Salsa canalae (Berland, 1924) Framenau & Castanheira, 2022

Framenau, Volker W. & Castanheira, Pedro de S., 2022, Revision of the new Australasian orb-weaving spider genus Salsa (Araneae, Araneidae), ZooKeys 1102, pp. 107-148 : 107

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1102.82388
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BCA0CCE5-141D-46DA-9D65-0DCA6B74DE69
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/34549E3D-7219-5085-ACAA-DFFD56D02392
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Salsa canalae (Berland, 1924)
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Salsa canalae (Berland, 1924) comb. nov.

Figs 5C View Figure 5 , 12A-D View Figure 12 , 13A-F View Figure 13 , 14 View Figure 14

Araneus canalae Berland 1924: 222, fig. 126, 127; Berland 1931: 666; Berland 1932: 296, 298-299.

Araneus canalensis Berland. Bonnet 1955: 459.

Type specimen.

Holotype female, Mount Canala (21°31'S, 165°58'E, New Cale-donia), F. Sarasin and J. Roux (NHMB 979a). Photographs examined.

Other material examined.

1 male, 7 females (in 8 records)(see Suppl. material 1).

Diagnosis.

Males of S. canalae comb nov. shares with S. tartara sp. nov. two patellar setae on the pedipalp (Fig. 12C, D View Figure 12 vs. Fig. 22C, D View Figure 22 ). However, S. canalae comb nov. is distinguished by prominent, heavily sclerotised conductor of S. tartara sp. nov. which is short and inconspicuous in S. canalae comb. nov. Female genitalia are most similar to those of S. brisbanae comb. nov., but differ from those and other Salsa gen. nov. species by the epigyne scape, that is longer than the epigyne plate and exceeds its posterior margin (Fig. 13C, D View Figure 13 ).

Redescription.

Male (based on WAM T75922) Total length 5.5. Carapace 2.9 long, 2.5 wide, pear-shaped and pale brown, covered with short white setae (Fig. 12A View Figure 12 ). Eye diameter AME 0.20, ALE 0.18, PME 0.13, PLE 0.11; row of eyes: AME 0.54, PME 0.47, PLE 1.22. Chelicerae yellowish brown; with four promarginal teeth (second basal largest) and three retromarginal teeth (basal largest). Legs yellowish brown mottled in pale brown, bearing thick setae on patella, tibia and metatarsus (Fig. 12A, B View Figure 12 ). Leg formula I> II> IV> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 2.8 + 1.2 + 2.2 + 1.7 + 0.9 = 8.8, II - 2.2 + 1.0 + 1.6 + 1.6 + 0.8 = 7.2, III - 1.4 + 0.6 + 0.8 + 0.8 + 0.5 = 4.1, IV - 2.1 + 0.9 + 1.5 + 1.5 + 0.7 = 6.7. Labium 0.31 long, 0.47, and endites yellowish brown, paler anteriorly (Fig. 12B View Figure 12 ). Sternum 1.3 long, 0.8 wide, yellowish brown mottled dark and bearing dark brown contour (Fig. 12B View Figure 12 ). Abdomen 2.5 long, 1.8 wide, with pointed conical posterior portion after spinnerets, dorsum, sides, and venter beige mottled in grey (Fig. 12A, B View Figure 12 ). Pedipalp (Fig. 12C, D View Figure 12 ) length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + cymbium = total length): 0.5 + 0.2 + 0.15 + 0.9 = 1.75; patella with two setae; paracymbium reduced and straight; median apophysis elongated, with a thick basal process, a notched apical section on an acute and apically curved rounded tip; conductor lobe small; terminal apophysis subrectangular, apically projected and inflated, bearing a finger-like lobe from its basis; conductor flat with sclerotised borders; embolus short and strong, very sclerotised.

Female (based on WAM T75921): Total length 8.3. Carapace 3.5 long, 3.1 wide; dark brown and bearing long white setae throughout (Fig. 13A View Figure 13 ). Eye diameter AME 0.20, ALE 0.18, PME 0.14, PLE 0.13; row of eyes: AME 0.52, PME 0.45, PLE 1.88. Chelicerae dark brown, four promarginal teeth (apical and basal largest), and three retromarginal (basal largest). Legs orange-brown, slightly darker on femur and joints (Fig. 13A, B View Figure 13 ). Pedipalp length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + tarsus = total length): 1.0 + 0.5 + 0.7 +1.1 = 3.3. Leg formula I> II> IV> III; length of segments (femur + patella + tibia + metatarsus + tarsus = total length): I - 3.2 + 1.4 + 2.7 + 2.4 + 1.1 = 10.8, II - 2.8 + 1.5 + 2.2 + 2.2 + 0.9 = 9.6, III - 1.9 + 0.9 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 0.7 = 5.5, IV - 2.8 + 1.2 + 2.0 + 2.1 + 0.9 = 9.0. Labium 0.54 long, 0.86 wide and endites dark brown, beige on anterior border (Fig. 13B View Figure 13 ). Sternum 1.5 long, 1.5 wide and brown (Fig. 13B View Figure 13 ). Abdomen 5.5 long, 5.2 wide; dorsum with beige background brindled in olive-grey (Fig. 13A View Figure 13 ); sides olive-grey (Fig. 13B View Figure 13 ); venter olive-grey with two thick rounded white patches (Fig. 13B View Figure 13 ). Epigyne subquadrate with broadly rounded antero-lateral borders and wide atrium and basis (Fig. 13C, D View Figure 13 ); scape almost twice the length of epigyne base, from a slightly wide base gradually narrowing a thin section (Fig. 13C-E View Figure 13 ); central division goblet-like, very wide anteriorly, ca. as wide as the epigyne base, and tapering basally (Fig. 13F View Figure 13 ); spermathecae oval and apart by more than its diameter (Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ).

Variation.

Only one male was available for measurements (see above); female total lengths 5.8 and 6.4 (n = 2). All our specimens were of very similar colouration, but Berland (1932) reported numerous females with considerable colour variations, specifically of the abdomen, without providing any further detail.

Life history and habitat preferences.

The mature male described here was found in April, mature females examined between February and June; however, specimen numbers are too small to confidently interpret the phenology of the species. There was no information on habitat with any specimen labels.

Distribution.

Distributed throughout New Caledonia (Fig. 14 View Figure 14 ), including Nouméa (cited in Berland 1932).