Zonstein S.L.1, Marusik Yu.M.2 2017. A redescription of Chedima purpurea Simon, 1873, with notes on the unique copulative stopper mechanism in females (Aranei: Palpimanidae) // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.26. No.3: 225–232 [in English].
1 Department of Zoology, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel-Aviv University, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel. E-mail: znn@post.tau.ac.il
2 Institute for Biological Problems of the North RAS, Portovaya Str. 18, Magadan, 685000 Russia. E-mail: yurmar@mail.ru
KEY WORDS: spiders, Araneae, Chediminae, taxonomy, redescription, postgastrum, mating plug, Africa, Morocco.
ABSTRACT. A monotypic Chedima Simon, 1873, the nominative genus of the subfamily Chediminae, and its type species C. purpurea Simon, 1873, are redescribed. The copulatory organs of C. purpurea are illustrated for the first time. The morphological study of the genus reveals several features previously unknown in the Palpimanidae, or in the Entelegynae, or even in the entire order Aranei: 1) the presence of a large copulatory opening (atrium) inside the epigastral furrow; 2) part of the female copulatory apparatus is located in the postgastrum; 3) the presence of a permanent mating plug; and 4) the mating plug represents a part of the female copulatory organ.