Ischnocolus hancocki Smith, 1990

Zonstein, Sergei L., 2018, Complementary data on the genus Ischnocolus (Araneae: Theraphosidae), Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 48 (1), pp. 105-118 : 107-110

Ischnocolus hancocki Smith, 1990

( Figs 1–8)

Ischnocolus hancocki Smith, 1990: 127 , figs 803–818 (♀); Guadanucci & Wendt 2014: 394, fig. 4A (♀).

Description. Male: Body length, 13.20.

Color in alcohol: carapace, chelicerae, palps and legs II dark brownish orange; eye tubercle only slightly darkened, brown; clypeus, margins and radial grooves of carapace darker than cephalic portion in medial part; chelicerae dark reddish brown; sternum, labium, maxillae, leg coxae I–IV, other segments of legs III–IV, most part of abdomen and spinnerets light yellowish brown; darker brown dorsal abdominal pattern consists of poorly discernible narrow median stripe fused with several paired lateral chevrons.

Prosoma as in Figs 1, 3. Carapace 5.23 long, 4.40 wide. Clypeus and eye tubercle as in Fig. 2. Eye diameters and interspaces: AME 0.18(0.26), ALE 0.27, PLE 0.19, PME 0.18, AME–AME 0.15(0.07), ALE–AME 0.12(0.08), ALE–PLE 0.11, PLE–PME 0.04, PME–PME 0.41. Weak cheliceral rastellum composed of 20–25 slightly thickened spikes located in front of fang base. Each cheliceral furrow with 8 promarginal teeth and 10 mesobasal denticles. Labium with 20 cuspules; 0.48 long, 0.83 wide. Sternum 2.40 long, 1.89 wide. Each maxilla with about 85 cuspules arranged in triangular area. Serrula inconspicuous (under light microscope at magnification 150×).

Palp and legs. Tibia and metatarsus I as in Fig. 4. Spines (all femora with medial row of 3–6 thickened bristles; palpal patella, patellae I–II and IV, tarsi I–IV and cymbium aspinose). Palp: femur pd1, rd1; tibia pd1–1, pv1–1. Leg I: femur pd1, rd1; tibia p1–1, v2–2–1+M, metatarsus rv1–0–1. Leg II: femur pd1; tibia p1–1, v1–1–2; metatarsus p1–0–1, rv1–1. Leg III: femur pd1–1; patella p1; tibia p1–1, r1–1, v1–1–2; metatarsus pd1–1–1, rd1–1, v1–2–3. Leg IV: femur pd1, rd1–1; tibia p1, r1–1, v2–2–3(2); metatarsus p1–1–1, r1–1–1, v1–2–2–3. Metatarsal preening combs absent. Scopula: entire on metatarsus I, distal and divided on metatarsus II, sparse and distal on metatarsi III–IV; very narrowly divided on tarsus I; narrowly divided on tarsi II–III; widely divided on tarsus IV. Trichobothria: 2 rows of 7 or 8 in each row on tibiae, 14–16 on metatarsi, 9–12 (+4–6 clavate) on tarsi, 5–8 clavate on cymbium. Tarsus IV cracked. Paired claws on tarsi I–IV bipectinate, with 4 or 5 teeth in each row. Leg measurements:

Palp I II III IV Femur 2.75 4.23 3.85 3.44 4.35 Patella 1.47 2.46 2.09 1.54 1.97 Tibia 1.79 2.85 2.42 2.05 3.29 Metatarsus – 2.63 2.45 2.61 3.87 Tarsus 1.70 1.69 1.68 1.83 2.13 Total 7.71 13.86 12.49 11.47 15.61

Copulatory organs. Palp with short and slightly swollen tibia, and elongate cymbium ( Fig. 5). Palpal organ with moderately long flattened and apically twisted embolus ( Figs 6, 7).

Spinnerets as in Fig. 8. PMS: length 0.43; diameter 0.23. PLS: maximal diameter 0.47; length of basal, medial and apical segments 0.62, 0.43, 0.55, respectively; total length 1.60; apical segment shortly digitiform.

Female: Redescribed in detail by Guadanucci and Wendt (2014).

Material examined: Morocco: 1♂ Mazagan (El Jadida), 33°15'N 8°30'W, iii.1902, F.W. Riggenbach ( ZISP 181-02 ) .

Distribution: Known only from Morocco.

Notes: The male described above looks to be related to the female of I. hancocki in having a very similar arrangement of the eyes, sternal sigilla, labial and sternal cuspules ( Figs 2, 3 cf. Smith 1990, figs 805, 806). As the I. hancocki female, the male possesses the PLS with the median segment as wide as long, and with a short apical segment which is only slightly longer than the preceding one ( Fig. 8 cf. Smith 1990, fig. 804). It should be also noted that I. elongatus and I. hancocki are known from the same north-western region of Morocco. In addition, both these species share an unusually short (compared to their congeners) apical segment of the PLS. The potential synonymy of I. elongatus and I. hancocki cannot thus be excluded.