Smeringopina cornigera Simon 1907

Smeringopina cornigera (Simon, 1907)

Figs. 401–405, 421, 424, 439–455

Smeringopus corniger Simon 1907: 250 –251 (♂). Smeringopina cornigera: Kraus 1957: 233.

Type. ♂ holotype (together with 1♀; see Note below) from Cameroon, Southwest Region, Buea [4°09.3’N, 9°13.9’E], 800–1200 m a.s.l., vi.–vii.1902 (L. Fea), in MSNG, examined.

Note. The type vial contains 1♂ 1♀ but Simon (1907) only described the male specimen which is therefore regarded a holotype. The female may or may not originate from the same locality. Since females of S. nyasoso are very similar, even its conspecificity with the male holotype is uncertain.

Other material examined. CAMEROON: Southwest Region: Fako Div., Limbe Subdiv., 1.4 km NE Etome (4°03.0’N, 9°07.5’E), ~ 400 m a.s.l., 13.–19.i.1992 (Larcher, Hormiga, Coddington, Griswold, Wanzie), 4♂ 3♀ in CAS; same data, 1♂ 4♀ in USNM.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from most congeners by horns in male ocular area (Figs. 445–446) and male clypeus with many small modified (globular) hairs on low humps near rim (Fig. 445–446, 449); from the very similar S. nyasoso and S. kala by shape of procursus (almost circular in lateral view, with rounded posterior process; Figs. 439–440); females may be externally indistinguishable from those of S. nyasoso and S. kala but the anterior epigynal process is apparently smaller than in these two species (note small sample sizes) and the position and shape of pore plates is significantly different from S. kala (compare Figs. 444 and 467).

Male (NE Etome, CAS). Total body length 4.2, carapace width 1.5. Leg 1: 48.2 (11.0 + 0.5 + 11.7 + 23.0 + 2.0), tibia 2: 7.1, tibia 3: 4.9, tibia 4: 7.4; tibia 1 L/d: 94. Distance PME-PME 230 µm, diameter PME 160 µm, distance PME-ALE 90 µm, distance AME-AME 35 µm, diameter AME 125 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with triangular brown mark posteriorly, brown pit and brown lateral margins; ocular area not darkened, clypeus with red-brown lateral margins, sternum brown; legs ochre-yellow, darker rings barely visible; abdomen ochre-gray with dark pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 401–402, ocular area slightly elevated, each triad on additional hump, with two pairs of horns, one long and pointed above ALE, the other short, blunt and slightly more median (Figs. 445–446), ‘pseudo-lenses’ only visible at PME; clypeus with pair of low humps near rim, each with ~20 small modified (globular) hairs, with small depression between humps (Figs. 445–446); deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Fig. 442, with lateral proximal apophyses and short distal apophyses, the latter and frontal cheliceral face with ~20 small modified (globular) hairs on each side (Fig. 450). Palps as in Figs. 403–405; coxa with retrolateral apophysis; trochanter with small ventral apophysis; femur with weakly sclerotized retrolateral flap and large whitish area ventrally, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint only slightly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with some longer but only slightly stronger hairs dorsally; procursus almost circular in lateral view, with rounded posterior process, without hinge, with many hairs on retrolateral face and pointed membranous process on prolateral side (Figs. 439–440, 447–448, 451); bulb with simple small embolus with small pointed process (Fig. 441). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible. ALS with eight spigots each; gonopore with two epiandrous spigots (Fig. 453).

Variation. Tibia 1 in three other males: 10.1 (holotype), 10.5, 10.7. The holotype is slightly bleached but in good condition.

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus unmodified, with two dark bands from eye triads to rim; ocular area with one pair of low humps above ALE. Tibia 1 in 7 females: 7.2–8.4 (mean 7.8). Epigynum anterior plate trapezoidal, with very small anterior process, lateral edges drawn backwards (Figs. 421, 443, 455); large flat posterior plate; internal genitalia as in Figs. 424 and 444. ALS with eight spigots each (Fig. 452).

Distribution. Known from two localities in southwestern Cameroon (Fig. 390).