Rafalus christophori (♂,♀) PRÓSZYŃSKI, 1999

In addition to the genus diagnosis, the following features characterize the species:

MALE

Cephalothorax integument dark brown, light reflecting on thorax, blackish mat scales make eye field very dark; contrasting orange fringe of setae along anterior edge of cephalothorax, above eyes I. Light spots on cephalothorax: a white spot of admixed scales medially along anterior part of eye field, beginning from touching point of AME and stretching along 2/5 of eye field, in one specimen similar spots also from between ALE and AME; eyes III with a narrow rim of white setae posteriorly and ventrally; ventral margin of carapace with a thin margin of white setae.
Abdomen: integument dark brown with white mosaic of adpressed setae of varying degree of denseness; sides whitish; dorsal spinnerets black, cylindrical and slightly spaced. Ventral aspect: coxae dark brown with very dark brown setae, lighter with whitish setae on prolatero- ventral part of coxa I; sternum dark brown with sparse whitish setae in anterior half, dark setae in posterior half; coxae in long-preserved Sinai specimen are faded to a light colour.
Frontal aspect: face generally dark, with two “shelf” – lines of striking, whitish setae stretching across clypeus, horizontally forwards, separated by a bald dark, belt: the first line directly under AME, continues across the face leaving a space below ALE; the second, along edge of clypeus, proceeds slightly diagonally downwards. There is a triangle of dark, and much harder, vertical setae originating on the clypeus above the lower horizontal line and pushing through it, partly overhanging the chelicerae bases. Eyes I surrounded dorsally and laterally with orange or fawn setae, broader and longer, making a dense “bonnet”; ventral setae white; a few black setae at upper outer quarter of rim of ALE. Bristles on eye field less numerous and less dense than in F, but more distinct than in Rafalus stanislawi. ALE set at 1/6 of their diameter above upper rim of the AME, diameter of ALE is 7/10 of AME, height of clypeus 2/5th of the AME diameter.
Pedipalps, covered with long radiating setae, concentrated into three “fans”: a) of white on apical edge of femur, b) of orange with a few harder, dark brown, and white at the retrolateral edge, on patella, c) intensely orange admixed with a few, stouter, long black bristles, on tibia and cymbium. Chelicerae, brown, with thin, soft, sparse, whitish setae anteriorly. This colourful picture is complemented on leg I–II by a sparse fringe of white setae retro-laterally on tarsus, metatarsus, tibia and patella of leg I; there is white fur on the ventro-lateral edge of femora I–II, contrasting with an intensely black “pillow” of short, dark upright thick bristles on basal part of ventral surface of femora I–II (these are, however, absent on specimens from Elat). This colourful, contrasting pattern is probably visible during the spider’s display, and so is an important recognition character.
Legs: prolateral surface of femora I–II light yellow apically; the remaining, black more basally with short white setae; the remaining parts of the prolateral surface, brown; ventral setae on femora I–II are described above. Femora III–IV dark brown, prolaterally with two lighter spots along the median line, covered with short adpressed, whitish setae; there is no fur of long setae; femur IV is lighter brown. Patella and tibia I pale yellow, dorsally with longer setae, mixed colourless, whitish and dark. Patella and tibia II darker yellow, with dark pigmented spots; two parallel dark lines dorsally on tibia; patella with apical elongated dark triangle and basal spot consisting of dark grey pigmentation and dark, elongated scales and setae; there are remnants of a white mane retrolaterally on the patella. Patella and tibia III–IV still darker with dark greyish brown stripes, separated by a dark yellow space, scales dark and whitish, setae, single, light and dark; there is no dense mane. Tarsi III–IV, with peculiar group of dark, hard, spine-like setae ventro-apically just above the tarsal tuft of hard setae near the claws; these also occur in various Aelurillus. Tarsi I–II, with apical tarsal tufts but without hard ventral setae.
Palpal organ: bulbus flat, narrow, pointed posteriorly; tibial apophysis elongated and narrow, straight or slightly curved; anterior edge of tibia runs straight dorsally, without any other protuberances; an indistinct, low, ventral protuberance on the pedipalpal femur.
Measurements (mm). Male. Length of cephalothorax 2.44–2.96; length of abdomen 2.18–2.57; length of 5 segments of leg I 4.63–5.40. © PRÓSZYŃSKI 2003

Distribution: Geographical DistributionAfrika. Middle East.

FEMALE

Cephalothorax brown with short white adpressed setae: mid-thoracic thin longitudinal line of white setae, extended by an “arrow head” into eye field, white setae surrounds eyes III; longer white spots enter eye field and white orbital setae above eyes I. Eye field with dark, partly irridescent integument, covered with admixed white and indistinctly orange, long adpressed scales; numerous scattered short, upright, blackish bristles. Sides with two white lines of setae, horizontal but irregular; a brown supramarginal line and a white ventral fringe. Great variation can be due to lost setae from live specimens, some specimens being almost bald, with remnants of white setae on lower lateral sides and a few on thoracic hindmargin. Specimens with scales lost from posterior eye field and thorax, while preserved on anterior, sloping part, differ from Aelurillus conveniens where scales are lost from anterior eye field leaving it bald. Abdomen brown, with indistinct slight median streak, posteriorly consisting of fused chevrons; covered with adpressed, elongate scales, predominantly orange, with small addition of white and dark scales, the darker ones being arranged in an indistinct pattern of irregular submarginal spots, separated by lighter, orange median area, with pairs of indistinct, small white spots; marginal edges of brown dorsal surface indented by white expansions, extending from white sides.
Frontal aspect: eye field, from this position appears dark, with a row of white setae further on and with dense upright short dark bristles, among which are adpressed whitish and orange scales; a row of longer fawn setae above dorsal rim of ALE. Eyes I surrounded with white setae, AME with a row of threebroadened setae, setae on lower rim of AME extended laterally by a streak of whitish setae, half upright, directed horizontally and diagonally forward. Clypeus yellow to brown, with a narrow, bald line between two rows of dense, white setae, lower row of setae overhanging cheliceral bases. There is a brown, bald, lateral line under ALE. Diameter of AME 150 % of ALE.
Chelicerae, brown, bulging, surface sparsely covered with thin white, hairs; pedipalps, brown, with patellatibia yellow.
Leg I, tibia – patella yellow dorsally, with incomplete, darker annuli. Femur I: white bristles, thick and upright on basal part of the ventral surface. Pedipalps yellowish white with sparse whitish setae, dark stronger setae admixed on tarsus. Legs yellow with indistinct darker annulation; tibia I, with three pairs of ventral spines; femora III and IV, with a particularly long, dorsal, basal spine. Ventral aspect: sternum dark; coxae light; abdomen light ventrally. Epigynum and its internal structure is shown in Figs 640–641, 648–649. Measurements (mm). Length of cephalothorax 3.03–4.65; length of abdomen 3.15; length of 5 segments of leg I 4.65–4.85.
© PRÓSZYŃSKI 2003

Distribution: Geographical DistributionAfrika. Middle East.

COMMENTS

Diagnosis. Clypeus with two rows of white setae separated by narrow, bald brown belt. Orbital setae of eyes I dorsally orange, ventrally white. Fans of long orange setae radiating on male pedipalps, and with white setae retro-laterally on patella and with sparse, harder, black bristles. Femora I and II, with long, white setae retro-laterally, a bunch of black setae ventrobasally. In female, abdomen with long orange scales, darker scales on dark grey spots.
Seasonal appearance of adult specimens. Males – I, III, IV, XII; females – IV.
Etymology. Named for Krzysztof [= Christopher] Prószyński, a first cousin of the author, born and died in Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
© PRÓSZYŃSKI 2003