Heteropoda papilionacea, Korai & Jäger, 2024

Korai, Shakal Khan & Jäger, Peter, 2024, Five new species of Heteropoda Latreille, 1804 spiders (Araneae: Sparassidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 5481 (2), pp. 241-259 : 250-252

Heteropoda papilionacea spec. nov.

Figs 7A–E , 11

Type material. Holotype female: MALAYSIA: Sabah State: Tongod District, Maliau Basin Conservation Area , 5°19′26″N, 117°00′59″E, 385 m, 17 October 2015, L.Y. Wang & G.Q. Huang leg. ( CBEE) . Paratype: 1 female, with same data as for holotype ( CBEE) .

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective papilionaceus, -a, um, meaning “butterflyshaped”, referring to the median septum and median margins of lateral lobes in ventral view.

Diagnosis. Females of this new species can be distinguished from all other Heteropoda species by the unique combination of long, straight, parallel median margins of the first windings, and anterior part of internal duct system is longer than wide, with just one winding ( Jäger 2014: figs 124–135). They are most similar to those of H. strasseni Strand, 1915 and H. kusi Jäger, 2014 , but can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters: 1. Anterior bands are moderately long (significantly short, and integrated in H. strasseni ); 2. Median septum mostly covered, only anteriormost part of septum visible (broad and freely visible in H. strasseni , and partly covered in H. kusi ); 3. Lateral lobes touching each other medially (distinctly separated in H. strasseni , and H. kusi ); 4. Posterior part of internal duct system almost two times longer than wide and roughly kidney-shaped, and extending laterally beyond anterior part (just roughly rounded in H. strasseni , and slightly extending beyond anterior part in H. kusi ); 5. Glandular pores postero-laterad (posteriad in H. strasseni , and laterad to slightly anterolaterad in H. kusi ) ( Figs 7A–C ).

Description. Male: Unknown.

Female (holotype): Measurements: BL 15.6; PL 6.7, PW 6.2; AW 0.4; OL 8.9, OW 5.2. Eyes: AME 0.31, ALE 0.54, PME 0.36, PLE 0.58, AME–AME 0.28, AME–ALE 0.16, PME–PME 0.44, PME–PLE 0.68, AME–PME 0.54, ALE–PLE 0.55, CH AME 0.41, CH ALE 0.36. Spination: Palp 120, 000, 2111; Fe I–II 212, III 302, IV 211; Pa I–IV 021; Ti I–II 1302, III–IV 2411; Mt I–IV 1010. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 7.6 (2.3, 1.1, 1.9,–, 2.2), I 22.4 (7.1, 2.3, 7.0, 4.4, 1.5), II 24.5 (7.5, 2.3, 7.6, 5.5, 1.4), III 18.3 (5.4, 1.9, 5.9, 3.4, 1.5), IV 21.8 (5.4, 1.7, 6.5, 5.9, 2.1). Leg formula: II–I–IV–III. Cheliceral furrow with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth and ca. 35 denticles.

Copulatory organ as in diagnosis. Epigynal field roughly as long as wide, posteriorly distinctly wider than anteriorly, with short triangular anterior bands and one slit sensillum on each side separated from the field. Median margins of lateral lobes strongly curved in anterior half when almost touching in ventral view. Median margins of first windings of both functional entities of the internal duct system very close to each other and running parallel. Posterior part of internal duct system large, elongated and roughly kidney-shaped. Fertilization ducts located posteriorly ( Figs 7A–C ).

Colouration in ethanol. Dorsal shield of prosoma yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, with bright transversal crescent submarginally at posterior margin and large area covered with dark setae and few lighter patches especially submarginally and close to eyes. Chelicerae deep reddish-brown. Labium, sternum and gnathocoxae deep yellowish-brown. Opisthosoma dorsally brown, with pairs of dark patches and dark inverse V-shaped pattern in posterior half; ventrally yellowish-brown, with slightly darker elongated V-shaped lines and a smaller dark Vshaped pattern in front of spinnerets ( Figs 7D–E ).

Distribution. Malaysia (Sabah State) ( Fig. 11 )

Notes. Although the male of H. verticalis spec. nov. is occurring syntopically it is considered not conspecific with the present species due to considerable differences in size and colouration pattern. The body length of H. cuspidata spec. nov. is considerably larger than H. papilionacea spec. nov. (usually males are smaller than conspecific females), and H. cuspidata spec. nov. exhibits a dark ventral side on both, prosoma and opisthosoma, whereas H. papilionacea spec. nov. is light yellowish-brown. Sexual colour dimorphisms known to occur in the genus Heteropoda are restricted to dorsal appearances, especially the dorsal prosoma. It is known that several Heteropoda species as larger invertebrate predators can occur syntopically in one habitat (e.g. in southern Laos four Heteropoda spp. , together with additional Sparassidae like Pseudopoda sp. , Gnathopalystes sp. , Jäger unpublished).

Figures

FIGURES 7A–E. Heteropoda papilionacea spec. nov., holotype female from Malaysia, Sabah, Maliau Basin Conservation Area. A–C Copulatory organ (A vulva, dorsal; B epigyne, ventral; C schematic course of internal duct system, dorsal); D–E Habitus (D dorsal, E ventral).Abbreviations:AB—anterior bands; CO—copulatory opening; FW—first winding; GP—glandular pores; LL—lateral lobes; MS—median septum. Scale bars: A–C 0.5 mm; D–E 3 mm.

FIGURE 11. Locality records of the examined Heteropoda material.