Wanniyala ohiya, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 42-44

Wanniyala ohiya sp. n.

Figures 138–140 , 181–189 , 216

Wanniyala SB063: Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data).

Wanniyala SL61: Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 7.

Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from congeners by details of palp (retrolateral sclerite of procursus with massive sickle-shaped dorsal process; distinctive processes of palpal trochanter, and slender weakly curved bulbal apophysis; Figs 183–186 ). Females are easily distinguished by shape of epigynum (divided into anterior and posterior parts; Figs 187–188 ) and by internal genitalia (distinctive shape of median structures; pore plates in very lateral position; Figs 189 , 216 ). Males and females also differ from most species (except W. agrabopath ) by absence of dark lateral bands on carapace ( Figs 138, 140 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality (noun in apposition).

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20088), Uva Province, near Ohiya (6.807°N, 80.848°E), 2000 m a.s.l., 15.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 1♂ 1♀, NMSL , 4♂ 15♀ 1 juv., ZFMK ( Ar 20032, 20089), and 3♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL146 ), same data as holotype . 1♂ 3♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( Benj 45), and 1♂ in pure ethanol (not examined but photos of male palp kindly provided by S.P. Benjamin), NIFS (Pho-063), Uva Province, Badulla District, along Passara-Ella road (B113), Namunukula (6.867°N, 81.117°E), litter, 27.ii.2015 (S.P. Benjamin, N. Atukorala) .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.4, carapace width 1.05. Distance PME- PME 125 µm, diameter PME 110 µm, distance PME-ALE 25 µm; AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.74/0.64. Leg 1: 22.7 (5.5 + 0.4 + 5.6 + 9.0 + 2.2), tibia 2: 3.5, tibia 3: 2.6, tibia 4: 3.5; tibia 1 L/d: 66.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre yellow with black median band including ocular area and clypeus; sternum mostly black, with ochre-yellow median mark; legs ochre-yellow, with dark rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); abdomen ochre-gray with dark marks dorsally and laterally, ventrally with anterior and posterior brown marks and three black marks in transversal row in-between.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 138–139 ; ocular area barely raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus with median process and pair of lateral processes, all rounded in frontal view, pointed in lateral view ( Figs 181–182 ); sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 181–182 , with pair of small apophyses proximally laterally and pair of long apophyses directed forwards, distance between tips of apophyses: 0.73.

PALPS. In general very similar to known congeners (cf. Figs 150–155 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with several distinctive processes ( Fig. 183 ); femur with indistinct small dorsal apophysis proximally; tibia very long (1.14); procursus with several distinctive elements ( Figs 185–186 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus and relatively long, weakly curved apophysis with rounded tip ( Fig. 184 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with short vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all metatarsi; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 9%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~30 pseudosegments, fairly distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in five other males from type locality: 4.9–5.8 (mean 5.4). Males from Namunukula are smaller in all respects (e.g., tibia 1: 4.6; palpal tibia length 0.94) but have almost identical genitalia (only ‘prolateral sclerite 2’ of procursus distally without dorsal protrusion; arrow in Fig. 185 ); in addition, sternum uniformly light brown and abdomen ventrally without dark marks.

Female. In general similar to male ( Fig. 140 ) but clypeus unmodified and legs with usual low number of short vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in 15 females from type locality: 4.1–4.9 (mean 4.5). Epigynum as in Figs 187–188 , weakly protruding in lateral view, anterior and posterior parts of epigynal plate divided by distinct furrow; width of epigynal plate (posterior part): 0.8; posterior plate apparently reduced(?) to two lateral sclerites partly hidden behind epigynal plate and poorly visible in ventral view; internal genitalia as in Figs 189 , 216 , with distinctive pair of median structures and pore plates in very lateral position. Females from Namunukula are slightly smaller in all respects (e.g., tibia 1: 3.5, 4.0, 4.1; epigynal plate width: 0.60–0.62) and differ (like males from Namunukula) by uniformly light brown sternum and absence of dark marks ventrally on abdomen.

Natural history. The spiders were found on overhanging rocks, always in a unique position, lying flat on their sides ( Fig. 139 ). They were extremely well camouflaged and very reluctant to move when disturbed. Distribution. Known from two high-elevation localities in central Sri Lanka ( Fig. 227 ).

Figures

FIGURES 138–149. Wanniyala, live specimens, part 2. 138–140. W. ohiya sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Ohiya (Fig. 139 shows a male in typical resting position). 141–143. W. viharekele sp. n., males from Viharekele and Kottawa, female from Kottawa. 144–146. W. mapalena sp. n., male and females from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella. 147–149. W. labugama sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Labugama.

FIGURES 181–186. Wanniyala ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 181–182. Male chelicerae, clypeus and ocular area, frontal and lateral views. 183. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 184. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 185–186. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views; arrow points at dorsal protrusion of ‘prolateral sclerite 2’ that is absent in males from Namunukula. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (183–186), 0.5 mm (181–182).

FIGURES 187–189. Wanniyala ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 187–188. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 189. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 213–219. Wanniyala spp., cleared female genitalia in dorsal views. 213. W. mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 214. W. orientalis sp. n., from Dimbulagala (ZFMK Ar 20079). 215. W. upekkha sp. n., from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 216. W. ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 217. W. viharekele sp. n., from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20092). 218. W. mapalena sp. n., from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (ZFMK Ar 20095). 219. W. labugama sp. n., from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). At various scales.

FIGURES 150–155. Wanniyala left male palps in prolateral and retrolateral views. 150–151. W. upekkha sp. n. from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 152–153. W. viharekele sp. n. from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20091). 154–155. W. labugama sp. n. from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; ba, bulbal apophysis; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 226–227. Known distribution of Wanniyala.