Hortipes, a huge genus of tiny Afrotropical spiders (Araneae, Liocranidae)

Hortipes Bosselaers and Ledoux (type species Hortipes luytenae Bosselaers a nd Ledoux from South Africa) is a genus of small (1.5-4 mm), pale, mainly s oil-dwelling spiders from sub-Saharan Africa. The genus, which is tentative ly placed in the Liocranidae, is characterized by the presence of a peculia r ellipsoidal array of setae on the dorsal side of metatarsi I and II and b y the large anterior median eyes with a dark retina restricted to the media n portion. Ledoux and Emerit (1998) described five more species from Ivory Coast and Gabon. Sixty-three additional Hortipes species are described here as new: H. platnicki (female), H. castor (male female), H. pollux (male fe male), H. fastigiensis (male female), H. ostiovolutus (male female), H, sal ticola (male female), H, exoptans (male female), N. scharffi (male female), H. cucurbita (male female), H. hesperoecius(female), H. klumpkeae (female) , H. aurora (male female), H. echo (female), H. stoltzei (male), H. creber (male female), H. orchatocnemis (male female), H. contubernalis (male femal e), H. mesembrinus (female), H. coccinatus (male female), N. wimmertensi (m ale female), H. irimus (female), H. licnophorus (female), H. schoemanae (ma le female), H. aelurisiepae (female), H. hyakutake (male), H. rothorum (mal e), H. griswoldi (male), H. oronesiotes (male female), H. penthesileia (fem ale), H. zombaensis (male female), H. atalante (female), H. merwei (male fe male), H. leno (male female), N. mulciber (female), H. libidinosus (male fe male), H. delphinus (male female), H. bjorni (male), H. amphibolus (female) , H. hastatus (male female), H. horta (female), H. angariopsis (female), H. falcatus (male female), H. lejeunei (male female), H, narcissus (male fema le), H. auriga (male), H. puylaerti (female), H, chrysothemis (female), H. machaeropolion (male female), H. centralis (female), H. tarachodes (male fe male), H, terminator (male), H. baerti (male), H, robertus (male female), H , abucoletus female, H. alderweireldti (male), H. architelones (male female ), H. calliblepharus (male), H. fortipes (male), N. bosmansi (male female), H. sceptrum (male female), H. anansiodatus female, H. hormigricola (male f emale), and H, depravator (male). The genus has a vast Afrotropical distrib ution, occurring from as far south as East London in South Africa to Sierra Leone in western Africa. So far, no specimens are available from northeast ern tropical Africa. Apart from H. merwei, which seems to prefer grassland, all species are found in leaf litter or the canopy of different kinds of f orests and dense thickets. In captivity, H. contubernalis readily fed on Co llembola. Specimens raised from cocoons obtained in the laboratory reached adulthood after three molts. A cladistic analysis of the 34 species for whi ch both sexes are known, largely based on secondary genitalic characters, i s proposed.