Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae)

  • Bernhard A. Huber Alexander Koenig Research Museum of Zoology, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn
  • Philippe Le Gall Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, UPR 9034, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 91198 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France and Université Paris-Sud 11, 91405 Orsay Cedex
  • Jacques François Mavoungou Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2014.81
Keywords: Pholcidae, Central Africa, Lower Guinea, taxonomy, identification key

Abstract

This paper summarizes current knowledge about Central African pholcids. Central Africa is here defined as the area between 10°N and 7°S and between 6°E and 18°E, including mainly the Lower Guinean subregion of the Guineo-Congolian center of endemism. This includes all of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, most of Cameroon and Congo Republic, and parts of the neighboring countries. An annotated list of the 14 genera and 79 species recorded from this area is given, together with distribution maps and an identification key to genera. Seven species are newly described: Anansus kamwai sp. nov., Leptopholcus gabonicus sp. nov., Ninetis faro sp. nov., Pholcus punu sp. nov., P. rawiriae sp. nov., Spermophora abibae sp. nov., and S. awalai sp. nov. Additional new records are given for 16 previously described species, including 17 new country records. Distribution and diversity patterns are compared with data on West and East Africa. While West Africa contains a similar set of genera it is significantly less diverse than Central Africa. East Africa is taxonomically more distinct. It has similar levels of diversity as Central Africa, but appears to be less undersampled.

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Published
2014-04-25
How to Cite
Huber, B. A., Le Gall, P., & Mavoungou, J. F. (2014). Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, (81). https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2014.81
Issue
No. 81 (2014): Pholcid spiders from the Lower Guinean region of Central Africa: an overview, with descriptions of seven new species (Araneae, Pholcidae)
Section
Zoology
Copyright (c) 2014 Bernhard A. Huber, Philippe Le Gall, Jacques François Mavoungou

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