Smeringopina tchimbele new species

Figs. 14, 668–672, 702–704, 810–828

Type. ♂ holotype from Gabon, Estuaire, Monts de Cristal, between Tchimbélé and Kinguélé (0°33.8’N, 10°18.8’E), 520 m a.s.l., forest near river, 10.viii.2011 (B.A. & S.R. Huber), in ZFMK (Ar 10303).

Other material examined. GABON: Estuaire: Monts de Cristal, same data as holotype, 5♂ 9♀ in ZFMK (Ar 10304); same data, 5 juvs. in pure ethanol, in ZFMK (Gab 194).

Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from similar congeners (large species with long abdomen, cone-shaped modified hairs on male chelicerae, embolus with sclerotized proximal part, transversal light element ventrally on abdomen) by male chelicerae (presence of frontal projections; shape of distal apophyses; distribution of modified hairs; Figs. 813–814; similar only in S. bayaka and S. chaillu), shape of bifid procursus (Figs. 810–811; similar to S. bayaka), unmodified male clypeus (in contrast to S. kribi), shape of sclerotized proximal part of embolus (Figs. 670–672, 812), and anterior epigynal plate bent in lateral view (anterior part flat, posterior part strongly protruding; Fig. 704).

Male (holotype). Total body length 7.6, carapace width 2.1. Leg 1: 82.4 (19.5 + 0.9 + 19.1 + 39.3 + 3.6), tibia 2: 12.8, tibia 3: 8.7, tibia 4: 11.2; tibia 1 L/d: 98. Distance PME-PME 220 µm, diameter PME 185 µm, distance PME-ALE 90 µm, distance AME-AME 55 µm, diameter AME 170 µm. Carapace ochre-yellow with brown lateral margins and brown triangular mark posteriorly connected with brown ocular area, clypeus brown except below eyes, sternum dark brown; legs light brown, dark rings subdistally on femora and tibiae and in patella area, tips of femora and tibiae whitish; abdomen ochre-gray with distinct dark pattern dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Habitus as in Figs. 668–669, ocular area slightly elevated, secondary eyes with distinct ‘pseudo-lenses’; clypeus unmodified but hairs longer than usual; deep thoracic pit and pair of shallow furrows diverging behind pit. Chelicerae as in Figs. 813–814 and 821, with lateral proximal apophyses, short distal apophyses, and short frontal apophyses, distal and frontal apophyses and frontal cheliceral face provided with modified (cone-shaped) hairs (Fig. 822). Palps as in Figs. 670–672; coxa unmodified; trochanter with simple retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur proximally with ventral pocket bordered retrolaterally by strong sclerotized ridge (Fig. 671), with small retrolateral apophysis, without prolateral modification; prolateral femur-patella joint very prominent and strongly shifted toward ventrally; tarsus with some stronger hairs dorsally; procursus with hinge between proximal and distal part, distal part with ventral branch (Figs. 810–811, 818); bulb with widened and sclerotized proximal part of embolus (Figs. 812, 819–820). Legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs, retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 1%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all tibiae; pseudosegments barely visible. ALS with eight spigots each (Fig. 824); gonopore with two epiandrous spigots (Fig. 823).

Variation. Dorsal flap on sclerotized proximal part of embolus variably wide; sternum variably dark, in some males ochre-orange. Tibia 1 in 5 other males: 16.3–18.9 (mean 17.7).

Female. In general similar to male; clypeus with shorter hairs. Sternum in some females entirely dark brown, in others only frontally dark. Tibia 1 in 9 females: 14.8–16.3 (mean 15.3). Epigynum large, consisting of wide, roughly triangular anterior plate distinctively bent in lateral view (anterior part flat, posterior part strongly protruding; Figs. 703–704, 815, 826); internal genitalia as in Figs. 702, 816, 827. Spinnerets as in male (Fig. 825).

Natural history. S. tchimbele was collected in a well preserved forest along a river, among tree buttresses and in little pits and hollows.

Distribution. Known from type locality only (Fig. 627).