Capobula montana Haddad & Jin & Platnick & Booysen 2021, spec. nov.

Capobula montana spec. nov.

Figs 7, 8, 65–70

Type material. Holotype ♀: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape:Mount Coke State Forest, 32°59.452’S, 27°28.740’E, 395 m a.s.l., 29.XI.2013, leg. J. Neethling (leaf litter, Afromontane forest) (NCA 2013 /4565). Paratypes: LESOTHO: Butha Buthe district: Valley near Butha Buthe, 28°48’S, 28°16’E, 2150 m a.s.l., 31. VII.2012, leg. J. van Niekerk (under rocks on mountainside), 1♂ (MHBU). Maseru district: Mohale Dam, Island 2, 29°25.396’S, 28°05.903’E, 2025 m a.s.l., 14.XII.2003, leg. C. Haddad (under rocks on hillside), 1♀ (MHBU). Quthing district: Ha Lazaro, Letšeng-le-Letsie, 30°18.207’S, 28°07.872’E, 2355 m a.s.l., 11.XI.2005, leg. C. Haddad (under rocks on hillside), 1♀ (NCA 2020 /102). SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Amatola Mountains, Hogsback, 32°36.285’S, 26°56.580’E, 27. III.2007, leg. C. Haddad (active searching, knee down), 3♀ (NCA 2007 /1191); Crdock, 32°09.535’S, 25°35.496’E, 23. IV.2010, leg. C. Haddad (base of grass tussocks, roadside), 2♀ (TMSA 23765); Grahamstown Municipal Caravan Park, 33°19.166’S, 26°31.326’E, 580 m a.s.l., 10–19.II.2006, leg. J. Miller, H. Wood & L. Lotz (forest), 1♂ (CAS, CASENT 9068190); Humansdorp District, Tsitsikamma Forest, 33°50’S, 24°30’E, I.1961, leg. N. Leleup, 1♂ (MRAC 139801); Shamwari Game Reserve, 33°27.983’S, 26°03.033’E, 13. VII.2005, leg. C. Haddad & R. Lyle (under logs), 1♂ (NCA 2008 /2014); Somerset East, Bestershoek Nature Reserve, 32°42.475’S, 25°34.293’E, 882 m a.s.l., 2.XII.2012, leg. J.A. Neethling (leaf litter, montane thicket), 1♀ (NCA 2020 /101). Free State: Harrismith, Platberg Nature Reserve, 28°16.842’S, 29°12.024’E, 2040 m a.s.l., 13.XI.2015 – 26.I.2016, leg. C. Haddad, D. Fourie & Z. Mbo (pitfall traps, alpine grassland), 1♂ (NCA 2015 /2312); Same locality, 28°16.900’S, 29°12.015’E, 13. III.2012, leg. J.A. Neethling (leaf litter, dry mountain runoff, thicket), 1♂ 1♀ (MHBU).

Additional material examined. LESOTHO: Butha Buthe: Near Butha Buthe, 28°47’S, 28°15’E, 1780 m a.s.l., 14.XII.2012, leg. J. van Niekerk (under rocks on mountainside), 1♀ (NCA 2019 /1004). SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Baviaanskloof, Keurkloof, Farm Ferndale, 33°41’S, 24°50’E, 21–24. III.2008, leg. A.S. Honiball & S. Hohowsky (pitfalls), 1♂ (NCA 2020 /104); Greater Addo Elephant National Park, 33°27.783’S, 25°47.017’E, IV.2011, leg. B. Milne (pitfall traps), 1♀ (NCA 2020 /105). Free State: Bloemfontein, Free State National Botanical Gardens, 29°03’S, 26°12’E, 1380 m a.s.l., 8.V–8. VII.2018, leg. C. Haddad & L. Mosese (pitfalls, Searsia lancea and grassland), 1♀ (NCA 2019 /514); Clocolan district, Mpetsane Conservation Estate, 28°48’S, 27°39’E, 9. III.2007, leg. C. Haddad (Eucalyptus leaf litter), 1♀ (NCA 2008 /557); Same locality, 17. III.2010, leg. C. Haddad (base of grass tussocks), 1♀ (NCA 2010 /345); Golden Gate Highlands National Park, 28°26.157’S, 28°43.560’E, 1771 m a.s.l., 19–21. III.2019, leg. J. Botham (shrubland patch 1, soil sampling 10 m inside patch), 1♀ (NCA 2019 /1006); Same locality, 28°31.081’S, 28°34.528’E, 1880 m a.s.l., 19–21. III.2019, leg. J. Botham (shrubland patch 6, leaf litter sifting), 1♀ (NCA 2019 /1005); Harrismith, Platberg Nature Reserve, 28°16.137’S, 29°11.172’E, 14. III.2012, leg. J.A. Neethling (leaf litter, mountain runoff, Eucalyptus plantation), 1♀ (NCA 2020 /103); Luckhof district, Farm Bankfontein, 30°03.466’S, 24°53.653’E, 1235 m a.s.l., 25–28. IV.2019, leg. H. Badenhorst & C. Haddad (Berlese-Tullgren extraction, kloof litter), 1♀ (NCA 2019 /887); Tussen-die-Riviere Nature Reserve, 30°27.797’S, 26°07.849’E, 1280 m a.s.l., 14. IV.2012, leg. University of the Free State students (leaf litter, shrubs in open grassland), 3♀ (NCA 2019 /1003).

Diagnosis. Females of C. montana spec. nov. have a similar epigyne to that of C. neethlingi spec. nov., but can be distinguished by the V- rather than J-shaped ridges containing the copulatory openings, the slightly separated copulatory ducts (touching medially in C. neethlingi spec. nov.), and the bursae that are separated by approximately half their diameter, while almost touching in C. neethlingi spec. nov. (compare Figs 65 and 66 with Figs 71 and 72). Males of C. montana spec. nov. share with C. capensis spec. nov. the relatively short distal section of the embolus, but can be distinguished by the lobate rather than spike-like femoral apophysis, and the subtriangular rather than ridge-like retrolateral tibial apophysis (compare Figs 67–70 and 56–58).

Etymology. The species name reflects the predominantly montane habitats that this species has been sampled from; Latin adjective.

Female (holotype, Mount Coke, NCA 2013/4565). Measurements: CL 0.87, CW 0.69, AL 1.08, AW 0.94, TL 2.15 (1.73–2.30), PERW 0.30, MOQAW 0.11, MOQPW 0.17, MOQL 0.16. Length of leg segments: I 0.63 + 0.24 + 0.52 + 0.47 + 0.27 = 2.13; II 0.54 + 0.22 + 0.43 + 0.39 + 0.25 = 1.83; III 0.46 + 0.21 + 0.36 + 0.38 + 0.24 = 1.65; IV 0.62 + 0.24 + 0.51 + 0.59 + 0.29 = 2.25.

Colour: carapace deep orange-brown, pits and lateral margins brown; chelicerae dark yellow-brown; endites and labium yellow-brown proximally, distal ends cream; sternum orange-brown, pits slightly darker, lateral margins brown; palps pale yellow-brown; legs with femora and tibiae I and II dark yellow-brown, other segments paler yellow-brown, similar to legs III and IV; all tarsi lightly paler; abdomen dark grey dorsally and laterally, with cream spots at setal bases, dorsally with seven indistinct fine cream chevrons in posterior half to spinnerets; venter paler mottled grey; spinnerets cream.

Leg spination: femora and patellae: spineless; tibiae: I plv 6 rlv 5, II plv 5 rlv 4; metatarsi: I plv 4 rlv 4, II plv 4 rlv 4; tarsi: I plv 4 rlv 3, II plv 4 rlv 2.

Epigyne with copulatory openings in small cup-shaped ridges (Fig. 65); copulatory ducts thin, initially curving mesally, then directed posteriorly along midline, looping dorsally and laterally before entering lateral teardropshaped primary spermathecae along their interior margin; bursae globular, slightly smaller than primary spermathecae (Fig. 66).

Male (paratype, Shamwari, NCA 2008/2014). Measurements: CL 0.83, CW 0.62, AL 0.83, AW 0.60, TL 1.78 (1.73–1.94), PERW 0.29, MOQAW 0.11, MOQPW 0.16, MOQL 0.15. Length of leg segments: I 0.54 + 0.22 + 0.49 + 0.43 + 0.25 = 1.93; II 0.51 + 0.22 + 0.38 + 0.37 + 0.24 = 1.72; III 0.43 + 0.19 + 0.34 + 0.36 + 0.24 = 1.56; IV 0.53 + 0.23 + 0.46 + 0.52 + 0.28 = 2.02.

Colour: carapace orange-brown, pits and lateral margins brown; chelicerae dark yellow-brown; endites and labium yellow-brown proximally and medially, cream distally; sternum bright yellow-orange, pit margins orange, lateral margins orange-brown; palps pale yellow-brown; legs with femora I yellow-brown, remaining segments yellow, except tarsi creamy-yellow; abdomen with bright yellow dorsal scutum covered in dark grey mottling, sides mottled dark grey; venter mottled pale grey, with bright yellow epigastric and ventral sclerites; spinnerets cream.

Leg spination: femora and patellae: spineless; tibiae: I plv 6 rlv 5, II plv 6 rlv 4; metatarsi: I plv 6 rlv 4, II plv 6 rlv 4; tarsi: I plv 4 rlv 4, II plv 4 rlv 3.

Palpal femur with short thumb tip-like ventral apophysis; patella with small, broad subtriangular retrolateral ridge; tibia with tibial apophysis short and triangular in ventral view, triangular and proximally directed in retrolateral view; embolus shorter and narrower than in congeners, tip slightly bent and directed retrodistally (Figs 67–70).

Habitat and biology. A litter-dwelling species mainly sampled from the litter of shrubs and trees in various biomes, including Grassland, Thicket, Fynbos, Nama Karoo and Afromontane Forests. This is the species that occupies the greatest altitudinal range, from approximately 250–2350 m a.s.l.

Distribution. Widespread in the central and south-eastern parts of South Africa (Fig. 75).