Trachelas pusillus Lessert, 1923

Haddad, Charles R. & Lyle, Robin, 2025, A revision of the genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 (Araneae: Trachelidae) in the continental Afrotropical Region, Zootaxa 5673 (4), pp. 451-493 : 476-478

Trachelas pusillus Lessert, 1923

Figs 7B , 15

Trachelas pusillus Lessert, 1923: 195 , figs 42–46 (Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Grahamstown/Makhanda [33°18'S, 26°31'E], leg. J. Hewitt, deposited in MHNG—examined); Bosselaers et al. 2009: 24, figs 4, 38–39; Bosselaers 2010: 25, figs 4–9, 14–20.

Diagnosis. The male of this species is distinctive among Afrotropical congeners and can be easily recognised by the embolus looping on the longitudinal axis of the palp in ventral view and the hatchet-shaped patellar apophysis in lateral view ( Fig. 15A, B ). The epigyne of the new species is most similar to that of T. leggi sp. nov. but can be distinguished by the small copulatory openings that are separated by about three diameters ( Fig. 15C ) vs copulatory openings larger and separated by two diameters ( Fig. 14C ).

Male. Measurements: CL 0.90, CW 0.74, AL 1.06, AW 0.75, TL 1.93, FL 0.04, SL 0.52, SW 0.46, AME–AME 0.04, AME–ALE 0.01, ALE–ALE 0.18, PME–PME 0.71, PME–PLE 0.03, PLE–PLE 0.28. Length of leg segments: I 2.04 (0.60, 0.27, 0.46, 0.38, 0.33); II 1.86 (0.55, 0.24, 0.40, 0.35, 0.32); III 1.48 (0.42, 0.22, 0.29, 0.34, 0.21); IV 2.17 (0.62, 0.25, 0.48, 0.55, 0.27).

Carapace bright orange, eye region slightly darker, with black rings around eyes ( Fig. 7B ); AME very slightly larger than ALE; clypeus height 1.1× AME diameter; AME separated by 0.5× times their diameter; AME separated from ALE by 0.1× AME diameter; PME very slightly larger than PLE; PME separated by about 0.85× their diameter; PME separated from PLE by about 0.4× PME diameter. Chelicerae bright orange, endites and labium slightly lighter; three promarginal teeth, proximal tooth smallest, median tooth largest; two retromarginal teeth on common base, subequal in size. Sternum bright orange, with darker border, covered in faint grey mottling, concentrated around border. Abdominal dorsum cream in anterior half, dark grey in posterior half, with broad orange scutum covering ¾ of abdomen, covered in grey mottling ( Fig. 7B ); venter uniform cream. All legs uniform creamy-yellow. Palp pale yellow-brown; PA hatchet-shaped, small, with broad base, narrowing near middle into ventrally directed point; CY oval, tapering to sharp point distally; TE oval, with prolateral protrusion proximally, almost 3/4 length of CY; SP simple, oblique, with gradual proximal bend; EM originating distally on tegulum behind broad TA, forming single simple loop on longitudinal axis of palp, with tip directed retrodistally ( Fig. 15A, B ).

Female. Measurements: CL 1.00–1.20, CW 0.95–1.08, AL 1.50–1.58, AW 1.08–1.20, TL 2.50–2.70, FL 0.03– 0.10, SL 0.63–0.70, SW 0.60–0.70, AME–AME 0.08, AME–ALE 0.13, ALE–ALE 0.26, PME–PME 0.10, PME– PLE 0.05, PLE–PLE 0.33. Length of leg segments: I 2.91 (0.88, 0.40, 0.63, 0.53, 0.45); II 2.53 (0.70, 0.38, 0.55, 0.50, 0.40); III 2.15 (0.63, 0.33, 0.43, 0.48, 0.28); IV 2.96 (0.93, 0.35, 0.70, 0.70, 0.28).

Carapace brown to reddish-brown; eye region brown to reddish-brown, with black rings around eyes; AME and ALE equal in size; clypeus height slightly larger than AME diameter; AME separated by 1.4× their diameter; AME separated from ALE by 0.4× AME diameter; PME and PLE equal in size; PME separated by 1.7× their diameter; PME separated from PLE by PME diameter. Chelicerae brown, endites and labium yellow-brown; three promarginal teeth, median tooth largest, distal tooth smallest; two retromarginal teeth, distal tooth largest. Sternum pale brown to brown, darker towards border. Abdomen pale yellow dorsally, darkening to grey posteriorly. Legs uniformly pale brown; legs I and II slightly more robust, slightly darker than legs III and IV. Epigyne with small, mesally directed ridges, with CO separated by three diameters; CD forming complete compact coil, with short narrow stalk entering round ST II in anterior half of epigyne [both ST II broken off during ultrasonic epigyne clearing]; Cd slender, converging near midline, looping back posteriorly before forming thickened oblique stalk entering oval posterolateral ST I, separated by slightly less than their diameter ( Fig. 15C, D ).

Other material examined. LESOTHO: Mohale Dam, Island 3, 29°25.396'S, 28°05.903'E, 2040 m a.s.l., 16.XII.2003, leg. C. Haddad (under rocks, montane grassland), 1♀ ( NCA 2006 /1338) . SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZuluNatal: Tembe Elephant Park , 10. IV .1998, leg. A. Leroy (leaf litter), 1♀ ( NCA); Tembe Elephant Park, Viewing Tower , 27°02.226'S, 32°24.906'E, 115 m a.s.l., 5.XII.2019 , leg. C. Haddad & R. Booysen (base of grass tussocks), 1♂ ( NMBA 18810 ). Western Cape: De Hoop Nature Reserve, Koppie Alleen , 34°28'S, 20°30'E, 6. IX .2007, leg. C. Haddad (hand collecting), 1♀ ( NCA 2007 /119); George, Elsenberg [33°58'S, 22°25'E], 8. V .1972, leg. Volschenk (grazing), 1♀ ( NCA 76 /1097); Stellenbosch, 28 Cluver Road [33°55'S, 18°52'E], 28.VIII.1979 , leg. H. Lombaard, 1♀ ( NCA 2007 /1329); Swellendam, Bontebok National Park , 34°04'S, 20°27'E, 30.X.1987 , leg. Entomology staff (various methods), 1♀ ( NMBA 15002 ); same locality, 34°02.990'S, 20°28.890'E, 119 m a.s.l., 15.X.2011 , leg. L. Almeida et al. (general collecting, fynbos and grassland), 2 imm. 4♂ 3♀ ( CAS, CASENT 9043374 ) .

Distribution: Widely distributed in central, eastern and southern Africa ( Fig. 16 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Dorsal habitus of Afrotropical Trachelas species: A T. longinquus sp. nov., male from Dzanga-Sangha Forest; B T. pusillus, male from Tembe; C T. russellsmithi sp. nov., female from Addis Ababa; D, E T. scutatus sp. nov., male (D) and female (E) from Agege; F T. smithi sp. nov., female from Kakamega Forest; G, H T. sylvae, male (G) and female (H) from Ruwenzori. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 14. Genitalic morphology of Trachelas leggi sp. nov. (A–D) and T. longinquus sp. nov. (E, F):A, E Male palp, ventral view; B, F Same, retrolateral view; C Epigyne, ventral view; D Same, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: AT— atrium; CD—copulatory duct; Cd—connecting duct; CO—copulatory opening; EM—embolus; FD—fertilization duct; PA— patellar apophysis; SP—sperm duct; ST I—primary spermatheca; ST II—secondary spermathecae; TA—tegular apophysis.

FIGURE 15. Genitalic morphology of Trachelas pusillus: A Male palp, ventral view; B Same, retrolateral view; C Epigyne, ventral view; D Same, dorsal view [ST II broken off during preparation]. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: AT—atrium; CD—copulatory duct; Cd—connecting duct; CO—copulatory opening; EM—embolus; FD—fertilization duct; PA—patellar apophysis; SP—sperm duct; ST I—primary spermatheca; TA—tegular apophysis.

FIGURE 16. Distribution of Trachelas pusillus (yellow circles), T. russellsmithi sp. nov. (green circle), T. scutatus sp. nov. (blue circles), T. smithi sp. nov. (magenta circle) and T. sylvae (turquoise circles) in the continental Afrotropical Region.