Nediphya hippai, Marusik & Omelko, 2017

Marusik, Y. M. & Omelko, M. M., 2017, A New Genus Of Tetragnathid Spiders From Papua New Guinea (Aranei, Tetragnathidae), Vestnik Zoologii (Vestn. Zool.) 51 (3), pp. 203-214 : 208-209

Nediphya hippai sp. n. ( figs 7 , 14–15 , 40–41, 46, 49 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1824CE48-CACE-4C6C-9E90-6660B2937D07

Types. Holotype ♀, paratypes: 1 ♂, subadult and 2 ♀: Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province, Mt Kaindi , 2350 m, 8– 10.03.1974 (H. Hippa) ( ZMUT).

Diagnosis. Nediphya hippai sp. n. and N. lyleae sp. n. have similar carapace banding patterns and white spotted abdomens. The two species can be distinguished by epigynal median plates (Mp) (wider than long in N. hippai sp. n. vs. longer than wide in N. lyleae sp. n. (cf. figs 40–41 and 44–45 )) and femoral spines (lacking in N. hippai sp. n. vs. present on femora I and II in N. lyleae sp. n.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Female holotype. Total length 2.42, carapace 1.08 long, 0.78 wide. Carapace light yellow with dark V-mark. Clypeus blackish. Chelicerae yellow with longitudinal blackish stripes proximally. Sternum, maxillae and labium yellow. Legs yellow. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi grayish distally. Abdomen dorsally dark yellow with light longitudinal band and indistinct transversal stripes and covered with numerous white guanine spots. Abdomen somewhat darker laterally. Abdomen yellow ventrally, without any markings.

Length of leg segments

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total

I 1.50 0.41 1. 47 1.58 0.68 5.63

II 1.20 0.41 1.07 1.17 0.53 4.37

III 0.68 0.30 0.45 0.53 0.38 2.33

IV 0.98 0.29 0.71 0.78 0.41 3.15

Leg spination

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus

I 1d 1p

II – 1d 2p 2r

III – 1d 1p 1r 1p

IV – 1d 2d 1p

Epigyne as in figs 40–41, 46, 49 ; median plate wider than long with distinct sulci directed laterally from copulatory openings, sclerotized copulatory ducts short; receptacles tear-drop shaped. Paratype female with broken off tip of embolus in left receptacle ( figs 41, 49 ).

Male unknown.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality, where Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. is also known to occur.

E t y m o l o g y. The species name is a patronym in honour of our senior colleague Heikki Hippa (Turku, Finland) who collected the holotype.

Figures

Figs 1–8. Habitus of Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. (1–5), N. lyleae sp. n. (6), N. hippai sp. n. (7) and N. padillai sp. n. (8): 1 —male habitus, dorsal; 2, 6–8 — female habitus, dorsal; 3 — female prosoma, ventral; 4 — female prosoma, dorsal; 5 a, b — female leg I, a —dorsal and b —prolateral.

Figs 9–15. Somatic characters of Diphya macrophthalma (9–11), Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. (12–13) and N. hippai sp. n. (14–15).

Figs 40–51. Epigynes of Nediphya hippai sp. n. (40–41, 46, 49), N. padillai sp. n. (42), N. lehtineni (43, 50–51), N. lyleae sp. n. (44–45, 48) and Diphya macrophthalma (47). Scale = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Cd copulatory ducts, Er elongate anterior receptacles, Mp median plate, Re round proper receptacles, Rr round anterior receptacles.