Eusparassus reverentia Moradmand 2013, spec. nov

Eusparassus reverentia spec. nov. Figs 27–28, 53, 63c–d Type material. Holotype: male, BURKINA FASO: Houet Province: Bobo Dioulasso [N 11˚11', W 4˚17'], 1965, B. Steinstra leg. (MRAC 128181). Paratype: NIGERIA: Plateau State: 1♀, Jos [N 9˚56', E 8˚53'], female with hatched spiderlings (second instar) in papery egg sac, 7–26 April 1963, E. Bouquiaux leg. (MRAC 123751). Diagnosis. Closely similar to E. vestigator comb. nov., but male differing by flatter and wider ET equipped with pointed triangular process (Fig. 27c), and more robust dRTA flattened dorso-ventrally (Figs 27a, b). Female differing in the shape of GP attached to main vulva by most of its length (in E. vestigator comb. nov. separated) (Figs 28b, c) [see also diagnosis for vestigator species group above]. Etymology. The specific name is a Latin translation derived from the German phrase “Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben” (English: “the reverence for life”), in honour of the idea of Dr Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1952) because of it. The idea could be defined in the following statement by J. Brabazon: “...we are brothers and sisters to all living things, and owe to all of them the same care and respect that we wish for ourselves.” Term in apposition. Description. Male (n=1, holotype): Measurements. Male medium sized; total length 15.1, prosoma length 8.6, prosoma width 7.3, anterior width of prosoma 4.2, opisthosoma length 6.5, opisthosoma width 3.5. Eye diameters: AME 0.53, ALE 0.45, PME 0.40, PLE 0.46; eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.32, AME-ALE 0.16, PME-PME 0.55, PME-PLE 0.65, AME-PME 0.40, ALE-PLE 0.32, clypeus height at AME 0.40, clypeus height at ALE 0.45. AME largest, lateral eyes subequal (Fig. 27d). Chelicerae. Chelicerae with 2 anterior and 4 posterior teeth, cheliceral furrow lacking intermarginal denticles (Fig. 27e). Legs. Leg formula: II IV I III. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 11.1 [3.7, 1.6, 1.7, 4.1], I 37.3 [9.8, 4.2, 9.5, 10.7, 3.1], II 40.6 [11.5, 4.2, 10.2, 11.5, 3.2], III 34.6 [10.2, 3.6, 8.6, 9.5, 2.7], IV 38.9 [11.0, 3.7, 9.6, 11.5, 3.1]. Spination. Palp 131, 101, 1111; Legs: Femur I – III 424, IV 322; Patella I – IV 101; Tibia I–IV 2224; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3036. Palp. As in diagnosis with cymbium more than twice as longer as tibia (Fig. 27b); ET with a pointed triangular process (Fig. 27c). Female (n=1, paratype): Measurements. Female large sized; total length 22.8, prosoma length 9.8, prosoma width 8.6, anterior width of prosoma 5.5, opisthosoma length 13.0, opisthosoma width 8.2. Eye diameters: AME 0.58, ALE 0.45, PME 0.38, PLE 0.47; eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.50, AME-ALE 0.22, PME-PME 0.82, PME-PLE 0.70, AME-PME 0.69, ALE-PLE 0.48, clypeus height at AME 0.52, clypeus height at ALE 0.65. Chelicerae. Chelicerae with 2 anterior and 5 posterior teeth. Legs. Leg formula: II IV I III. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 10.4 [3.1, 1.7, 2.0, 3.6], I 31.9 [9.1, 4.1, 8.2, 8.6, 2.7], II 34.0 [10.1, 4.4, 8.2, 8.6, 2.7], III 28.9 [8.6, 4.0, 6.8, 7.2, 2.3], IV 32.8 [9.6, 3.8, 8.0, 8.7, 2.7]. Spination. Palp 131, 001, 1111, 1013; Legs: Femur I – III 424, IV 322; Patella I – IV 001; Tibia I–IV 2024; Metatarsus I–III 2024, IV 3036. Epigyne/vulva. As in diagnosis with EF slightly longer than wide but MS is distinctly wider than long (Fig. 28a); CD partially to fully sclerotized, GP not well developed but parallel to CD (Figs 28b, c) Colouration [in ethanol]. Reddish brown with darker bands on tibiae and femora of the legs, ventral opisthosoma with a V-shaped dark marking (Figs 53 a–c). Remarks. The holotype male and paratype female both share the same somatic characters including eyes arrangement, leg formula, spination pattern, cheliceral dentition and presence of the ventral opisthosoma dark marking and three to five thick bristles at the retromarginal side of chelicerae basal segment. Known geographical distribution and habitat. From Burkina Faso to Nigeria (Jos Plateau) in Central Africa (Fig. 71a).
Published as part of Moradmand, Majid, 2013, The stone huntsman spider genus Eusparassus (Araneae: Sparassidae): systematics and zoogeography with revision of the African and Arabian species, pp. 1-108 in Zootaxa 3675 (1) on pages 47-50, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3675.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6422593