Caerostris kuntneri Gregorič & Yu, 2025

Caerostris kuntneri Gregorič & Yu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D5F8C1C5-41DF-477F-B01B-F93BD94593E6

Figs 1F View Fig , 6G–I View Fig , 7 View Fig ; Appendix 1

Diagnosis

As in C. extrusa ( Figs 4E View Fig , 6C View Fig ), C. darwini ( Kuntner & Agnarsson 2010: fig. 6e), C. mitralis ( Grasshoff 1984: figs 19–20, 29–30), C. tinamaze ( Gregorič et al. 2015b: fig. 9c), and C. wallacei ( Gregorič et al. 2015b: fig. 10c), and in contrast to other Afrotropical species of Caerostris , the epigynal hooks in C. kuntneri ( Figs 6I View Fig , 7E View Fig ) are short rather than long, positioned medially on the epigynal plate rather than anteriorly and pointing laterally rather than posteriorly. Caerostris kuntneri is similar to C. almae and C. mitralis but different from the abovementioned species of Caerostris by the anterior epigynal margin that circles around the copulatory openings; however, the hooks are small in C. mitralis ( Grasshoff 1984: figs 19–20), heavily sclerotized, relatively wide, and longer than wide in C. almae ( Gregorič et al. 2015b: figs 3d, 4d, f), and short, about as long as wide in C. kuntneri ( Figs 6I View Fig , 7E View Fig ). Male C. kuntneri ( Fig. 7K–M View Fig ) differ from those of other Afrotropical Caerostris , except C. almae ( Gregorič et al. 2015b: fig. 3i–k), by the relatively large palpal bulbus with a large and blunt conductor. The conductor in C. kuntneri is large, pointing anteriorly, while mesally in C. almae .

Etymology

The species epithet, a noun in the genitive case, honors the arachnologist Matjaž Kuntner, whose discoveries initiated recent research efforts on the genus Caerostris .

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR • ♀, labeled “ARA5602, Andasibe-Mantadia , Madagascar”; Toamasina Province, Mantadia National Park ; lat. -18.783784, lon. 48.427617; 28. Feb. 2010; M. Kuntner, I. Agnarsson and M. Gregorič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ARA5602 ; USNM.

Paratype

MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂, labeled “ARA1961, Andasibe-Mantadia , Madagascar”; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.937172, lon. 48.420053; 8. Dec. 2017; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner and I. Agnarsson leg.; GenBank accession number PP403877 ; ARA1961 ; USNM.

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR • 1 ♀; sequence obtained from Kono et al. (2021), sequence voucher 7421-W1_ S15 ; Toamasina Province, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park ; GenBank accession number PP403852 • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.932779 lon. 48.413215; 6. Dec. 2017; M. Gregorič, I. Agnarsson, M. Kuntner and P. Babb leg.; GenBank accession number PP403867 ; CA2017025 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403869 ; CA2017141 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, and leg. data as for preceding; 7. Dec. 2017; GenBank accession number PP403881 ; ARA1977 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403882 ; ARA1978 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403883 ; ARA1979 ; ZRC SAZU • ♂; same locality as for preceding; 11. Apr. 2022; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner, K.P. Yu and M. Bedjanič leg.; GenBank accession number PP403872 ; ARA8078 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403873 ; ARA8079 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403874 ; ARA8080 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.937172 lon. 48.420053; 8. Dec. 2017; M. Gregorič, I. Agnarsson, M. Kuntner and P. Babb leg.; GenBank accession number PP403868 ; CA2017327 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403876 ; ARA1960 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403877 ; ARA1961 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403878 ; ARA1962 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403879 ; ARA1963 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; GenBank accession number PP403880 ; ARA1964 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 10–16. Dec. 2017; GenBank accession number PP403870 ; CA2017181 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 4. Dec. 2017; GenBank accession number PP403871 ; CA2017211 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♂; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 3. Dec. 2017; GenBank accession number PP403875 ; ARA1934 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.937703, lon. 48.371233; 5. Apr. 2022; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner, K.P. Yu and M. Bedjanič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7923 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality, date, and leg. data as for preceding; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7913 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 5. Apr. 2022; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7937 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 8. Apr. 2022; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7874 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.825368, lon. 48.434792; 6. Apr. 2022; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner, K.P. Yu and M. Bedjanič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ZRC SAZU ARA7967 • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.889361, lon. 48.433165; 10. Apr. 2022; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner, K.P. Yu and M. Bedjanič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7884 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; Toamasina Province, Analamazoatra National Park ; lat. -18.786784, lon. 48.427617; 28. Feb. 2010; M. Kuntner, I. Agnarsson and M. Gregorič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ARA5602 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 27. Feb. 2010; Cox1 not obtained; ARA5608 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; Antsiranana Province, Marojejy National Park ; lat. -14.437629, lon. 49.775602; 24. Mar. 2022; M. Gregorič, M. Kuntner, K.P. Yu and M. Bedjanič leg.; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7924 ; ZRC SAZU • 1 ♀; same locality and leg. data as for preceding; 25. Mar. 2022; Cox1 not obtained; ARA7925 ; ZRC SAZU .

Description

Female (holotype, Fig. 7A–E View Fig )

MEASUREMENTS AND COLORATION. Total body length 26.21. Prosoma 9.64 long, 9.67 wide, 7.91 high. Carapace and chelicerae dark reddish brown, covered with whitish to yellowish setae. Sternum 4.59 long, 4.22 wide, widest between coxae of second legs, dark brown with pale band in posterior half. AME diameter 0.39, PME diameter 0.40, AME separation 0.59, PME separation 1.21, PME–PLE separation 3.42, ALE–PLE separation 0.10. Clypeus height 1.70. Appendages: palps dark reddish brown. All leg segments uniformly dark reddish brown. Leg I femur 7.26, patella 4.38, tibia 6.63, metatarsus 7.69, tarsus 2.93. Opisthosoma 17.07 long, 19.24 wide, 10.24 high. Base color of dorsum light brown, covered with black spots, with several small, pointy tubercules on anterior half and pair of large posterior tubercules, pointing posteriorly and protruding past spinnerets. Venter brown with several dark brown and black spots, two paler, grey, longitudinal bands. Epigynum as diagnosed ( Fig. 7E View Fig ).

Male (paratype, Fig. 7G–M View Fig )

MEASUREMENTS AND COLORATION. Total body length 5.15. Prosoma 2.96 long, 2.48 wide, 2.28 high. Carapace and chelicerae dark reddish brown, covered with whitish to yellowish setae. Sternum 1.27 long, 1.24 wide, widest between coxae of second legs, orange brown, sparsely covered with white setae. AME diameter 0.24, PME diameter 0.25, AME separation 0.22, PME separation 0.53, PME–PLE separation 0.92, ALE–PLE separation 0.03. Clypeus height 0.52. Appendages: palps orange. All leg segments uniformly orange. Leg I femur 2.70, patella 1.35, tibia 2.30, metatarsus 2.81, tarsus 1.05. Opisthosoma 3.76 long, 3.61 wide, 1.83 high. Base color of dorsum greenish brown, covered with dark brown spots and black amorphous areas, with several small, pointy tubercules on anterior half. Venter black with white spots. Palp as diagnosed ( Fig. 7K–M View Fig ).

Variation

Female total length 19.6–26.2, prosoma length 7.85–9.64. Base color of opisthosoma dorsum light brown to dark brown, with anterior tubercules from small to pronounced. Some individuals with light median band, others without or with light anterior speck ( Figs 6G View Fig , 7A View Fig ).

Distribution

Eastern Madagascar, known from Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (Toamasina Province), Ranomafana National Park (Fianarantsoa Province), and Marojejy National Park (Antsiranana Province).

Natural history

This species occurs in montane rainforests of eastern Madagascar. The web is typical of Caerostris ( Gregorič et al. 2011a) , suspended at day and night. Several individuals have embolic plugs in copulatory openings ( Kuntner et al. 2015), but never more than one per copulatory opening. Of the here investigated material, we observed mating in nature, where a male engaged in opportunistic mating ( Kuntner & Coddington 2020) with a freshly molted female.