Taxonomic revision of the Central and West African eumenophorine tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Eumenophorinae)
Taxonomic revision of the Central and West African eumenophorine tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Eumenophorinae)
Abstract
A continent-wide revision of the African theraphosid genera Anoploscelus Pocock, 1897, Batesiella Pocock, 1903, Eumenophorus Pocock, 1897, Loxomphalia Simon, 1889, the newly revalidated Harpaxotheria Simon, 1889 gen. rest., Phoneyusa Karsch, 1884, and Hysterocrates Simon, 1892 is pre sented. The monotypic genus Loxophobema Simon, 1907 and its type species L. rutilata (Simon, 1907) are proposed as nomina dubia. Similarly, Myostola occidentalis (Lucas, 1858) and its monotypic genus Myostola Simon, 1903 are proposed as nomina dubia. Harpaxotheria gabonica (Simon, 1889) is proposed as a nomen dubium. Eumenophorus stridulantissimus (Strand, 1907), Hysterocrates affinis Strand, 1907, Hysterocrates affinis angusticeps Strand, 1907, Hysterocrates haasi Strand, 1906, Hysterocrates spellenbergi Strand, 1906, Hysterocrates vosseleri Strand, 1906, Harpaxotheria nigroventris (Marx, 1893), and Harpaxotheria minima (Strand, 1907) are reaffirmed as nomina dubia, confirming proposals made by Nentwig et al. (2020). Comments on the holotype female of Hysterocrates greshoffi (Simon, 1891) species inquirenda are provided, given only leg IV is to be found in the jar and is retained as a valid species for nomenclatural stability. Phoneyusa chevalieri Simon, 1906, Africa’s largest known spider, is transferred to Eumenophorus creating the new combination E. chevalieri comb. nov. Stromatopelma straeleni (Roewer, 1953) is transferred from the stromatopelmine genus Stromatopelma Karsch, 1881 to Harpaxotheria, creating the new combination H. straeleni comb. nov. Phoneyusa westi Smith, 1990 is transferred to Harpaxotheria creating the new combination H. westi comb. nov. Phoneyusa severini (Strand, 1920) comb. rest. and Phoneyusa umangiana Strand, 1920 comb. rest. are revalidated from synonymy with Phoneyusa bidentata Pocock, 1900. Phoneyusa manicata Simon, 1907 is transferred to Hysterocrates creating the new combination H. manicata (Simon, 1907) comb. nov. Sixteen new synonymies are proposed: Hysterocratella Strand, 1906 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates Simon, 1892; Eumenophorus murphyorum Smith, 1990 syn. nov. = Eumenophorus clementsi Pocock, 1897; Harpaxotheria giltayi Laurent, 1946 syn. nov. = Harpaxotheria gracilipes Simon, 1889 comb. rest.; Phoneyusa bidentata ituriensis Laurent, 1946 syn. nov. = Phoneyusa severini (Strand, 1920) comb. rest.; Phoneyusa pococki Dresco, 1973 syn. nov. = Phoneyusa severini (Strand, 1920) comb. rest.; Hysterocrates apostolicus Pocock, 1900 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates didymus Pocock, 1900; Hysterocrates scepticus Pocock, 1900 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates didymus Pocock, 1900; Hysterocrates crassipes Pocock, 1897 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Hysterocrates sjostedtii (Thorell, 1899) syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Ischnocolus tomentosus Thorell, 1899 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Hysterocrates weileri Strand, 1906 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Hysterocrates maximus Strand, 1906 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Hysterocrates robustus sulcifera Strand, 1908 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Hysterocrates ederi Charpentier, 1995 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897; Phoneyusa principium Simon, 1907 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates manicata (Simon, 1907) comb. nov., and Hysterocrates efuliensis Smith, 1900 syn. nov. = Hysterocrates robustus Pocock, 1897. We redescribe both sexes of Anoploscelus celeripes Pocock, 1897, Eumenophorus clementsi Pocock, 1897, Phoneyusa lesserti Dresco, 1973, Phoneyusa severini (Strand, 1920) comb. rest., Hysterocrates didymus Pocock, 1900, Hysterocrates elephantiasis (Berland, 1917), Hysterocrates gigas Pocock, 1897, Hysterocrates greeffi (Karsch, 1884), Hysterocrates laticeps Pocock, 1897, Hysterocrates manicata (Simon, 1907) comb. nov.; redescribe the females of Anoploscelus lesserti Laurent, 1946, Batesiella crinita Pocock, 1903, Eumenophorus chevalieri comb. nov., Loxomphalia rubida Simon, 1889, Harpaxotheria antilope Simon, 1889 comb. rest., Phoneyusa belandana Karsch, 1884, Phoneyusa buettneri Karsch, 1886, Hysterocrates celerierae (Smith, 1990), Hysterocrates hercules Pocock, 1900, Hysterocrates ochraceus Strand, 1907, Hysterocrates robustus Pocock, 1900, and Phoneyusa bouvieri Berland, 1917 species inquirenda, and the type males of Harpaxotheria gracilipes Simon, 1889 comb. rest., Phoneyusa bidentata Pocock, 1900, Phoneyusa cultridens Berland, 1917. The males of Batesiella crinita Pocock, 1903 and H. celerierae (Smith, 1990) and the female of Phoneyusa bidentata Pocock, 1900 are described for the first time. Lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated for all relevant historical species which comprised syntype series. Finally, four species new to science are described: Harpaxotheria cornucopia sp. nov. (♀), Harpaxotheria flagella sp. nov. (♂), Harpaxotheria styla sp. nov. (♂), and Hysterocrates pococki sp. nov. (♂♀).
Gallon, R. C., & Sherwood, D. (2026). Taxonomic revision of the Central and West African eumenophorine tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Eumenophorinae). Arachnology. 20. 830-908.