Re‐description of the lycosiformis species group of Anyphops Benoit and description of two new species (Araneae, Selenopidae)

Abstract

Anyphops Benoit is a heterogeneous genus with 62 known species restricted to the Afrotropical region. It is split into four species groups using the number of ventral spine pairs on tibiae I–II. The lycosiformis species group ( = B‐B1 species group of Lawrence) is characterized by four ventral pairs of spines and includes Anyphops lycosiformis (Lawrence), A. natalensis (Lawrence) and A. parvulus (Pocock). In this paper, I revise this species group and include here A. mumai Corronca, A. lawrencei (Roewer) and two new species: Anyphops ngome n. sp. and A. lucia n. sp. from South Africa. Drawings of the female and male genitalia and some somatic characters are given, in some cases for the first time. A key for the lycosiformis species group and a map showing the distribution of each species are provided.

Keywords:

• Anyphops
• Araneae
• distribution
• lycosiformis species group
• new species
• Selenopidae

Acknowledgements

I thank the curators of the museum for the loan of the material used in this study; the ARC‐Plant Protection Research Institute for the use of their facilities; CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina) for financial support; Ansie Dippenaar‐Schoeman for her guidance in this study and all personnel of the Biosystematics Division: Arachnida Unit of the Plant Protection Research Institute for their support during my stay in Pretoria. A postdoctoral fellowship from CONICET (Argentina) allowed me to research and complete this study at the Plant Protection Research Institute’s Rietondale campus.