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Three New Species of the Spider Family Pholcidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Taita-Taveta, Kenya

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Three New Species of the Spider Family Pholcidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Taita-Taveta, Kenya Zootaxa 4651 (1): 114–124 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2019 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4651.1.7 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3DEDB117-7C71-4BD8-987E-D8D958343972 Three new species of the spider family Pholcidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Taita-Taveta, Kenya ZHIYUAN YAO1, GRACE M. KIOKO2, 3, ESTHER N. KIOKO3 & SHUQIANG LI2, 4 1College of Life Science, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034, Liaoning, China 2Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China 3National Museums of Kenya, Museum Hill, P.O. Box 40658–00100, Nairobi, Kenya 4Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Only nine species of the spider family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 are endemic in Kenya. In this study, three new species from Taita-Taveta County, southern Kenya are reported. They belong to two genera of the pholcid spiders: Buitinga qingyuani Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female), B. wamitii Yao & Li sp. nov. (male), and Smeringopus voi Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female). All material studied is deposited in the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi, Kenya. Key words: taxonomy, morphology, biodiversity, Pholcinae, Smeringopinae Introduction The spider family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850, is among the most species-rich families and currently contains 94 genera and 1716 species (World Spider Catalog 2019). The latest analyses of molecular phylogeny largely support the division of Pholcidae into five subfamilies: Ninetinae Simon, 1890, Arteminae Simon, 1893, Modisiminae Si- mon, 1893, Smeringopinae Simon, 1893, and Pholcinae C.L. Koch, 1850 (Dimitrov et al. 2013; Eberle et al. 2018). Buitinga Huber, 2003, is a small genus in the subfamily Pholcinae and mainly distributed in East Africa, with 22 described species (World Spider Catalog 2019). The genus comprises mostly small, long-legged species that are largely restricted to well-preserved forests (Huber & Warui 2012). The phylogenetic analyses show that the genus is the sister group of East African Spermophora Hentz, 1841 (Eberle et al. 2018). Smeringopus Simon, 1890, of the subfamily Smeringopinae, is the most species-rich pholcid genus in Africa. The genus includes medium-sized, long- legged spiders and prefers the protected habitat, e.g., holes and caverns, undersides of overhangs, and under logs (Huber 2012). It is largely restricted to central, southern and eastern Africa, and currently includes 55 species be- longing to 12 operational species groups (Huber 2012; World Spider Catalog 2019). The cladistic analysis strongly suggests that the central and western African Smeringopina Kraus, 1957, is the sister taxon of Smeringopus (Huber 2012). To date, three species of Buitinga and five of Smeringopus are recorded in Kenya: B. mbomole Huber, 2003, B. nigrescens (Berland, 1920), and B. wataita Huber & Warui, 2012, S. chogoria Huber, 2012, S. ngangao Huber, 2012, S. peregrinoides Kraus, 1957, S. peregrinus Strand, 1906, and S. turkana Huber, 2012 (World Spider Catalog 2019). The aim of this paper is to describe two new species of the genus Buitinga and one of Smeringopus from Kenya. All new species were collected from Taita-Taveta County of southern Kenya. Material and methods Specimens were examined and measured with a Leica M205 C stereomicroscope. Images were captured with an Olympus C7070 wide zoom digital camera (7.1 megapixels) mounted on an Olympus SZX12 dissecting micro- scope, and assembled using Helicon Focus 3.10.3 image stacking software (Khmelik et al. 2006). The left male pedipalps were illustrated (any exceptions are indicated in figure legends). Epigyna were photographed before the 114 Accepted by F. Labarque: 14 Jun. 2019; published: 2 Aug. 2019 dissection. Vulvae were previously treated in a 10% warm solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) before illustra- tion. All measurements are given in millimeters. Leg measurements are shown as: total length (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus). Leg podomeres were measured on their dorsal side. Distribution map was generated with ArcView GIS 3.2 (ESRI 2002). All specimens were preserved in 75% ethanol. Type material is deposited in the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi, Kenya (curator: Esther N. Kioko). Terminology and taxonomic descriptions follow Huber (2003, 2012), except by leg measurements (see above). The following abbreviations are used in the descriptions: ALE = anterior lateral eye, AME = anterior median eye, PME = posterior median eye, L/d = length/diameter; used in the illustrations: b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, da = distal apophysis, dt = dorsal trichobothrium, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate, pr = procursus, sd = sperm duct. Taxonomy Family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 Subfamily Pholcinae C.L. Koch, 1850 Genus Buitinga Huber, 2003 Buitinga Huber 2003: 557. Type species: Buitinga kadogo Huber, 2003 Diagnosis and description. See Huber (2003). Buitinga qingyuani Yao & Li sp. nov. Figs 1–2, 7 Type material. Holotype: male (NMK-Ar29685), Mzima Springs (2°59.049′S, 38°1.383′E, elev. 684 m), Tsavo West National Park, Mtito Andei Town, Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, 27 July 2016, G.M. Kioko, Z. Yao and Q. Zhao leg. Paratypes: 2 males and 3 females (NMK-Ar29686–29690), same data as holotype. Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of the collector Qingyuan Zhao, and is a noun (name) in genitive case. Diagnosis. This species resembles B. nigrescens Berland, 1920 (see Huber 2003: 568, figs 6, 30, 92–98) with similar procursus (Figs 1A–D) and epigynum (Fig. 2A) but can be distinguished by males with pedipalpal femur with proximo-dorsal apophysis (arrow in Fig. 1B). In addition, males present larger cheliceral proximo-lateral apo- physis (Figs 2D–E), extremely swollen cheliceral frontal apophysis with distal projection (Fig. 2E), and relatively short and wide bulbal apophysis (Fig. 2C) than B. nigrescens; and females present larger pore plates than B. nigres- cens (Fig. 2B). Description. Male (holotype): Total length 2.13 (2.50 with clypeus), carapace 0.66 long, 0.91 wide, opistho- soma 1.47 long, 1.14 wide. Leg I: 22.01 (5.45 + 0.44 + 5.64 + 8.08 + 2.40), leg II: 14.02 (3.85 + 0.45 + 3.44 + 4.87 + 1.41), leg III: 10.69 (3.01 + 0.36 + 2.66 + 3.64 + 1.02), leg IV: 13.54 (3.97 + 0.40 + 3.36 + 4.84 + 0.97); tibia I L/d: 56. Distance PME-PME 0.18; diameter PME 0.06; distance PME-ALE 0.02; AME absent. Sternum wider than long (0.70/0.63). Habitus as in Fig. 2F. Carapace yellowish, with dark brown lateral marks; ocular area, cly- peus and sternum dark brown. Legs yellowish, but slightly whitish on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on subdistal parts of femora and tibiae. Opisthosoma yellowish, with distinctive dark brown pattern. Ocular area slightly elevated. Thoracic furrow absent. Chelicerae as in Figs 2D–E, with pair of proximo-lateral apophy- ses, pair of extremely swollen frontal apophyses, each provided with small projection and strong modified setae distally, and pair of distal apophyses, each provided with four teeth. Pedipalps as in Figs 1A–B; coxa with ventral apophysis; trochanter with retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur with large proximo-dorsal apophysis (arrow in Fig. 1B); trichobothria on tibia very distal; procursus simple, with three membranous process distally; bulb with weak- ly sclerotized embolus and short apophysis provided with two small apophyses (arrows in Fig. 2C). Retrolateral THREE NEW SPECIES OF PHOLCIDAE FROM Kenya Zootaxa 4651 (1) © 2019 Magnolia Press · 115 FIGURE 1. Buitinga qingyuani Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male. A–B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view, ar- row points at proximo-dorsal apophysis on femur); C–D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Retrolateral view). b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, dt = dorsal trichobothrium, e = embolus, pr = procursus. Scale bars: 0.10 (A–B), 0.05 (C–D). 116 · Zootaxa 4651 (1) © 2019 Magnolia Press yao ET AL. FIGURE 2. Buitinga qingyuani Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male (C–F) and paratype female (A–B, G–I). A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view; C. Bulb, prolateral view, arrows point at two small apophyses; D–E. Chelicerae (D. Frontal view; E. Lateral view); F–I. Habitus (F–G. Dorsal view; H. Lateral view; I. Ventral view). b = bulb, ba = bulbal apophysis, da = distal apophysis, e = embolus, fa = frontal apophysis, pa = proximo-lateral apophysis, pp = pore plate. Scale bars: 0.10 (A–B), 0.05 (C–E), 0.50 (F–I). THREE NEW SPECIES OF PHOLCIDAE FROM Kenya Zootaxa 4651 (1) © 2019 Magnolia Press · 117 trichobothrium of tibia I at 6%; legs with vertical setae on metatarsi, without spines and curved setae; tarsus I with 12 distinct pseudosegments. Female: Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 2G–I. Total length 2.02 (2.38 with clypeus), carapace 0.55 long, 0.86 wide, opisthosoma 1.47 long, 1.13 wide; tibia I: 4.87; tibia I L/d: 51. Distance PME-PME 0.15; diameter PME 0.06; distance PME-ALE 0.04; AME absent. Sternum wider than long (0.58/0.50). Epigynum (Fig. 2A) with straight scape anteriorly. Vulva (Fig. 2B) with pair of large pore plates. Distribution. Kenya (Taita-Taveta, type locality; Fig. 7). Natural History. The species was found on the web on a tree root. Buitinga wamitii Yao & Li sp. nov. Figs 3–4, 7 Type material. Holotype: male (NMK-Ar29691), Ngangao Forest (wet side) (3°21.299′S, 38°20.410′E, elev. 1821 m), Taita Hills Blocks, Wundanyi Town, Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, 23 July 2016, G.M. Kioko, Z. Yao and Q. Zhao leg. Etymology. The specific name is a patronym in honor of Wanyoike Wamiti (National Museums of Kenya), who helps us during the field collection in Kenya, and is a noun (name) in genitive case.
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