Telamonia shepardi Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong

Alberto T. Barrion, Aimee Lynn A. Barrion-Dupo, Josie Lynn A. Catindig, Sylvia C. Villareal, Ducheng Cai, Qianhua Yuan & Kong Luen Heong, 2016, NEW SPECIES OF SPIDERS (ARANEAE) FROM HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA, UPLB Museum Publications in Natural History 3, pp. 1-103 : 27-28

Telamonia shepardi Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong , new species [ Figure 30 A-E]

FEMALE. Holotype female, total length 9.20 mm. Cephalothorax length 4.20 mm, width 3.00 mm. Abdomen length 4.65 mm, width 2.10 mm. Paratype female, total length 8.55 mm.

Carapace. Yellow with black eye margins, 1.4x longer than wide. Cephalic area with an inverted M-shaped orange red band, a pair of parallel orange red band between ALE and PME. Thoracic area bears a pair of orange red band radiating towards lateral margins. Chelicerae yellow with an oblique brown band on the frontal basal one-third, 2.83x longer than wide. Retromargin has single tooth and promargin with two teeth. Pedipalps, maxillae, labium and sternum yellow.

Eyes. In three rows of 4, 2, and 2. Eye diameter (mm): AME (0.80)> PLE (0.40)> ALE (0.30)> PME (0.15). Clypeus height 0.25 AME diameter.

Legs. Yellow with yellowish brown spines and black claw tufts. Spination in tibia I and II 0-7-0-2, tibia III 0-3-3-2 and tibia IV 0-4-3-3. Metatarsus I and II each with four ventral spines, III with 2-4-3-2 and IV has 2-3-3-3. Leg formula 4312.

Abdomen. 2.2x longer than wide, yellow medially, laterally and ventrally except for two pairs of orange red longitudinal bands bordered laterally with black bands dominant along posterior one-half. Spinnerets yellow, long and hairy.

Epigynum dome-shaped, partitioned into two J-shaped cells viewed ventrally; gonophores cup-like and well separated from each other. Cleared epigynum has four-coiled copulatory ducts parallel to each other and inner coils converging. Fertilization duct long and horizontal.

MALE .. total length 7.30 mm. Carapace 1.36x longer than wide with a U-shaped white band running from lateral eye margins to thoracic submargins. Chelicerae, pedipalps, and labium dark reddish brown. Dorsum of chelicerae rough with transverse striae. Maxillae reddish brown except yellow apicoinner margin. Sternum brownish yellow, longer than wide. Eye diameter (mm): AME (0.60)> PLE=ALE (0.31)> PME (0.11). Clypeus height 0.3 AME diameter lined with white hairs. Legs with blackish brown dorsum of coxae I and II, femora, tibiae and spines except yellow venter of coxa I and II, entire coxae III and IV, metatarsi and tarsi. Spination in femur I 4 -0-2-3 and III with 4-0-1- 3; tibia I 0-6-1-2, II with 0-6-3-4 and III and IV with 1-4-4-4. Leg formula 3412. Abdomen 2.77x longer than broad, grayish brown with a whitish median longitudinal band. Palpal organ with a bulbous tegulum, broad base of sperm duct at 3 o ’clock, apex of cymbium truncated with a deep groove posterior of tip of embolus, and RTA has three apicoinner teeth.

Material Examined. Holotype female (coll. no. Dap 32), paratypes: one female (coll. no. Dap 33), immature (coll. no. Dap 34) and one male (coll. no. Dap 37), CHINA, Hainan Island, Dapo town, Dapo village, 28 March 2011, ATBarrion, JLACatindig and SCVillareal.

Diagnostic Features. Closely resembles Telamonia festiva Thorell, 1887 but differs from the latter in (1) carapacial and abdominal markings, (2) structure of the epigynum, (3) subequal femur III & IV and patella I& tibia II in the female, (4) subequal femur II and IV, patella I and metatarsus II, patella III and tibia II in male, and (5) the serrated tip of RTA.

Etymology. Patronym, after Dr. Merle Shepard in recognition of his strong interest in biological control of rice and vegetable insect pests.

Figures

Figure 30 A-E. Telamonia shepardi Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong, new species, holotype female (A), ventral (B) and dorsal (C) views of epigynum, male palpal organ (D) and inner tip of RTA (E).