A New Species of Zambedania (Acari: Heterostigmatina: Pygmephoridae) from the Two Rivers Platinum Mine in South Africa and Notes on the Life-cycle of the Genus

Zool Stud. 2016 Feb 14:55:e11. doi: 10.6620/ZS.2016.55-11. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Anne M. Camerik, Wojciech Ł. Magowski, Peter G. Hawkes, Edward A. Ueckermann, Ronald Ochoa, and Gary R. Bauchan (2016) A new species of relatively poorly known genus Zambedania Mahunka, 1972 was found on the baboon spider, Harpactirella overdijki Gallon, 2010 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) in South Africa. Besides the abundantly available phoretic females, several males and one larva of this species in the spiders' nests were also collected. Zambedania sekhukhunensis n. sp. is described and illustrated based on the phoretic females, males and larva. Improved diagnosis of the genus and a new key to species are also supplied. The descriptions and illustrations of the male and larva of this species represent the first ones of these stages in the genus Zambedania. Due to their discovery the generic diagnosis has been significantly improved.

Keywords: Araneae; Female; Harpactirella overdijki; Larva; Male; Phoresy; South Africa; Theraphosidae; Zambedania sekhukhunensis sp. n..