Abstract
A new species of the tracheline sac spider genus Poachelas Haddad & Lyle, 2008 (Araneae: Corinnidae), presently known only from southern Africa, is described. The genus has been represented by three species, all of which are suspected to be closely associated with grasses. The new species described here, P. refugus sp. n., is known only from females collected at the type locality, Tembe Elephant Park in Maputaland, South Africa. New collecting records of the type species of the genus, P. striatus Haddad & Lyle, 2008, described from three localities in the central Free State Province of South Africa and with a distribution range of about 100 km, are presented. The species is widespread throughout the province, and is also recorded from the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumulanga provinces for the first time, expanding its range to approximately 900 km.
Highlights
The spider genus Poachelas Haddad & Lyle, 2008 (Araneae: Corinnidae) is one of seven tracheline genera recently described from the Afrotropical Region (Haddad 2006; Haddad & Lyle 2008; Lyle & Haddad 2009, 2010)
It can be recognised from other trachelines by the elongate habitus and anterior legs, and pale colouration with a dark median abdominal stripe, adaptations to its apparent preferred microhabitat at the base of grass tussocks
Poachelas are rarely collected by conventional methods and specimens can most be collected by searching at the bases of grass WXVVRFNV'XULQJ¿HOGZRUNDVSDUWRIDORQJWHUPELRGLYHUVLW\VXUYH\RIWKHDUDFKQLG fauna of the Tembe Elephant Park in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa (Maputaland), immature specimens of an unusually spined clubionoid spider were collected in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007 by sweep-netting grasses and active searching in grass tussocks
Summary
The spider genus Poachelas Haddad & Lyle, 2008 (Araneae: Corinnidae) is one of seven tracheline genera recently described from the Afrotropical Region (Haddad 2006; Haddad & Lyle 2008; Lyle & Haddad 2009, 2010) It can be recognised from other trachelines by the elongate habitus and anterior legs, and pale colouration with a dark median abdominal stripe, adaptations to its apparent preferred microhabitat at the base of grass tussocks. Fieldwork forming part of the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) has resulted in the collection of additional specimens of Poachelas striatus Haddad & Lyle, 2008 from quite widespread localities in South Africa These new records are presented here, greatly expanding the range of this species from about 100 km to 900 km
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