Indothele silentvalley Tripathi, Kadam & Sherwood sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: B8E37B3A-39D8-4064-8986-AABD19799D23

Figs 5–8, 14, Table 2

Diagnosis

Males of Indothele silentvalley sp. nov. resemble those of I. dumicola (Pocock, 1900) by the moderately long embolus, the aspinose tibial apophysis, and the cymbial apophysis with two prolateral and two retrolateral spines. However, I. silentvalley can be distinguished by the following characteristics: (1) the embolus curving sharply upward at the tip (vs gentle curve in I. dumicola); (2) the unmodified palpal tibia (vs incrassate in I. dumicola), and the tibia I nearly straight (vs gradually tapering to a narrow tip in I. dumicola) (cf. Figs 6F–H, 8A–C vs Coyle 1995: figs 347–354). Females of the new species can be readily distinguished from all known female congeners by their distinctive spermathecal morphology, with elongate and thin receptacles and regularly rounded spermathecal lobes (cf. Fig. 8E vs Coyle 1995: figs 343–346, 355–359, 362–366, 369–370).

Etymology

The specific epithet is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality.

Type material

Holotype

INDIA • ♂; Kerala, Palakkad, Silent Valley National Park, Sairandhri Range; 11°05′38.0″ N, 76°26′44.4″ E; 1024 m; 14 Aug. 2024; R. Tripathi and G. Kadam leg.; from dead tree log, by hand; NCBS, NRC-AA-9039.

Paratype

INDIA • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; NCBS, NRC-AA-9040 .

Description

Male (holotype, Figs 6, 8A–C)

Measurements: total length including chelicerae: 5.78. Carapace: length 2.71, width 2.36. Caput: slightly raised. Ocular tubercle: raised, length 0.43, width 0.80. Eyes: AME> ALE, ALE> PLE, PLE> PME, anterior eye row slightly procurved, posterior row recurved (Fig. 6B). Clypeus: narrow; clypeal fringe and short (Fig. 6C). Fovea: deep, transverse. Chelicerae: length 1.08, width 0.73. Abdomen: length 3.07, width 2.08. Maxilla with 22–25 cuspules. Labium: length 0.22, width 0.56, lacking cuspules. Labio-sternal mounds: separate. Sternum: length 1.48, width 1.36. Lengths of legs and palpal segments: see Table 2, legs 4,3,2,1. Spination: palp: femur plv 5 do 4 rlv 5, patella pld 2 do 2 rlv 2, tibia pl 1 pld 1 plv 3 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 3, tarsus/cymbium pld 3 rld 2; legs: femora I–II pld 1 plv 7 do 6 rlv 7, III plv 6 do 6 rld 2 rlv 6, IV plv 6 do 5 rlv 6; patellae I pld 2 rld 2, II–IV pld 2 do 3 rld 2; tibia I pld 2 rld 2, II–IV pld 2 do 3 rld 2; tibia I pl 2 pld 1 rl 2 rld 1 rlv 2, II pl 1 pld 1 plv 1 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 2, III–IV pl 2 pld 2 plv 2 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 2; metatarsus I plv 1 rlv 1 v1, II pl 2 pld 2 plv 2 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 3 v 1, III–IV pl 1 pld 2 plv 3 rl 1 rld 2 rlv 3; tarsi I–IV spineless. Tibia I with subterminal thorn shape retrolateral apophysis (Fig. 6F–H). Sternum hirsute; nearly circular and with three pairs of sigillae: anterior pair at height of rl coxa I, largest; medial pair at height of rl coxa II; posterior pair at height of rl coxa III, smallest; all marginal (Fig. 6D). PLS with three segments, basal 0.97, median 0.89, digitiform apical 1.48. PMS with one segment (Fig. 6K). Palpal bulb moderately long and nearly straight, embolus strongly curved at apex. Cymbial apophysis with two prolateral and two retrolateral spines. Palpal bulb thick and nearly straight, with sperm duct prominently wide at base and narrowing after the midpoint (Fig. 8A–C). Embolus 0.72 long, 0.25 wide. Colour: carapace, clypeus, leg segments, spinnerets greyish white; eye region dark; chelicerae, labium, maxillae, sternum pale whitish orange; opisthosoma black with purple shade (Fig. 6A). Carapace densely covered with thin hairs, with brownish streaks; thoracic margin with semi erect setae and dark coloured. Pars cephalica slightly elevated. Eyes on low tubercles, encircled with black pigment (Fig. 6B). Cheliceral promargin with 10 teeth and retromargin with 10 teeth, and 8 tiny teeth within fang furrow (Fig. 6I–J).

Female (paratype, Figs 7, 8D–E)

Measurements: total length including chelicerae: 6.78. Carapace: length 2.65, width 2.41. Caput: slightly raised. Ocular tubercle: raised, length 0.32, width 0.61. Eyes: AME> ALE, ALE> PLE, PLE> PME, anterior eye row slightly procurved, posterior row recurved (Fig. 7B). Clypeus: narrow; clypeal fringe and short (Fig. 7C). Fovea: deep, transverse. Chelicerae: length 1.14, width 0.69. Abdomen: length 4.13, width 3.29. Maxilla with 27–28 cuspules. Labium: length 0.17, width 0.42, lacking cuspules. Labio-sternal mounds, separate. Sternum: length 1.55, width 1.43. Lengths of legs and palpal segments: see Table 2, legs 4,3,2,1. Spination: palp: femur plv 3 do 4 rlv 3; patella pld 1 do 1 rld 1; tibia pld 2 pl 2 plv 3 rld 2 rl 2 rlv 3; tarsus/cymbium pld 2 pl 2 plv 2 rld 1 rl 2 rlv 2; legs: femur I plv 4 do 3 rlv 4, II–IV plv 4 do 4 rld 1 rlv 4; patellae I–IV pld 2 do 2 rld 2; tibia I pl 1 plv 1 rl 1 rld 1, II pld 1 pl 1 plv 2 rld 2 rl 1 rlv 2, III–IV pl 2 pld 2 plv 3 rl 2 rld 1 rlv 3; metatarsi I pl 1 plv 3 rld 1 rlv 3, II pld 1 pl 2 plv 3 rld 1 rl 2 rlv 3, III–IV pld 1 pl 2 plv 2 rl 2 rld 1 rlv 3; tarsus I–IV spineless. General aspects essentially as in male except: body colour darker (Fig. 7A), cheliceral promargin with 10 teeth and retromargin with 11 teeth, and 12 tiny teeth within fang furrow (Fig. 7F–G). Spinnerets PMS (length 0.63); PLS (total 4.25): proximal (length 1.27); medial (length 0.88) shortest; distal (length 2.10). Spermathecae with four receptacles, each extremely thin and elongate, ending with a large and conspicuously rounded lobe; base of receptacles fused to a weakly W-shaped membrane (Fig. 8E).

Distribution

Known only from the type locality, Silent Valley National Park, Kerala, India (Fig. 14).