Quamtana nyahururu Bernhard A. Huber & Charles M. Warui 2012, sp. nov.

Quamtana nyahururu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE25DF38-4C5F-4638-98C4-0AA71A061B70

Figs 6, 59-61, 111-115

Quamtana Kenya 10: Dimitrov, Astrin & Huber 2012 (DNA sequence data).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by combination of male cheliceral armature (Fig. 113), male palp (shapes of procursus and bulbal process; Figs 111, 112), and absence of AME. The South African Quamtana ciliata (Lawrence, 1938) and Q. mbaba Huber, 2003 are similar but both have AME and are much larger (total body length ~3.0).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material Holotype

♂, in ZFMK (Ar 8767).

Paratypes

4 ♂♂, 1 ♀, in ZFMK (3 ♂♂, 1 ♀: Ar 8768) and NMKE (1 ♂).

Type locality

KENYA, Rift Valley Province, Thompson Falls near Nyahururu (0°02.7’N, 36°22.1’E), 2350 m a.s.l., on underside of leaf, 30 Jan. 2010 (B.A. Huber).

Other material examined

KENYA: Rift Valley Province: 1 ♀, 2 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Ken 132), Thompson Falls near Nyahururu: same data as types above. Central Province: 3 ♂♂, in CJFM (4248), Naro Moru [~ 0°10’S, 37°02’E], 2000 m a.s.l., riverside scrub, 17 Aug. 1974 (Murphy); 1 ♂, in ZFMK (Ar 8718), Kikuyu Escarpment, Gatamaiyu (0°58’S, 36°42’E), 2330 m a.s.l., mountain forest, fogging of Podocarpus latifolius, Feb. 1999 (T. Wagner). Nairobi Area: 6 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, in CJFM (3540, 6635), Nairobi, Muthaiga Golf Club rough [1°15’S, 36°50’E], 1600 m a.s.l., 15 Jul. 1974 and 26 Sep. 1977 (2 vials) (Murphy). Eastern Province: 1 ♂, in MRAC (215394), Kirimeri Forest near Runyenjes [0°25.4’S, 37°32.9’E], 1700 m a.s.l., 27 Apr. 2004 (R. Jocqué, C. Warui, van den Spiegel). TANZANIA: Tanga Region: 3 ♂♂ (3 vials), in ZMUC, Lushoto Dist., Mazumbai Forest Reserve (4°49’S, 38°29’S), 1650-1730 m a.s.l., 22 Nov. 1995 (ZMUC Expedition), “Fog 25-BO”, “Fog 25-FL”, “Fog 25-EJ”; 1 ♂, in ZMUC, same locality, date not given, “Fog 4-DF”; 1 ♀ in ZMUC, Mazumbai Forest Reserve at 4°49’S, 38°31’E, 1370-1435 m a.s.l., 4 Oct. 1995, “Fog 31-DO”.

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.6, carapace width 0.65. Leg 1: 13.0 (3.3 + 0.3 + 3.5 + 4.8 + 1.1), tibia 2: 2.0, tibia 3 missing, tibia 4: 2.0; tibia 1 L/d: 56. Distance PME-PME 175 µm, diameter PME 70 µm, distance PME-ALE 20 µm, no trace of AME.

COLOR. Prosoma pale whitish with wide dark median band on carapace including clypeus but not ocular area, legs pale ochre-yellow, without darker rings, abdomen monochromous pale grey.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 59 and 60; ocular area barely elevated, each triad on low hump; no thoracic furrow; clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae as in Fig. 113, with proximal lateral apophyses and distal frontal apophyses provided with two long modified hairs each (Fig. 114), without stridulatory ridges. Sternum wider than long (0.48/0.40), unmodified.

PALPS. As in Figs 111 and 112, coxa unmodified, trochanter with short retrolatero-ventral apophysis, femur barely modified, procursus simple except distally, bulb with T-shaped process and transparent straight embolus arising from bulb next to T-shaped process.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs (most hairs missing); retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 9%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; pseudosegments not visible in dissecting microscope.

VARIATION. Tibia 1 in 15 other males: 2.8-3.7 (mean 3.3). In most males, the bulb is rotated out from its normal position (cf. figs 79, 80, 107, 108 in Huber 2003b).

Female

In general similar to male but triads even less elevated and much closer together (distance PME-PME 105 µm). Tibia 1 in 5 females: 2.3-2.5. Epigynum extremely simple externally, unsclerotized (Fig. 61) with pair of tiny pockets near posterior rim; internal genitalia as in Fig. 115.

Distribution

Known from several localities in Kenya and Tanzania (Fig. 25).