Two new species of Stenaelurillus Simon, 1886 from India (Araneae: Salticidae: Aelurillina)
Author
Prajapati, Dhruv A.
Author
Murthappa, Prashanthakumara S.
Author
Sankaran, Pradeep M.
Author
Sebastian, Pothalil A.
text
Zootaxa
2016
4171
2
321
334
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4171.2.5
b2d0f61f-d71b-4c2c-a755-acd0579d2e65
1175-5326
272459
3ED81997-F875-4501-A7DC-6B3FA2D5947D
Stenaelurillus digitus
sp. nov.
Figs 1C–D
,
6A–D
,
7A–E
,
8A–C
,
9A–D
,
11
Type
material.
Holotype
:
male (
ADSH
83503
Di) from
Vijaynagar
in
Sabarkantha
,
23°59'56.24"N
,
73°16'48.79"E
,
Gujarat
,
India
,
307 m
.
alt.,
27 June 2014
,
D. A. Prajapati
leg., by hand from the ground
.
Paratypes
:
2 males
,
3 females
(
ADSH
83503
Dii), same data as holotype, except
21 May 2016
.
Diagnosis.
Stenaelurillus digitus
sp. nov.
is similar to
S. albus
Sebastian
et al
., 2015
(see
Sebastian
et al
. 2015
: figs 1–3, 8–9) and to
S. jagannathae
Vidhel
et al
., 2015
(see
Vidhel
et al
. 2015
: figs 3–6, 9–11), but can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of characters: males can be easily distinguished from those of
S. albus
by its opisthosomal pattern (blackish opisthosoma without any pattern in
S. albus
); long and prolaterally bend embolus, directed at 11 o’clock position in ventral view (left palp) and not visible from retrolateral view (short and directed at 12 o’clock position in
S. albus
; straight and directed at 12 o’clock position and clearly visible in retrolateral view in
S. jagannathae
); VTA massive, triangular in shape (short and blunt in
S.
albus
); RTA blunt, directed at 1 o’clock position in ventral view in left palp (pointed and directed at 1 o’clock position in
S. albus
and 12 o’clock position in
S. jagannathae
); depressed apical region of tegulum can be visible in retrolateral view (bulky in the case of
S. jagannathae
); proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum significantly curved at retrolateral side (
Figs 6B
,
7D
). Females can be distinguished by short and moderately broad epigynal pocket with two sclerotized lateral lobes, which form a “w-shaped” mark (
Figs 8A
,
9C
); simple, linear copulatory duct (
Fig 8C
); contiguous spermathecae (
Figs 8B
,
9D
) (separated in
S. jagannathae
).
FIGURES 6A–D.
Stenaelurillus digitus
sp. nov.
, left male palp. A prolateral view; B ventral view; C retrolateral view; D embolic division, ventral view. Abbreviations: E = embolus; PRLT = proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; SD = sperm duct; TA = terminal apophysis; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars A–C, 0.2 mm; D, 0.1 mm.
Description. Male
(
holotype
,
Figs 1C
,
7A–B
): In all details like the males of
S. gabrieli
sp. nov.
, except for the following: prosoma antero-laterally without additional white hairs. Fovea less prominent, located medially between PLEs. Thoracic region with few scattered bristles. Dorsum of opisthosoma anteriorly with a thick transverse white band; posteriorly with three white spots, which together form an inverted triangle (
Fig. 7A
). Body length 3.95. Prosoma length 2.04, width (at the middle) 1.63, height (at the middle) 0.98. Opisthosoma length 1.91, width (at the middle) 1.40, height (at the middle) 0.60. Eye diameter: ALE 0.26, AME 0.40, PLE 0.20, PME 0.08. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.03, AME–ALE 0.03, ALE‒ALE 0.90, ALE–PME 0.31, PLE–PLE 1.05, PME– PME 1.23, PME–PLE 0.21. Clypeus height at ALE 0.46, at AME 0.19. Chelicera length 0.76. Measurements of palp and legs. Palp 1.48 [0.51, 0.24, 0.20, 0.53], I 3.07 [1.05, 0.41, 0.70, 0.44, 0.47], II 2.95 [1.09, 0.35, 0.63, 0.45, 0.43], III 4.57 [1.49, 0.69, 0.91, 1.04, 0.44], IV 4.60 [1.32, 0.58, 0.95, 1.23, 0.52]. Spination. Palp 0 100, 0 0 0 0, 0 0 0 0, 0000; femora I 0 700, II 0 800,
III 2600
, IV 0500; patellae I 0 0 10,
II 1000
, III–IV 0200; tibiae
I 2005
,
II 2124
,
III 2323
,
IV 2523
; metatarsi
I 2014
,
II 1314
,
III 2613
,
IV 2514
; tarsi I–IV 0 0 0 0. Pedipalp (
Figs 6A–D
,
7C–E
): palpal femur with single dorsal spine. Ventral tibial apophysis massive, triangular, directed at 2 o’ clock position in ventral view (
Figs 6B
,
7D
). Retrolateral tibial apophysis simple with less prominent base, with blunt tip (
Figs 6C
,
7E
). Retrolateral creamy-white region of tegulum extends up to the base of proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum (
Figs 6B
,
7D
); tegulum lacks disto-median sclerotized plate; proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum with a sharp baso-retrolateral curve, with narrow distal part; embolus long with prolateral bend resembling the ‘thumb finger’, its tip directed at 11 o’clock position in ventral view in left palp (
Figs 6D
,
7D
); terminal apophysis short, originated apico-medially, directed at 12 o’clock position in ventral view in left palp (
Figs 6D
,
7D
).
FIGURES 7A–E.
Stenaelurillus digitus
sp. nov.
, male. A dorsal view; B lateral view; C left male palp, prolateral view; D same, ventral view; E same, retrolateral view. Scale bars A–B, 1 mm; C
–
E, 0.2 mm.
FIGURES 8A–C.
Stenaelurillus digitus
sp. nov.
, female copulatory organ. A Epigyne, ventral view; B vulva, dorsal view; C epigyne, lateral view. Abbreviations: CO = copulatory opening; CD = copulatory duct; EP = epigynal pocket; S = spermatheca; SLL = sclerotized lateral lobe. Scale bars A–B, 0.2 mm; C, 0.1 mm.
Female
(
paratype
,
Figs 1D
,
9A–B
): In all details like male, except for the following: variation in colour and opisthosomal pattern. Body length 7.11. Prosoma length 3.09, width (at the middle) 2.38, height (at the middle) 1.79. Opisthosoma length 4.02, width (at the middle) 3.54, height (at the middle) 3.10. Eye diameter: ALE 0.33, AME 0.50, PLE 0.31, PME 0.10. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.09, AME–ALE 0.05, ALE‒ALE 1.23, ALE– PME 0.26, PLE–PLE 1.43, PME–PME 1.59, PME–PLE 0.20. Clypeus height at ALE 0.51, at AME 0.28. Chelicera length 0.79. Measurements of palp and legs. Palp 2.01 [0.64, 0.25, 0.43, 0.69], I 4.27 [1.50, 0.70, 0.91, 0.62, 0.54], II 4.24 [1.61, 0.63, 0.84, 0.65, 0.51], III 6.99 [2.26, 0.99, 1.52, 1.62, 0.60], IV 7.01 [2.02, 0.82, 1.52, 1.88, 0.77]. Leg formula: 4312. Spination. Palp 0 0 0 0, 0 0 0 0, 0 0 0 0, 0211; femora
I 1510
,
II 1520
,
III 2510
, IV 0510; patellae
I– II 1000
,
III–IV 1010
; tibiae
I–II 2005
,
III–IV 2523
; metatarsi I 0 104,
II 2004
,
III 1714
,
IV 2624
; tarsi I–IV 0 0 0 0. Epigynum (
Figs 8A–C
,
9C–D
): simple, slightly bulging, which can be seen in lateral view (
Fig. 8C
); copulatory openings large; copulatory ducts simple, thin and linear, with highly sclerotized, spherical and contiguous spermathecae (
Figs 8A–C
,
9C–D
); epigynal pocket moderately broad, short, with two sclerotized lateral lobes that form a “w-shaped” mark (
Figs 8A
,
9C
).
Etymology.
The specific epithet is a noun in apposition due to the finger-like embolus (Latin
digitus
= finger).