Sicarius testaceus Purcell 1908

Sicarius testaceus Purcell, 1908

(Figs. 2E, 3E, 4F, 7B)

Sicarius testaceus Purcell, 1908: 224; Newlands 1986: 57, f. 30–32.

Types: 3♀ and 1juv. from South Africa: Kamaggas [Komaggas], [2948'S, 1730'E], L. Schultze, July 1904 [SAMC collection] [examined in part, see note].

Note: Purcell’s (1908) description mentions 3 females and 1 juvenile, but no collection number. A juvenile specimen in the SAMC collection (SAM-ENW-X 150520) was located with the label reading: Sicarius testaceus Purc. / ♀ (ex typ.) / Kamaggas, L Namaq. / L. Schultze 7107. If this was the vial with the types used by Purcell, then the 3 females seem to be lost. A male from the type locality and females from the distribution area were also looked at.

Diagnosis: Leg femora in both sexes with long, medially widened setae dorsal (Fig. 2E), wider than in all other species and not scoop shaped as in S. spatulatus. Male embolus ending in a thin pointed apex (Fig. 3E), this is similar to most of the other species except for S. spatulatus where the embolus apex is broad and blunt. Female spermathecae (Fig. 4F) consist of four or more long finger-like sacs that branch of away from the copulatory tube end in a similar way to S. damarensis and S. hahni, but not like S. albospinosus, in S. dolichocephalus the spermathecae is unbranched and in S. spatulatus there is a multitude of spherical spermathecae; the copulatory tube has a short extension tube at the base and is narrow over most of its length, with a slight lateral hump distal in some specimens; in S. albospinosus the distal widening lateral is triangular, in S. damarensis it is a smooth arc and in S. hahni it is rounded humps or short finger-like extentions.

Female: (CAS specimen from Papensdorp): TL = 13.5; CL = 5.8; CW = 5.9; CLL = 0.8. AME-LE 0.7; Eye diameter 0.2.

Leg measurements:

Distribution: Sicarius testaceus is distributed in the south-western part of South Africa (Fig. 7B).