Aprusia Simon, 1893

Grismado, Cristian J., Deeleman, Christa & Baehr, Barbara, 2011, Te Goblin Spider Genus Aprusia Simon, 1893 (Araneae: Oonopidae), American Museum Novitates 2011 (3706), pp. 1-24 : 3-7

Aprusia Simon, 1893

Aprusia Simon, 1893a: 295 , (type species, by monotypy Aprusia strenuus Simon ).

DIAGNOSIS: Aprusia resembles Ischnothyreus and Camptoscaphiella in the eye arrangement, the shape of the abdominal scutum and the strong spination on legs I and II, but differs in the morphology of the copulatory organs; the male palpi of Aprusia are pale, with the bulb ovoid to fusiform, completely fused to the cymbium, and with a short apical embolus, slightly sclerotized, sometimes accompanied by a tiny conductor. Females usually differ by the more elongated carapace and narrow pars cephalica at the ocular area, and by the strongly procurved anterior margin of the postepigastric scutum, on which there is no visible copulatory opening (situated presumably in the epigastric furrow). Te internal genitalia lack the backward-directed, more or less strongly sinuous duct typical of Ischnothyreus and Camptoscaphiella . Te abdominal scuta in both sexes are less heavily sclerotized than in those two genera.

DESCRIPTION: Male: CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace pale orange, without any pattern, broadly oval in dorsal view, anteriorly narrowed to 0.49 × its maximum width or less, with rounded posterolateral corners, posterolateral edge without pits, posterior margin not bulging below posterior rim, anterolateral corners without extension or projections, posterolateral surface without spikes, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica smooth, thorax without depressions, fovea absent, without radiating rows of pits; lateral margin straight, smooth, without denticles; plumose setae near posterior margin of pars thoracica absent; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae light, needlelike; marginal setae absent. Clypeus margin unmodified, vertical in lateral view, low, ALE separated from edge of carapace by less than their radius, median projection absent. Chilum absent. Six eyes, well developed, all subequal; posterior eye row procurved from front, straight or procurved from above; ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching throughout most of their length. Sternum pale orange, uniform, not fused to carapace, median concavity absent, without radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV. Surface smooth, without pits, microsculpture absent, sickle-shaped structures absent, anterior margin unmodified, anterior corner unmodified, distance between coxae approximately equal, extensions of precoxal triangles present, lateral margins with narrow extensions between coxae, without posterior hump; sternum posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV, lateral margin without infracoxal grooves; setae sparse, light, needlelike, evenly scattered, originating from surface, without hair tufts. Mouthparts: Chelicerae, endites, and labium pale orange. Chelicerae straight, anterior face unmodified; without teeth on both promargin and retromargin; without toothlike projections, directed posteriorly, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified; setae needlelike, evenly scattered; paturon inner margin with pairs of enlarged setae, distal region unmodified, posterior surface unmodified, promargin unmodified, inner margin unmodified. Labium not fused to sternum, quadrangular, broader than long, with anterior margin indented at middle, same as sternum in sclerotization; subdistal portion with unmodified setae. Endites distally not excavated, anteromedian tip unmodified, posteromedian part unmodified, same as sternum in sclerotization. ABDOMEN: Ovoid, without long posterior extension, rounded posteriorly; dorsum soft portions without color pattern. Book lung covers large, elliptical, without setae, anterolateral edge unmodified. Posterior spiracles not connected by groove. Pedicel tube short, unmodified, scuto-pedicel region unmodified, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel, plumose hairs absent, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area absent, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel absent. Dorsal scutum weakly sclerotized, pale orange, without color pattern, more than ½ to most of abdomen width, middle surface smooth, sides smooth, anterior half without projecting denticles. Epigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, surrounding pedicel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent. Postepigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, pale orange, covering about ½ of abdominal length, fused to epigastric scutum, anterior margin unmodified, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes. Spinneret scutum absent. Supraanal scutum absent. Dorsum setae present, light, needlelike. Epigastric area setae uniform, light, needlelike. Postepigastric area setae present, light, needlelike. Dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent. Interscutal membrane with setae. Colulus represented only by setae. LEGS: Without color pattern; femur IV not thickened, same size as femora I–III, patella plus tibia I near as long as carapace, tibia I unmodified, tibia IV specialized hairs on ventral apex absent, tibia IV ventral scopula absent, metatarsi I and II mesoapical comb absent, metatarsi III and IV weak ventral scopula absent. Leg spines present. Tarsi I–IV without inferior claw, tarsi III and IV with a pair of clawlike setae (except in A. kataragama ). GENITALIA: Epigastric region with sperm pore circular, unmodified; furrow without omega-shaped insertions. Palp normal size, lightly sclerotized, right and left palps symmetrical; embolus light, prolateral excavation absent; trochanter normal size, unmodified; femur normal size, two or more times as long as trochanter, without posteriorly rounded lateral dilation, attaching to patella basally; patella shorter than femur, not enlarged, setae unmodified; tibia trichobothria not examined; cymbium pale white, completely fused with bulb, no seam visible; bulb white, 1.0 to 1.5 times as long as cymbium.

Female: As in male except as noted. CEPHALOTHORAX: Clypeus setae absent. Female palp tarsus unmodified. ABDOMEN: Epigastric scutum without lateral joints, dorsal scutum usually shorter than in males. Spinneret scutum with fringe of needlelike setae. GENITALIA: Anterior margin of postepigastric scutum with a procurved chitinized ridge. Field in front snow white, in the middle an anteriorly directed element (visible through cuticle only in A. vestigator ) with variable length that is probably homologous to the anterior receptacle of other dysderoids, with a thin lumen, a widened anterior tip, and two pairs of muscles, one forwardly directed and other posterolaterally directed, connecting with the lateral sclerotized endings of the procurved epigynal ridge. Laterally to this ridge, two posteriorly directed internal apodemes. Te posterior part of the internal genitalia consists of a relatively large, slightly sclerotized posterior receptacle (at least in A. vestigator ).

RELATIONSHIPS: In addition to the above similarities with Ischnothyreus and Camptoscaphiella , there is an additional character, present, to our knowledge, only in Aprusia , Ischnothyreus , and an undescribed new genus from Madagascar (D. Ubick, personal commun.): a pair of special setae with hooked and unbarbed tip (similar to claws) between the normal claws on the tarsi III and IV (figs. 56–66). Tis feature is absent in A. kataragama and also apparently in Camposcaphiella, although more studies are needed for a better understanding of the distribution of this striking (and potentially synapomorphic) character.

DISTRIBUTION: Aprusia has been found in Sri Lanka and southern India. Te known records of this genus seem to correspond to the Western Ghats– Sri Lanka hotspot of biodiversity, where it would be an endemic. However, the unity of the two components of that region (southwest of mainland India, on the one hand, and Sri Lanka, on the other) has recently been questioned (see, for example, Bossuyt et al., 2004; Gunawardene et al., 2007).

Aprusia strenuus Simon, 1893 Figures 1–5 , 67

Aprusia strenuus Simon, 1893a: 295 . Two immature syntypes specimens from Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, ca. N 6°58′, E 80°47′ (deposited in MNHN 1502 , examined).

REMARKS: Because of the immature condition of the type species, we cannot dismiss the possibility that any of the three species from Sri Lanka described below might be conspecific with A. strenuus . However, we prefer to await the discovery of topotypical specimens (at high elevation, around 1800 m, at Nuwara Eliya) for a definitive conclusion (all other Sri Lankan species came from low altitudes, 600 m for Kandy or lower).

DESCRIPTION: Immature syntype (PBI_OON 6256). Total length 1.89. CEPHALOTHO- RAX: Carapace whitish, broadly oval in dorsal view (fig. 1), pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view (fig. 5), with angular posterolateral corners, sides smooth; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae lost; nonmarginal pars thoracica setae lost; marginal setae lost. Clypeus straight in front view (fig. 4), vertical in lateral view; setae lost. Eyes all subequal, all eyes oval; posterior eye row straight from front (fig. 4); ALE separated by their radius to diameter, ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius, PME touching, PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum longer than wide, white, lateral margins unmodified. Mouthparts: Chelicerae, endites, and labium white. Chelicerae slightly divergent; promargin without teeth; setae lost. Labium setae lost. Endites serrula absent. ABDOMEN: Book lung covers elliptical. Dorsal scutum absent (fig. 1). Epigastric scutum absent. Postepigastric scutum absent. Abdomen setae lost. LEGS: Leg spination (only surfaces bearing spines listed, all spines longer than segment width): femora, I p0-0-2; tibiae, I p2-0-2; r2-0-2; II v3-0-3; metatarsi, I p1-0-1;

r1-0-1; II v2-0-2 (fig. 3). Tarsi I–IV superior claws tooth not examined. Trichobothria not examined. GENITALIA: No genital structures visible.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: SRI LANKA: Central Province: Nuwara Eliya , 2 immatures syntypes ( MNHN AR 1502 , PBI _ OON 6256 ) .

Figures

FIGS. 1–5. Aprusia strenuus Simon, immature syntype (PBI_OON 06256). 1, habitus dorsal; 2, same, ventral; 3, right leg I, prolateral; 4, carapace, anterior; 5, same, lateral. Total length of the specimen = 1.89.

FIG. 67. Geographic distribution of Aprusia spp. Sri Lanka: 1,