Seven new species of Psechrus and additional taxonomic contributions to the knowledge of the spider family Psechridae (Araneae)
Author
Bayer, Steffen
text
Zootaxa
2014
2014-05-16
3826
1
1
54
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3826.1.1
e7c519fb-b07e-452b-91a5-efdec51eb764
1175-5326
286429
B6414C18-599A-44CE-9FCA-F20C845DE79D
Psechrus norops
Bayer,
2012
Figs
3
–4
,
28
A,
31
A
Psechrus norops
Bayer
2012
:
44
, figs
19
a–c,
87
j,
90
j (Description & illustration of ♀).
Material examined
(
1
♀
,
1
s.a.
♀
):
MALAYSIA
: Peninsula Malaysia:
Pahang
: Fraser’s
Hill
,
Telecom
loop, close to
03°
43
'06.3''N
,
101
°
45
'09.86''E
,
1300 m
, primary forest, along road,
P. Jäger
leg. at night,
16
.VI.
2013
,
♀
(
SB
1270
), s.a.
♀
(
SB
1269
),
SMF
64092
.
Remarks.
In a previous study only one female (
holotype
, SB
860
) was examined and subadult females of
P. norops
were neither described nor illustrated. In the present study an additional female is described and illustrated in order to give information about intraspecific variation. A subadult female collected at the same spot allows for the first time to characterise this species by its primordial female copulatory organ.
Description.
Male
:
unknown.
Female:
(measurements of female SB
1270
are listed first, those of the
holotype
, if different, were taken from
Bayer (
2012
)
and are here given in parentheses):
Body and eye measurements: Carapace length
5.4
(
5.5
), maximal carapace width
3.8
, anterior width of carapace
2.4
, opisthosoma length
8.6
(
7.8
), opisthosoma width 4.0 (
3.1
). Eyes: AME
0.31
(
0.34
), ALE
0.40
(
0.37
), PME
0.40
(
0.39
), PLE
0.40
(
0.37
), AME–AME
0.17
(
0.19
), AME–ALE
0.07
(
0.08
), PME–PME
0.25
(
0.27
), PME–PLE
0.32
(
0.35
), AME–PME
0.51
(
0.52
), ALE–PLE
0.38
(
0.43
), clypeus height at AME
0.88
(
0.69
), clypeus height at ALE
0.67
(
0.58
).
Cheliceral furrow with three promarginal and four retromarginal teeth. Palpal claw with
14
teeth.
Spination: Palp:
131, 110
, 1101, 1014. Legs: femur I
446
(
656
), II
536
(
655
), III
545
(
555
), IV
545
(
555
); patella I–IV 000; tibia I
3038
, II
3036
, III
3134
(
3136
), IV
3034
(
3136
); metatarsus I–III
3035
, IV
3023
(
3035
).
Measurements of palp and legs: Palp
6.7
(
6.6
) [
2.2
,
0.9
,
1.3
(
1.2
),
2.3
], I
39.9
(
37.3
) [
10.8
(10.0),
2.4
(
2.3
),
11.3
(
10.4
),
9.9
(
9.3
),
5.5
(
5.3
)], II
30.7
(28.0) [
8.6
(8.0),
2.1
(2.0),
8.3
(
7.4
),
7.4
(
6.8
),
4.3
(
3.8
)], III
21.2
(
20.3
) [
6.3
(
5.9
),
1.5
(
1.4
),
5.2
(5.0),
5.3
(
4.8
),
2.9
(
2.7
)], IV
32.3
(
30.3
) [
9.2
(
8.6
),
1.8
,
8.4
(
7.8
),
8.2
(
7.6
),
4.7
(
4.5
)]. Leg formula:
1423
. FEM-I+MTT-I/CL=
3.83
(
3.51
), thus legs long in relation to females of other species-groups. On average, the legs are slightly shorter than in females of other species of the
singaporensis
-group (
Bayer
2012
, p.
37
), but it should be emphasised that only two adult females of this species are currently known.
Colouration:
As
described in
Bayer (
2012
)
, except for the dark median bands on carapace, which are slightly serrated to serrated (in female
holotype
at most slightly serrated).
Primordial female copulatory organ: On the basis of its pre-epigyne alone, subadult females of this species are hard to distinguish from
P. singaporensis
Thorell,
1894
. The posterior part of the pre-median septum of female SB
1269
(
Fig.
4
A, C) is slightly broader than in subadult females of
P. singaporensis
(
Bayer
2012
, fig.
16
c
). A short pre-epigynal field may be present in
P. singaporensis
and is missing in the present
P. norops
specimen. Like in
P. singaporensis
the lateral margins of the pre-median septum are slightly concave, the pre-epigynal muscle sigilla are slightly elongated and there are four slit sense organs (which is also mostly the case in subadult females of
P. singaporensis
). Regarding the pre-vulva, however, the distinction from
P. singaporensis
becomes clear: it possesses pre-spermathecal heads arising from pre-spermathecae (
Fig.
4
B, D), not from pre-copulatory ducts as in
P. singaporensis
(
Bayer
2012
, fig.
16
d
). Additionally the pre-spermathecae are distinctly smaller and protrude less far laterally than in
P. singaporensis
.
As
in
P. singaporensis
the pre-copulatory ducts are relatively large and conspicuous (
Fig.
4
B).
FIGURE 3.
Psechrus norops
, copulatory organ of female SB 1270, SMF 64092 from Fraser’s Hill, Pahang Prov., Malaysia. A. Epigyne, ventral view. B. Vulva, dorsal view. CD: Copulatory duct; EF: Epigynal field; EM: Epigynal muscle sigilla; FD: Fertilisation duct; LL: Lateral lobe; MS: Median septum; SB: Spermathecal base; SH: Spermathecal head; SO: Slit-sense organs.
FIGURE 4.
Psechrus norops
, primordial copulatory organ of s.a. female SB 1269, SMF 64092 from Fraser’s Hill, Pahang Prov., Malaysia. A. Pre-epigyne, ventral view. B. Pre-vulva, dorsal view. C Pre-epigyne, ventral view, photographical image. D Pre-vulva, ventral view, photographical image. PCD: Pre-copulatory duct; PEM: Pre-epigynal muscle sigilla; PMS: Pre-median septum; PSB: Pre-spermathecal base; PSH: Pre-spermathecal head; PSO: Pre-slit-sense organs.
Intraspecific variation of female copulatory organs.
Specimen SB
1270
differs only slightly from the
holotype
. The posterior part of the median septum of SB
1270
is very slightly broader than the anterior part (
Fig.
3
A), which is not the case in the
holotype
, because the epigynal slits are slightly diverging in the latter. The wrinkles at the anterior part of the epigynal field are even less developed than in the
holotype
(
Bayer
2012
, fig.
19
a). In SB
1270
the copulatory duct is slightly more distinctly curved medially and the posterior rim of the receptaculum reaches almost as far posteriorly as that of the copulatory duct (
Fig.
3
B), whereas in the
holotype
the latter reaches further posteriorly (
Bayer
2012
, fig.
19
b
).
Distribution.
(Peninsula)
Malaysia
.