Silhouettella snippy n. sp.

Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2018, Taxonomic descriptions of nine new species of the goblin spider genera Cavisternum, Grymeus, Ischnothyreus, Opopaea, Pelicinus and Silhouettella (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Sri Lanka, Evolutionary Systematics 2 (1), pp. 65-80 : 70

Silhouettella snippy n. sp. Figs 17 A–H, 19 A–C, 20A, D

Type material.

Male holotype from Sri Lanka, Central Province, Matale District, NIFS Arboretum, 07°51'34"N 80°40'28"E, 180m, litter, 23 July 2010, leg. S. Batuwita (IFS_Oon_014) (ZFMK).

Other material examined: 1 male and 3 females; same locality, litter, 19 October 2015, leg. N. Athukorala et al. (IFS_Oon_322-325).

Diagnosis.

Silhouettella snippy n. sp. can be diagnosed by the curved, long embolus with membranous flange just below embolus (Fig. 20A). Females can be identified by wide, semicircular receptaculum with short globular appendix (Fig. 20D).

Etymology.

This species is a noun in apposition named after “Snippy” a brownie and one of the characters in the story “Billy’s Little Boats" by Blyton in 1971.

Description.

Male: Total length 1.52. (Carapace, L: 0.72, W: 0.41. Abdomen, L: 0.80, W: 0.44). Coloration: carapace orange, sternum and mouthparts orange, abdominal scuta orange-yellow, abdominal inter scutal region white and covered with setae, legs pale orange, palps pale orange. Carapace elongated oval in dorsal view, anteriorly narrowed 0.5 times its maximum width (Fig. 17A), slightly elevated in lateral view (Fig. 17B), surface and sides smooth (Fig. 17B), posterior margin rounded. Clypeus slightly rebordered, straight in front view. Chelicerae straight, anterior face unmodified (Fig. 17C). Six eyes, well developed (Fig. 17C). Sternum longer than wide, radial furrows slightly visible in between coxae (Fig. 17D). Abdomen narrow, elongated (Fig. 17E), cover full length of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above (Fig. 17E). Postepigastric scutum long, semicircular, covering nearly full length of abdominal length, fused to epigastric scutum, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes (Fig. 17G). Posterior spiracles connected by groove (Fig. 17G), booklung covers large (Fig. 17G). Spinnerets scutum present as incomplete ring (Fig. 17F). Legs spines absent. Genitalia: Sperm pore small, situated at level of anterior spiracular groove (Fig. 17G). Palp of normal size, not strongly sclerotized, cymbium yellow, not fused with bulb, not extending beyond distal tip of bulb. Bulb yellow, rectangular-shaped, as long as cymbium. Embolus long, curved with a membranous flange just above conductor (Fig. 20A).

Female: Total length 2.00 (Carapace: L: 0.80, W: 0.66. Abdomen: L: 1.20, W: 0.88). In general similar to males (Fig. 19A). Genitalia: Receptaculum (re) semicircular, wider than long. Secretory sac (ssa) oval, globular appendix (gap) short, about 0.5 times the length of receptaculum with an anterior paddle like sclerite (psc) and lateral apodemes (lap) (Fig. 20D).

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Fig. 21).