Brignolia ondaatjei, Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2016

Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2016, A review of Sri Lankan Brignolia including the description of four new species (Araneae: Oonopidae), Zootaxa 4144 (4), pp. 451-476 : 461-464

Brignolia ondaatjei sp. nov.

( Figs.10 A–H; 11A–F; 12A–D)

Type material. Holotype male (IFS_Oon_227): Sri Lanka, Badulla District , Rawana Ella, forest around cave, 6 °51’52.4”N 81°03’01.3”E, 990m, 27 June 2014, leg. N. Athukorala, S. Ranasinghe, litter.

Paratype: 1♀ (IFS_Oon_228): from same locality and data as the holotype.

Other material examined. 1♂ (IFS_Oon_076): Sri Lanka , Uva Province, Badulla District, Ohiya , 0 6°50’32”N 80°53’0 5”E, 1280m, 30 August 2011, leg. S. P. Benjamin, N. Athukorala .

Etymology. Named for Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet, Philip Michael Ondaatje best known for the “ The English Patient ” and our favorite “ Anils Ghost ”.

Diagnosis. Males can be easily recognized by the hammer-shaped palpal tip and the small triangular projection at the base of the bulb (bpr in Fig. 12 A). Females can be recognized by the narrowed posterior tube, with a rounded ending and the anteriorly directed, triangular-shaped projection (tpr in Figs. 12 C, D).

Description. Description based on all specimens listed above.

MALE: Body length 2.04. Coloration: carapace usually reddish-brown, sternum and mouthparts orangebrown, abdominal scuta reddish-brown, abdominal inter scutal region not visible, fully covered with dorsal and ventral scuta; legs pale orange; palps dark red-brown. Carapace: broadly ovoid in dorsal view ( Fig. 10 A), smooth, sides striated, pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view ( Fig. 10 B), anteriorly slightly narrowed, with angular posterolateral corners, posterolateral edge without spikes and pits, lateral margin straight, posterior margin squared ( Fig. 10 D). Clypeus: straight in front view ( Fig. 10 C). Eyes: six, well developed, ALE largest, oval, PME and PLE equal in size and oval. Labium: triangular shaped, fused to sternum, same as sternum sclerotization. Endite: distally not excavated, anteromedian part with stout projection, edges heavily sclerotized than sternum. Sternum: slightly longer than wide, decorated with round pits, radial furrows consisting with rows of small pits present between coxa I–II, II–III and III–IV ( Fig. 10 E). Abdomen: ovoid, dorsal scutum strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 10 F), cover full length of abdomen ( Fig. 10 G), no soft tissue visible from above, epigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, extend to pedicel region, scuto-pedicel region with W-shaped straight transverse ridge ( Fig. 11 C), book lung covers, nail-shaped ( Fig. 11 A), dark, oval without elevation, pedicel tube large with dorsolateral triangular extensions, pedicel region fully covered with fine setae ( Fig. 11 C). Postepigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, long, semicircular, covering most part of the area and fused to epigastric scutum, with short posteriorly directed lateral apodemes ( Fig. 11 A). Spinnerets scutum present ( Fig. 10 H), short setae present. Legs: spineless. Sperm pore: large, elliptical, situated in between anterior and posterior spiracles. Genitalia: palpal bulb with a hammer-shaped palpal tip ( Figs. 12 A, B) and a small triangular projection at the base of the palpal bulb (bpr in Fig. 12 A).

FEMALE: Body length: 2.04, Coloration and somatic morphology same as male ( Fig. 11 E), pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view, squared posterior margin. Genitalia: posterior tube narrow, elongated, with rounded ending, triangular-shaped protrusion anteriorly directed from the posterior spiracular groove ( Figs. 12 C, D).

Intraspecific variation. Color ranges from reddish-brown to orange-brown. Body length of males ranges from 1.90–2.04. One specimen (IFS_Oon_076) shows long setae on the chelicerae and some strong setae on the top of the carapace. Scuto-pedicel ridge slightly curved and anteriorly directed in some specimens ( Figs. 11 A–D).

Distribution. Sri Lanka: Badulla District: Ohiya (L 30), Rawana Ella (L 50).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Brignolia ondaatjei sp. nov., male from Badulla, Rawana Ella. A. carapace, dorsal view; B. same, lateral view; C. same, anterior view; D. same, posterior view; E. sternum, ventral view; F. abdomen, dorsal view; G. same lateral view; H. same, posterior view. sps, spinneret scutum. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 11. Intraspecific variation of Brignolia ondaatjei sp. nov., males from Badulla, Rawana Ella and Ohiya. A, B. abdomen, ventral view; C, D. same, anterior view; Female from Badulla, Rawana Ella. E. habitus, dorsal view; F. same, ventral view. boc, booklung covers, scr, scuto-pedicel ridge. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (A, C – D), 0.5 mm (B, E – F).

FIGURE 12. Brignolia ondaatjei sp. nov., from Rawana Ella. Male. A. left palp, retrolateral view; B. left palp, prolateral view; Female. C. epigastric region, ventral view; D. same, dorsal view. bpr, bulbus projection; lap, lateral apodemes; pgt, posterior genitalic tube; tpr, triangular epigynal projection. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.