2008 (INECN). ‒ 2.87696°S, 29.49709° E, site 1, 2650 m: 3 ♀♀, 25 Oct. 2008 (INECN).
Other material
BURUNDI: Parc National de la Kibira, Forêt de Rwegura, pitfalls, B. Nzigidahera coll., 2.90249°E, 29.51345°S, forest with Macaranga neomildbreadiana and Xymalos monospora, 2223 m, 1 ♂, 23 Nov. 2003 (INECN).
Description
Male (holotype, Figs 4-5, 8, 11-13, 26-27, 29)
MEASUREMENTS. Total length 1.70, carapace 0.70 long, 0.60 wide.
CEPHALOTHORAX. Carapace medium brown, with black striae radiating from foveal area. Chelicerae yellow, mottled with grey. Retromargin of chelicerae with 5 teeth; promargin with 4 small teeth. Clypeus 2 times ALE, grey. Sternum dark brown mottled with black, shield-shaped, 0.48 long and 0.44 wide.
EYES. Ocular area black. Posterior eye row strongly procurved, anterior eye row recurved; AME 0.04, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08.
LEGS. Pale yellow; tibia I with two spines. Femora without dorsal spines, with ventral spines in two rows. Metatarsi without dorsal spines.
LEG MEASUREMENTS
LEG CHAETOTAXY
LegsTMTibial spinesProximalDistalPositionLength/DTPositionLength/DTI0.400.161.800.501.60II0.200.142.200.421.40III0.200.123.25--IV0.300.123.50--
ABDOMEN. Oval, pale grey, dorsally with pale spots and four faint horizontal chevrons becoming smaller towards the rear end. Spinnerets pale yellow, conical.
PALP (Figs 4-5, 8, 26-27, 29). Dorsal tibial apophysis ventrally concave, with tooth-shaped excrescence inside concavity; dorsally with smoothly rounded tip. Paracymbium: proximal arm tapered, with row of short hairs; distal arm with two lobes at extremity, caudal one with some hairs. Prolateral part of subtegulum with oblique grooves. Embolic division (Fig. 29) fairly simple; embolus long, frontal appendage short, truncated, margin with many tiny teeth; dorsal appendage short, rounded.
Female (paratype, MRAC 227154, Figs 14-16, 28, 39)
Habitus similar to male.
MEASUREMENTS. Total length 1.64. Carapace 0.70 long, 0.60 wide.
CEPHALOTHORAX. Clypeus 1.66 times ALE. Sternum 0.48 long, 0.46 wide.
EYES. AME 0.04, ALE 0.08, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08.
LEG MEASUREMENTS
LegsFePTMttTotalI0.700.220.580.520.402.42II0.740.220.500.500.442.40III0.640.200.440.440.362.08IV0.800.200.660.660.462.78
LEG CHAETOTAXY
LegsTMTibial spinesProximalDistalPositionLength/DTPositionLength/DTI0.330.222.000.421.80II0.360.102.000.382.00III0.400.123.25--IV0.540.164.00--
EPIGYNE (Fig. 30). Fairly large ventral plate broadly indented in front, posterior margin slightly procurved. Copulatory ducts originate from centre near posterior margin, entering spermathecae near lateral margin; spermathecae large, kidney-shaped, with transverse long axis.
Variation
Carapace colour may vary from medium brown to yellowish grey.
Distribution
Known only from the type locality (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Benoît Nzigidahera & Rudy Jocqué, 2014, On the Afrotropical genus Holmelgonia (Araneae, Linyphiidae), with the description of three new species from the Albertine Rift, pp. 1-18 in European Journal of Taxonomy 77 on pages 6-11, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2014.77, http://zenodo.org/record/830644