Foordana kasouga, Haddad, 2025

Foordana kasouga sp. nov.

Figs 9 C, F View Figure 9 , 11 View Figure 11

Material examined.

Holotype. South Africa • ♂; Eastern Cape Province; Kasouga, 16 km WSW of Port Alfred ; 33°39'S, 25°45'E; Jan. 1940; J. Omer-Cooper leg.; NMSA 5346 About NMSA . GoogleMaps

Paratype. 1 ♂; South Africa • KwaZulu-Natal Province; 75 km WSW of Estcourt, Cathedral Peak Forest Station, Meteorology Station, Little Berg ; 28°59'S, 29°11'E; 1860 m a. s. l.; 13–31 Dec. 1979; S. & J. Peck leg.; pan trap; AMNH ICZ 00357882 About AMNH GoogleMaps .

Other material.

South Africa • 8 ♂ 1 ♀; KwaZulu-Natal Province; 75 km WSW of Estcourt, Cathedral Peak Forest Station, Meteorology Station, Little Berg ; 28°59'S, 29°11'E; 1860 m a. s. l.; 21–31 Dec. 1979; S. & J. Peck leg.; veld, Malaise trap; AMNH ICZ 00357881 About AMNH GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

The male of this species can be recognised by the distinctive loop of the embolus and the far longer dRTA, which extends to more than a quarter of the tegulum length. In comparison, the emboli of F. distincta sp. nov. and F. flavipoda sp. nov. are only slightly curved, and the dRTA is clearly larger than the vRTA in lateral view (compare Figs 8 C View Figure 8 , 9 D – F View Figure 9 , 10 B View Figure 10 , 11 C View Figure 11 ). Female unknown.

Description.

Male (holotype, Kasouga, NMSA 5346): Measurements: CL 2.64, CW 2.11, AL 2.92, AW 2.00, TL ~ 5.56, FL 0.27, SL 1.40, SW 1.10, AME - AME 0.11, AME - ALE 0.05, ALE - ALE 0.45, PME - PME 0.13, PME - PLE 0.17, PLE - PLE 0.79 MOQ: AW 0.40, PW 0.44, L 0.41. Length of leg segments: I 2.20 + 1.03 + 1.80 + 1.28 + 0.80 = 7.11; II 1.85 + 1.00 + 1.52 + 1.22 + 0.78 = 6.37; III 1.40 + 0.72 + 0.92 + 1.10 + 0.53 = 4.67; IV 1.98 + 0.87 + 1.55 + 1.62 + 0.62 = 6.64. Carapace orange-brown, with faint traces of striae radiating from fovea (Fig. 9 C View Figure 9 ); surface finely wrinkled; fovea short, distinct, at ⅔ CL. AER slightly procurved, almost straight; clypeus height equal to ⅘ AME diameter; AME and ALE subequal in size; AME separated by distance equal to ⅔ their diameter; AME separated from ALE by distance slightly larger than ¼ their diameter; PER recurved, PLE slightly larger than PME; PME separated by distance very slightly less than their diameter; PME separated from PLE by distance almost equal to PLE diameter. Chelicerae orange-brown, anterior surface with long, fine setae, particularly along mesal surface; dentition not examined; endites and labium yellow-brown. Sternum yellow-brown, with orange-brown borders; surface with finely granulate texture, covered with scattered short, fine setae. Abdomen oval, pale grey, with faint dorsal scutum covering entire dorsum; two pairs of faint grey sigilla, at ¼ and ½ AL. Legs all creamy-yellow, faded in alcohol, anterior pair slightly darker. Palp (Figs 9 F View Figure 9 , 11 B, C View Figure 11 ) yellow, tegulum cream with red-brown sperm duct; embolus originating proximally on the retrolateral side, curving clockwise around almost circular tegulum, with distal section making large S-shaped loop, with tip directed distally; vRTA short, finger-like, with tip bent slightly dorsally; dRTA long, triangular in ventral view, extending to approximately ¼ tegulum length.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality; noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Only known from single localities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, South Africa (Fig. 12 View Figure 12 ).

Remark.

At the proof stage I received a loan of Trachelidae from the AMNH including two vials containing F. kasouga sp. nov.. The single male is designated as a paratype, but unfortunately the second vial must have dried out at some stage and the material is not in an ideal condition to be included as paratypes. As this includes the only known female of the species, whose abdomen is badly damaged, description of this sex must wait until alternate material has been sampled.