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Revision of the Afrotropical Crab-Spider Genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae)

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Revision of the Afrotropical Crab-Spider Genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae) Zootaxa 4899 (1): 161–174 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.8 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A0C2249D-1099-4F9E-80F2-04A3770E8744 Revision of the Afrotropical crab-spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae) ANNA S. DIPPENAAR-SCHOEMAN1,2,3* & STEFAN H. FOORD4 1ARC-Plant Health and Protection, Private Bag X134, Queenswood 0121, South Africa 2Department of Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa 3 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1532-1379 4 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9195-2562 *Corresponding author. Abstract The Afrotropical spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 is revised. Members of Parabomis are some of the smallest thomisids known, and occur from Eritrea in the north of Africa to South Africa in the south, but are absent from Madagascar. Prior to this study, three species were known, namely P. levanderi Kulczyński, 1901 (Eritrea, ♂), P. martini Lessert, 1919 (Tanzania, ♂♀) and P. anabensis Lawrence, 1928 (Namibia, ♀). Parabomis anabensis sp. nov. is here recognized as a junior synonym of P. martini and four new species are described: P. elsae sp. nov. from South Africa (♂♀), P. megae sp. nov. from Zimbabwe (♂♀), P. pilosus sp. nov. from Botswana (♂♀) and P. wandae sp. nov. from Ghana (♂♀). A key to the six species is provided. The monotypic Afrotropical genus Felsina Simon, 1895, only known from its type species, F. granulum Simon, 1895, resembles Parabomis closely is known only from juveniles. Key words: Africa, Bominae, Felsina, new species, taxonomy Introduction Members of the subfamily Bominae (Araneae: Thomisidae) are a unique group of nine thomisid genera character- ized by their small, globular bodies and short, stout legs (Ono 1988). Five of the nine Bominae genera are known from the Afrotropical Region and three have been revised: Avelis Simon, 1895 (Dippenaar-Schoeman 1986a), Ho- lopelus Simon, 1886 (Dippenaar-Schoeman 1986b) and Thomisops Karsch, 1879 (Dippenaar-Schoeman 1989). The fourth genus, Felsina Simon, 1895, is monotypic and was described from Senegal. According to Kulczyński (1901), Parabomis Kulczynski, 1901 and Felsina differ only in the shape of the clypeus and the presence of setae on the promargin of the chelicerae in Parabomis. The fifth genus, Parabomis, is revised here. The type species, P. levanderi Kulczyński, 1901, was based on a male from Eritrea; the second species, P. martini Lessert, 1919, was described from both sexes from Tanzania; and the third species, P. anabensis Lawrence, 1928, was described from Namibia based on females only. Members of Parabomis are rare in collections, and because of their small size they may easily be overlooked in the field. They are mainly collected by sweeping and beating grass, low shrubs and trees. However, during recent surveys in the Afrotropical Region they have also been sampled from canopy fogging trees. None of the species have been rede- scribed and several new species have been collected. This paper therefore aims to redescribe the known species and describe new species. Material and methods This revision is based on more than 120 specimens obtained from the following collections (curators given in brack- ets): FMNH—Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (P. Cardoso); MCZ— Accepted by Y. Marusik: 17 Nov. 2020; published: 30 Dec. 2020 161 Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (G. Giribet); MHNG— Museum d’ Histoire Naturelle, Geneva (P. Schwendinger); MNHN—Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris, France (C. Rollard); MRAC—Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium (R. Jocqué); NCA—National Collection of Arachnida, ARC-Plant Health and Protection, Pretoria, South Africa (P. Marais); NMBA—National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa (L. Lotz); NMSA—KwaZulu-Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Af- rica (A. Ndaba, K. Williams); NMZ—National Museum of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (M. Fitzpatrick); SAM—Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa (M. Cochrane, D. Larsen); SMF—Naturmuseum und Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (P. Jäger); ZFMK—Zoologisches Forschungs- museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany (B. Huber). All specimens were preserved and examined in 70% ethanol. Measurements are given in millimetres and were taken using a Leica EZ4D stereomicroscope. Body measurements were taken of the holotypes and paratypes, as well as the smallest and largest specimens of both sexes to provide a size range. Leg segments were measured for leg I, II, III, IV on the lateral side of each segment and the sum given as the total length of each leg. Abbreviations used in text: AER—anterior eye row; AME—anterior median eyes; ALE—anterior lateral eyes; CL—carapace length; CW—carapace width; MOQ—median ocular quadrangle; PER—posterior eye row; PME—posterior median eyes; PLE—posterior lateral eyes; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; TL—total length; VTA—ventral tibial apophysis. The techniques used for specimen preparation and study follow that of Dippenaar- Schoeman (1983), and terminology follows Ono (1988). Taxonomy Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833 Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901: 3, 30, figs 25–27; Simon 1903: 1011; Lessert 1919: 181; Ono 1988: 207; Dippenaar-Schoeman 2014: 244. Type species. Parabomis levanderi Kulczyński, 1901. Diagnosis. Parabomis shares with the other four African genera of the Bominae the globular body shape, small size and very short legs without spines. They share with Thomisops and Holopelus the peg-like setae on the promar- gins of the chelicerae, which are absent in Avelis and Felsina. It can be distinguished from Avelis, Thomisops and Holopelus by the high carapace (carapace height > carapace length), the very broad sloping clypeus, as well as the eyes that are grouped far apart, > 0.6 × clypeus width (Fig. 1). Parabomis male palps differ from those of the other African genera in having both a ventral apophysis and strongly developed retrolateral apophysis on the tibia. The marginally sclerotized atrium of Parabomis differs from Holopelus and Thomisops in the absence of a hood, and from Avelis in the absence of a median septum. Description. Female. Total length varies between 3.1–3.6 mm. Carapace cream to brown, sometimes tinted with green (Fig. 3), frequently mottled with white in eye region and on clypeus, with darker patches laterally, as seen in live specimens (Figs 1–3). Carapace as wide as long, anteriorly only slightly narrower than posteriorly; thoracic region high and convex, with distinct posterior declivity; declivity edge with semicircular carina with row of polyp-like tubercles, each bearing a short club-shaped seta; integument granulose, with scattered small tubercles, bearing very short, thick, flat-lying setae, more numerous laterally (very distinct in P. pilosus sp. nov. (Fig. 1)). Eyes small; both eye rows recurved, with AER shorter than PER and strongly recurved; lateral eyes on small tubercles, with posterior tubercle slightly larger than anterior tubercle; AME closer to ALE than to each other; ALE same size as AME; PME closer to PLE than to each; PME slightly smaller than PLE; MOQ much wider than long, slightly wider anteriorly than posteriorly. Clypeus distinct, strongly sloping, protruding slightly over cheliceral base; edge curved. Chelicerae flattened anteriorly; promargin bearing densely packed bristle-like setae. Labium longer than wide. Sternum cream to dark; narrow-oval, prolonged posteriorly to form an obtuse point between legs IV; integu- ment granulose. Legs same color as carapace, varying from cream to pale brown, in some species mottled with white, with articulation areas of each leg segment frequently with distinct white rims; legs short and thick; patellae 162 · Zootaxa 4899 (1) © 2020 Magnolia Press DIPPENAAR-SCHOEMAN & FOORD nearly as long as metatarsi; tibiae longer than metatarsi; macro-setae absent, legs bearing short hair-like setae; tarsi with numerous teeth on paired claw; metatarsi and tarsi in some species with strong erect setae ventrally. Abdomen creamish white to brown, with darker hue in dorsal depressions (Figs 1–3); rounded, wider than long; shape vary- ing from ball-shaped (when swollen with food or eggs) (Fig. 17) to slightly flattened, with lateral and transverse striae sometimes forming deep depressions; striae bearing small tubercles, each with translucent club-shaped seta; abdomen closely pressed against cephalothorax, fitting into posterior declivity; ventral region pale. Epigyne with marginally sclerotized atrium, of which shape varies from sub-oval, triangular to bell-shaped; spermathecae simple, longer than wide, bilobed sac-like structures, short, simple copulatory ducts, with intromittent orifices uncovered and situated in anterior part. FIGURES 1–3. Habitus of live Parabomis spp. 1–2 P. pilosus sp. nov., female; 3 P. martini Lessert, 1919, female. 1–2 courtesy of J. Wilkinson; 3 courtesy of L. Wiese. Male: Total length varies between 1.7–2.03 mm. Males resemble females but differ as follows: smaller in size; carapace and legs darker than female, usually uniformly brown; abdomen dorsum darker, shield-like in appearance, white laterally; dorsal depressions dark; legs slightly more slender than females; tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi bearing long dense setae
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