Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 4472 No. 3: 11 Sept. 2018
Type: Article
Published: 2018-09-11
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4472.3.7
Page range: 545–562
Abstract views: 51
PDF downloaded: 1

Chinja, a new genus of spider from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania (Araneae, Zoropsidae)

Museu de Zoologia "Adão José Cardoso", Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Rua Charles Darwin s/n, Bloco N, Cx Postal 6109, 13.083-863, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Arachnology Lab, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
Araneae Africa Eastern Arc Mountain Hotspot Lycosoidea OC Clade new species

Abstract

The new zoropsid spider genus Chinja Polotow & Griswold is diagnosed and described and the following two new species are described: C. chinja sp. nov. and C. scharffi sp. nov. The species were collected in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and appear to be endemic to this region. The genus belongs to the oval-calamistrum clade (OC Clade), which also includes Dionycha and Lycosoidea. Based on the synapomorphies and diagnostic characters of members of the OC Clade, Chinja is considered a member of Zoropsidae, although without a clear subfamily placement due to insufficient data. Males of Chinja can be distinguished from other Zoropsidae by a straight PER, by lacking a tibial crack, by having a male palpal cymbium with a retrobasal process and the male palpal tibia with an RTA and a retromedian cluster of stout setae. Females have a divided cribellum with cribellar spigots evenly arranged, and the epigynum with the median plate broad and laterally procurved into hooks, and the lateral lobes each with a wide tooth. The following set of characters can be also helpful to identify the genus: presence of a third tarsal claw, absence of claw tufts and presence of a cribellum and calamistrum.

 

References

  1. Almeida-Silva, L. (2013) Cladistic analysis of Macrobunidae Petrunkevitch, 1928 new rank and revision of Macrobuninae Petrunkevitch, 1928 (Araneae). PhD Thesis, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo. Available from: http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/41/41133/tde-20032014-094350/pt-br.php (accessed 13 August 2018)

    Bowie, R.C., Fjeldså, J., Hackett, S.J., Bates, J.M. & Crowe, T.M. (2006) Coalescent models reveal the relative roles of ancestral polymorphism, vicariance, and dispersal in shaping phylogeographical structure of an African montane forest robin. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 38 (1), 171–188.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2005.06.001

    Bertkau, P. (1882) Über das Cribellum und Calamistrum. Ein Beitrag zur Histologie, Biologie und Systematik der Spinnen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, 48, 316–362.

    Burgess, N.D., Fjelds, J. & Botterweg, R. (1998) Faunal importance of the Eastern Arc mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of East African Natural History, 87 (1), 37–58.
    https://doi.org/10.2982/0012-8317(1998)87[37:FIOTEA]2.0.CO;2

    Burgess, N.D., Butynski, T.M., Cordeiro, N.J., Doggart, N.H., Fjeldså, J., Howell, K.M., Kilahama, F.B., Loader, S.P., Lovett, J.C., Mbilinyi, B. & Menegon, M. (2007) The biological importance of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya. Biological conservation, 134 (2), 209–231.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.015

    Dimitrov, D., Nogués-Bravo, D. & Scharff, N. (2012) Why do tropical mountains support exceptionally high biodiversity? The Eastern Arc Mountains and the drivers of Saintpaulia diversity. PloS one, 7 (11), e48908.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048908

    Dufour, L. (1820) Descriptions de cinq arachnides nouvelles. Annales générales des sciences physiques, Bruxelles, 5, 198–209.

    Fjeldså, J. (1994) Geographical patterns for relict and young species of birds in Africa and South America and implications for conservation priorities. Biodiversity & Conservation, 3 (3), 207–226.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00055939

    Fjeldså, J. & Lovett, J.C. (1997) Geographical patterns of old and young species in African forest biota: the significance of specific montane areas as evolutionary centres. Biodiversity & Conservation, 6 (3), 325–346.
    https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018356506390

    Fjeldså, J. & Bowie, R.C. (2008) New perspectives on the origin and diversification of Africa’s forest avifauna. African Journal of Ecology, 46 (3), 235–247.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.00992.x

    Griswold, C.E. (1990) A revision and phylogenetic analysis of the spider subfamily Phyxelidinae (Araneae, Amaurobiidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 196, 1–206.

    Griswold, C.E. (1991) Cladistic biogeography of Afromontane spiders. Australian Systematic Botany, 4 (1), 73–89.
    https://doi.org/10.1071/SB9910073

    Griswold, C.E. (1993) Investigations into the phylogeny of the lycosoid spiders and their kin (Arachnida: Araneae: Lycosoidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 539, 1–39.
    https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.539

    Griswold, C.E. (2000) Afromontane spiders in Madagascar (Araneae, Araneomorphae: Cyatholipidae, Phyxelididae, Zorocratidae). In: Lourenço, W.R. & Goodman, S.M. (Eds.), Diversité et Endémisme à Madagascar. Mémoires de la Société de Biogéographie, Paris, pp. 345–354.

    Griswold, C.E. (2001) A monograph of the living world genera and Afrotropical species of cyatholipid spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae, Cyatholipidae). Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences, 26, 1–251.

    Griswold, C.E. (2002) A revision of the African spider genus Raecius Simon, 1892 (Araneae, Zorocratidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 53 (10), 117–149.

    Griswold, C.E. & Ramírez, M. (2017) Phylogeny of Spiders. In: Ubick, D, Paquin, P, Cushing, P., Crews, S. & Dupérré, N. (Eds.), Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society, New Hampshire, pp. 17–29.

    Griswold, C.E., Ramírez, M.J., Coddington, J.A. & Platnick, N.I. (2005) Atlas of phylogenetic data for entelegyne spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae: Entelegynae) with comments on their phylogeny. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 56, 1–324.

    Griswold, C., Wood, H. & Carmichael, A. (2012) The lace web spiders (Araneae, Phyxelididae) of Madagascar: phylogeny, biogeography and taxonomy. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 164, 728–810.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00779.x

    Hall, J., Burgess, N.D., Lovett, J., Mbilinyi, B. & Gereau, R.E. (2009) Conservation implications of deforestation across an elevational gradient in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania. Biological Conservation, 142 (11), 2510–2521.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.028

    Haas, F. & Klass, K.D. (2003) The Dermaptera of Tanzania: checklist, faunal aspects and fogging canopies (Insecta: Dermaptera). Entomologische Abhandlungen, 60, 45–67.

    Hijmans, R.J., Guarino L., Cruz, M. & Rojas, E. (2001) Computer tools for spatial analysis of plant genetic resources data: 1. DIVA-GIS. Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter, 127, 15–19.

    Labarque, F.M, Pérez-González, A. & Griswold, C.E.(2018) Molecular phylogeny and revision of the false violin spiders (Araneae, Drymusidae) of Africa. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 183 (2), 390–430.
    https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx088

    Ledford,J.L., Paquin, P., Cokendolpher, J., Campbell, J. & Griswold, C. (2011) Systematics of the spider genus Neoleptoneta Brignoli, 1972 (Araneae: Leptonetidae) with a discussion of the morphology and relationships for the North American Leptonetidae. Invertebrate Systematics, 25, 334–388.
    https://doi.org/10.1071/IS11014

    Lehtinen, P.T. (1975) Notes on the phylogenetic classification of Araneae. Proceedings of t6th Arachnological Congress, 1975, 26–29.

    Loader, S.P., Ceccarelli, S., Menegon, M., Howell, K.M., Kassahun, R., Mengistu, A.A., Saber, S.A., Gebresenbet, F., Sá, R., Davenport, T.R. & Larson, J.G. (2014) Persistence and stability of Eastern Afromontane forests: evidence from brevicipitid frogs. Journal of biogeography, 41 (9), 1781–1792.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12331

    Lovett, J. C. (1985) Moist forests of Tanzania. Swara, 8 (5), 8–9.

    Lovett, J. C. (1998) Importance of the Eastern Arc Mountains for vascular plants. Journal of East African Natural History, 87 (1), 59–74.
    https://doi.org/10.2982/0012-8317(1998)87[59:IOTEAM]2.0.CO;2

    Lovett, J. C. & Wasser, S. K. (2008) Biogeography and ecology of the rain forests of eastern Africa. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 341 pp.

    Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., Da Fonseca, G.A. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403 (6772), 853–858.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501

    McKamey, S.H. (1999) Biodiversity of tropical Homoptera, with the first data from Africa. American Entomologist, 45 (4), 213–222.
    https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/45.4.213

    Newmark, W.D. (2002) Conserving biodiversity in East African forests: a study of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Vol. 155. Springer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, XII + 200 pp.

    Piacentini, L.N., Ramírez, M.J. & Silva, D. (2013) Systematics of Cauquenia (Araneae: Zoropsidae), with comments on the patterns of evolution of cribellum and male tibial crack on Lycosoidea. Invertebrate Systematics, 27, 567–577.
    https://doi.org/10.1071/IS13031

    Platts P.J., Burgess, N.D., Gereau, R.E., Lovett, J.C., Marshall, A.R., McClean, C.J., Pellikka, P.K.E, Swetnam, R.D. & Marchant, R. (2011a) Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation. Environmental Conservation, 38 (3), 312–324.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892911000191

    Platts P.J., Burgess, N.D., Gereau, R.E., Lovett, J.C., Marshall, A.R., McClean, C.J., Pellikka, P.K.E, Swetnam, R.D. & Marchant, R. (2011b) Data from: Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation. Dryad Digital Repository. Available from: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c5310 (accessed 13 August 2018)

    Polotow, D. & Brescovit, A.D. (2006) Revision of the Neotropical spider genus Itatiaya Mello-Leitão (Araneae, Ctenidae) with considerations on biogeographic distribution of species. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 23, 429–442.
    https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81752006000200018

    Polotow, D., Carmichael, A. & Griswold, C.E. (2015) Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of Lycosoidea spiders (Araneae, Entelegynae). Invertebrate Systematics, 29, 124–163.
    https://doi.org/10.1071/IS14041

    Polotow, D. & Griswold, C.E. (2017) Cleaning old cabinets: revealing the taxonomy of Sri Lankan wolf spiders (Araneae, Udubidae and Zoropsidae). Zootaxa, 4362 (1), 51–74.
    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4362.1.3

    Ramírez M.J. (2014) The morphology and phylogeny of dionychan spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 390, 1–374.
    https://doi.org/10.1206/821.1

    Raven, R.J. & Stumkat, K.S. (2005) Revisions of Australian ground-hunting spiders: II. Zoropsidae (Lycosoidea: Araneae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 50, 347–423.

    Rovero, F., Menegon, M., Fjeldså, J., Collett, L., Doggart, N., Leonard, C., Norton, G., Owen, N., Perkin, A., Spitale, D. & Ahrends, A. (2014) Targeted vertebrate surveys enhance the faunal importance and improve explanatory models within the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Diversity and Distributions, 20 (12), 1438–1449.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12246

    Scharff, N. (1992) The linyphiid fauna of eastern Africa (Araneae: Linyphiidae)–distribution patterns, diversity and endemism. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 45 (2), 117–154.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1992.tb00635.x

    Scharff, N. (1993) The linyphiid spider fauna (Araneae, Linyphiidae) of mountain forests in the Eastern Arc mountains. In: Biogeography and ecology of the rain forests of eastern Africa. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 115–132.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511895692.007

    Scharff, N., Stoltze, M. & Jensen, F.P. (1981) The Uluguru mountains, Tanzania: Report of a Study-Tour, 1981. Zoological Museum of The University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, X pp.

    Sierwald, P. (1990) Morphology and homologous features in the male palp organ in Pisauridae and other spider families, with notes on the taxonomy of Pisauridae (Arachnida: Araneae). Nemouria, 35, 1–59.

    Silva Dávila, D. (2003) Higher-level relationships of the spider family Ctenidae (Araneae: Ctenoidea). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 274, 1–86.
    https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0090(2003)274%3C0001:HLROTS%3E2.0.CO;2

    Simon, E. (1878) Les arachnides de France. Vol. 4. Librarie encyclopedique de Roret, Paris, 334 pp.

    Sørensen, L.L., Coddington, J.A. & Scharff, N. (2002) Inventorying and estimating subcanopy spider diversity using semiquantitative sampling methods in an Afromontane forest. Environmental Entomology, 31 (2), 319–330.
    https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-31.2.319

    Stanley, W.T., Rogers, M.A. & Hutterer, R. (2005) A new species of Congosorex from the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, with significant biogeographical implications. Journal of Zoology, 265 (3), 269–280.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836904006314

    Szűts, T. & Scharff, N. (2009) Revision of the living members of the genus Tomocyrba Simon, 1900 (Araneae: Salticidae). Contributions to natural History, 12, 1337–1372.

    Tolley, K.A., Tilbury, C.R., Measey, G.J., Menegon, M., Branch, W.R. & Matthee, C.A. (2011) Ancient forest fragmentation or recent radiation? Testing refugial speciation models in chameleons within an African biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Biogeography, 38 (9), 1748–1760.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02529.x

    Wheeler, W.C., Coddington, J.A., Crowley, L.M., Dimitrov, D., Goloboff, P.A., Griswold, C.E., Hormiga, G., Prendini, L., Ramírez, M.J., Sierwald, P., Almeida-Silva, L.M., Alvarez-Padilla, F., Arnedo, M.A., Benavides Silva, L.R., Benjamin, S.P., Bond, J.E., Grismado, C.J., Hasan, E., Hedin, M., Izquierdo, M.A., Labarque, F.M., Ledford, J., Lopardo, L., Maddison, W.P., Miller, J.A., Piacentini, L.N., Platnick, N.I., Polotow, D., Silva-Dávila, D., Scharff, N., Szüts, T., Ubick, D., Vink, C.J., Wood, H.M. & Zhang, J. (2017) The spider tree of life: Phylogeny of Araneae based on target-gene analyses from an extensive taxon sampling. Cladistics, 33 (6), 576–616.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12182

    White, F. (1978) The afromontane region. In: Werger, M.J.A. & van Bruggen, A.C. (Eds.), Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 463–513.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9951-0_11

    Wood, H.M. & Scharff, N. (2018) A review of the Madagascan pelican spiders of the genera Eriauchenius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 and Madagascarchaea gen. n. (Araneae, Archaeidae). Zookeys, 727, 1–96.
    https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.727.20222

    World Spider Catalog (2018) World Spider Catalog. Version 19.0. Natural History Museum Bern. Available from: http://wsc.nmbe.ch (accessed 18 January 2018)

    Wunderlich, J. (2017) New fossil spiders of three families in Eocene Baltic amber and Bitterfeld amber, with notes on phylogeny and relationships of the Zoropsidae (Araneae: Anapidae, Spatiatoridae and Zoropsidae). In: Wunderlich, J. (Ed.), Beiträge zur Araneologie, 10, pp. 14–47.