Menemerus lesserti Lawrence, 1927

Figs 17 A, B, D, E, 18, 19

Menemerus lesserti Lawrence, 1927: 60, pl. 2, fig. 45; Wesołowska 1999: 302, figs 171–176.

Material examined.

South Africa • Northern Cape Province; 1 ♂; Richtersveld National Park, near Hand of God; 28 ° 05.874 ' S, 16 ° 58.736 ' E; 35 m a. s. l.; 6 Jan 2021; C. Haddad et al. leg.; hand collecting, under rocks; NCA 2021 / 64 • 2 ♀; Richtersveld National Park, Research Accommodation; 28 ° 07.122 ' S, 16 ° 53.480 ' E; 9 Jul 2021; C. Haddad & R. Booysen leg.; on rocky outcrop, hand collection; NCA 2021 / 190 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; NCA 2021 / 168 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; NMBA 19844 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; NMBA 19845 .

Diagnosis of male.

The palpal organ of this species is similar to that of Menemerus meridionalis Wesołowska, 1999, as both share a similar shape of the tibia, but it can be distinguished by a more robust ventral apophysis, clearly longer embolus and the shape of retrolateral apophysis, which is triangular in M. lesserti while rounded in M. meridionalis (cf. Fig. 19 A, B with fig. 188 in Wesołowska 1999).

Description.

See Wesołowska (1999) for description of female. Live habitus of female in Fig. 17 A, D, of female in alcohol in Fig. 18 F, epigyne in Fig. 18 G, H.

Male: Measurements: Cephalothorax length 2.1, width 1.6, height 0.6. Abdomen length 2.0, width 1.5. Eye field length 0.9, anterior and posterior width 1.3. General appearance of live male as in Fig. 17 B, E, of male in alcohol in Fig. 18 A, B, body flattened. Carapace brown, with black eye field. Dense whitish hairs on eye field, amongst them long brown bristles. White hairs form broad streak along lateral margins of carapace (Fig. 18 A, B). Clypeus low, with white hairs. Mouthparts dark brown, endites with whitish tips. Sternum yellow. Abdomen oval, light, greyish, with broad median whitish-yellow serrated streak and light patches laterally. White and brown hairs on abdomen. Venter light, spinnerets grey. Legs yellow, with brownish marks formed by brown hairs. Other leg hairs white, spines brown. Palps brown, femur clothed in white hairs. Tibia with large lobate retrolateral apophysis and spiked ventral apophysis (Figs 18 D, E, 19 B – D). Embolus straight, accompanied by membranous functional conductor (Figs 18 C, 19 A).

Distribution.

A species known from Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa (Limpopo and Northern Cape) (Wesołowska 1999; Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. 2023).

Remarks.

The male of this species is described here for the first time. It was matched to the female of M. lesserti, based on DNA barcodes of the specimens sequenced (Fig. 2).