Tchatkalophantes baltistan, V. & Tanasevitch, 2011

Tanasevitch, Andrei V., 2011, Linyphiid spiders (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from Pakistan and India, Revue suisse de Zoologie 118 (3), pp. 561-598 : 587-588

Tchatkalophantes baltistan sp. n. Figs 86-88

HOLOTYPE: 1 ♀ ( MSNV), PAKISTAN, Karakorum , Baltistan, Shalabot, 1700 m a.s.l.; 15.VIII.1976; leg. G. Osella.

FIGS 86-88

Tchatkalophantes baltistan sp. n., ♀ holotype. (86-88) Epigyne, ventral, dorsal (upside down) and lateral views, respectively.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is taken from the name of the country of origin.

DESCRIPTION: Female. Total length 1.96. Carapace 0.78 long, 0.60 wide, unmodified, pale brown, almost yellow. Chelicerae 0.35 long, unmodified. Legs mostly lost, yellow. Leg I 3.42 (0.93+0.23+0.88+0.83+0.55), FeI 0.90 long. Chaetotaxy: FeI: 0-1-0-0; TiI: 2-1-1-0, TiII: 2-0-1-0, III-IV:?; MtI: 1-0-0-0, II-IV:? TmI 0.25. Abdomen 1.30 long, 0.90 wide, dorsally dark grey, with irregularly arranged small white spots. Epigyne (Figs 86-88): Aperture wide. Proscape with a narrow base, stepwise widening in middle part, bifurcated distally. Posterior median plate triangular.

Male unknown.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS: The new species is similar to the Mongolian T. hyperauritus (Loksa, 1965) and differs by a shallower depression in the distal part of the proscape, as well as by the shape of the posterior median plate: in T. baltistan sp. n. it wider than high vs higher than wide in T. hyperauritus .

DISTRIBUTION: Known from the type locality only.