New Species of the Madagascan Genus Hovops Benoit, 1968 (Araneae: Selenopidae), with a Description of the H. madagascariensis Male and an Identification Key

ABSTRACT Hovops Benoit is a heterogeneous genus of selenopid spiders represented by six known species endemic to Madagascar. After examining sizeable collections of Selenopidae from the Afrotropical Region especially, from Madagascar, we here propose new diagnostic characters for Hovops and describe three new species: H. betsileo sp. n. (both sexes) from Toamasina Province, H. lidiae sp. n. (both sexes) from Fianarantsoa Province, and H. merina sp. n. (female only) from Antananarivo Province. The male of H. madagascariensis (Vinson) is described for the first time, and new records of this species are also provided. An identification key to the species in this genus is proposed.


INTRODUCTION
The Madagascan selenopid fauna promises to be very diverse. After the end of the 19 th century, following the original documentation of species from the island, little new information was gathered for a long period, but in recent years there has been a considerable increase in the knowledge of these spiders, represented by new records of known species, descriptions of new living and fossil species, and nomenclatural and taxonomical changes including the description of a new genus in the family (Corronca 1998a(Corronca , 2002(Corronca , 2003(Corronca , 2005Bosselaers 2004;Penney et al. 2005). To date, all the valid Selenopidae genera except Siamspinops Dankittipakul & Corronca, 2009 have been recorded for Madagascar, including the following species: Anyphops benoiti Corronca, 1998; Garcorops madagascar Corronca, 2003;G. paulyi Corronca, 2003; G. jadis Bosselaers, 2004 (fossil); Selenops ivohibe Corronca, 2005;S. vigilans Pocock, 1898; and the six endemic species of Hovops. This last genus was proposed by Benoit (1968) when he made a taxonomic rearrangement of all known Afrotropical selenopids, to include an endemic species group of Malagasy selenopid species called the "Species Group C" of Selenops by Simon (1897). This species group was represented by S. pusillus Simon, S. legrasi Simon, and S. modestus Lenz. The characters considered diagnostic by Benoit (1968) correspond to those described by Simon (1897) for his species group, with some Hovops pusillus (Simon, 1887) (type species) (male and female); H. dufouri (Vinson, 1863) (female); H. legrasi (Simon, 1887) (male and female); H. madagascariensis (Vinson, 1863) (female); H. mariensis (Strand, 1908) (female) and H. modestus (Lenz, 1886) (male). The inclusion of H. dufouri in this genus was possibly a mistake, because the name of this species had been considered a junior synonym of S. radiatus by Simon (1881).
Many aspects of the biology of the genus and species, and details of the genitalia of the males and the females of these spiders, have been unknown until now. The opportunity to revise material obtained by large collections made in the last 20 years on Madagascar by American and European arachnologists permits us to enlarge the diagnosis of this Hovops, and to describe three new species and the male of H. madagascariensis

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Specimens used in this study were provided by the following institutions, whose curators are thanked: CASC -California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA (Dr C. Griswold) and MRAC -Museé Royale de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium (Dr R. Jocqué). The palps of the males and the epigynes of the females were dissected in alcohol and cleared in lactic acid (90 %) for 15-20 min in a double boiler. The format of the abbreviations, the spine formulae and the terminology used to describe the male and female genitalia follow those proposed by Corronca (1998b). All measurements are in millimetres. The specimens were examined, and outstanding characters were photographed, through a Nikon Coolpix S10 digital camera mounted on an Olympus stereomicroscope and assembled using Adobe Photoshop CS2 software.
Abbreviations used are as follows: ALE -anterior lateral eyes, ALS -anterior lateral spinneret, AME -anterior median eyes, AMS -major ampullate spigots, BCC -basal cymbial concavity, C -conductor, CD -copulatory duct, CO -copulatory openings, ddorsal, DCS -dorsal cymbial scopulae, E -embolus, EP -secondary epigynal pockets, FD -fertilization duct, Fe -femur, LL -lateral lobe, MA -median apophysis, MFeyes, PLS -posterior lateral spinneret, PMA -paramedian apophysis, PME -posterior median eyes, PMS -posterior median spinneret, pr -prolateral, rt -retrolateral, RTA -retrolateral tibial apophysis, S -spermathecae, Ta -tarsus, Tib -tibia, v -ventral, VTA -ventral tibial apophysis. TAXONOMY Family Selenopidae Simon, 1897 Genus Hovops Benoit, 1968 Type species: Selenops pusillus Simon, 1887. Diagnosis: The revision of a considerable number of specimens of this genus makes it possible for us to add new diagnostic characters to those already proposed by Benoit (1968). This genus can be distinguished from other selenopids by the presence of iridescent rounded or sub-triangular scale-like hairs covering the entire body below short setae; prosoma wider than long; AME>PME to nearly double in some species (Fig. 1E); ALE similar or larger than PME; PLE almost 1.5× larger than the AME and sternum longer than wide, not circular (Fig. 2C). Fe I-III with d1.1.0 spines, tibiae and metatarsi with ventral spines that can be paired or not. When paired, with Tib I-II with v2.2.2 or v2.2.1 and Mt I-II with v2.2.0 (Fig. 1M); when unpaired, Tib I-II with 9 (4 proventral and 5 retroventral), 10 (4-6) or 11 (4-7) ventral spines (Fig. 1N), and Mt I-II with v2.2.2, in few cases v2.2.0 paired spines. Males usually with more spines than females. Second and 2-4 retrolateral teeth on cheliceral furrow, uncommonly 3 or 2 teeth. Palp of male with a large and twisted ( The general shape of the female epigyne, usually as a medial sclerite with distinguishable lateral lobes, is shared with Selenops females, and some species of Garcorops and Anyphops. The presence of secondary epigynal pockets (Fig. 2E) is a character that also appears in females of Siamspinops and Selenops, but in Hovops they are generally in the middle portion of the epigyne as in Siamspinops. The presence of anterior copulatory openings (Fig. 2E) is shared with Garcorops, and some species of Selenops and Anyphops, but the shape of the long, wide and usually well developed copulatory ducts (Fig. 2F) is characteristic of Hovops females.
Hovops betsileo sp. n. Fig. 2 high mountains of Madagascar, the third largest ethnic group in numbers. The term means "those who are not overcome". Diagnosis: H. betsileo sp. n. differs from its congeners by the particular shape of the sigmoid RTA (Figs 2G, 2H), and the VTA with a notch in the middle of the ventral border (Fig. 2G). AM (Fig. 2H) similar to that of H. lidiae sp. n. (Fig. 3B), but in the latter species it is more rounded and shorter than in H. betsileo sp. n. Females are disof the lateral lobes of the epigyne (Fig. 2F). Description:
Hovops merina sp. n.  . 5D), and the vulva (Fig. 5E).  Distribution: Known only from the type locality. Key to species of Hovops Species not included. The type material of H. modestus in the Lübeck collection was lost, and it would be a challenge to recognize the specimens of this species only on the species inquirenda, Selenops dufouri in Hovops by the author of this species (Vinson 1863, pl. III, 1a) show that this species does not belong to the Hovops genus, but matches the Selenops genus. The type of this species has not been found, so it is presumed lost.
1 Spiders with 6 or fewer ventral spines on tibiae I-II and not more than 4 ventral spines on metatarsi I-II (Fig. 1M)