Aprusia vestigator (Simon, 1893) Grismado & Deeleman & Baehr, 2011

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 : 7-11

Aprusia vestigator (Simon, 1893) , new combination

Figures 6–21 , 64–65 , 67

Ischnothyreus vestigator Simon, 1893b: 302 . Male holotype from Kandy , Sri Lanka, ca. N 7°15′, E 80°43′. Lost.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of A. vestigator differ from those of A. kataragama in having the relatively shorter copulatory bulb (fig. 20), and from those of A. kerala by their small size and by lacking the small conductor along the embolus (males of A. veddah are still unknown). Females can be recognized by the bracket-shaped sclerotized lines on both sides of the epigastric openings and by the longer anterior receptacle (figs. 19, 21). Both sexes have the sternum as long as wide (figs. 10, 17).

DESCRIPTION: Male (PBI_OON 15036). Total length 1.82. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace: Pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view (fig. 12), sides smooth; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae present, scattered; nonmarginal pars thoracica setae absent. Clypeus straight in front view; setae absent (fig. 11). Eyes (figs. 9, 11): All eyes circular; posterior eye row procurved from above; ALE separated by less than their radius, PLE-PME touching. Sternum as long as wide. Mouthparts: Labium wide, with a broad anterior indentation; two subdistal normal setae. ABDOMEN: Dorsum soft portions pale white. Dorsal scutum covering ½ to ¾ of abdomen, not fused to epigastric scutum (fig. 6). Postepigastric scutum long, almost rectangular (fig. 7). LEGS: White. Leg spination (only surfaces bearing spines listed, all spines longer than segment width): leg I: femur, pv0-0-1-1-1-1; rv0-1-1; tibia, v2-2-2-2-2-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg II: femur, pv0-0-0-1-1; rv1-1-1; tibia, v2-2-2-2-2-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg III: tibia, v1ap; metatarsus, v1ap. Tarsi I–IV superior claws tooth not examined in detail. Trichobothria not examined. GENITALIA: Epigastric region with sperm pore small, situated at level of anterior spiracles. Palp proximal segments white; embolus small, nearly straight; cymbium with distal patch of setae; bulb stout, tapering apically, with a ventral concavity (fig. 20).

Female (PBI_OON 12914). Total length 2.20. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace yellow whitish, pyriform in dorsal view (fig. 13), pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view (fig. 15), with rounded posterolateral corners; lateral margin slightly undulate; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae present, scattered; nonmarginal pars thoracica setae light, needlelike; marginal setae light, needlelike. Clypeus straight in front view (fig. 18), sloping forward in lateral view. Eyes (figs. 16, 18) all subequal, all eyes circular; posterior eye row procurved from front; ALE touching, ALE-PLE touching, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME touching. Sternum as long as wide, white, lateral margins unmodified; setae abundant, dark, originating from small pits. Mouthparts: Chelicerae, endites, and labium white. Chelicerae straight; promargin with one tooth. Labium wide, with a procurved indentation. Endites: Serrula present in single row. Female palp: Claws absent; spines present; spines: patella, d0-1-0; p0-1-2; tibia, d2-0-1; p0-1-0; tarsus, v2-2-2. ABDOMEN: Book lung covers round. Posterior spiracles not connected by groove. Pedicel scutum not extending far dorsal of pedicel. Dorsal scutum weakly sclerotized, pale, without color pattern, covering about ½ of abdomen, more than ½ to most of abdomen width, not fused to epigastric scutum, middle surface smooth, sides smooth, anterior half without projecting denticles (figs. 13, 15). Epigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, surrounding pedicel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent. Postepigastric scutum weakly sclerotized, pale orange, widely hexagonal, only around epigastric furrow, not fused to epigastric scutum, anterior margin unmodified (fig. 19). Colulus present. LEGS: Patella plus tibia I longer than carapace. Leg spination (only surfaces bearing spines listed, all spines longer than segment width): leg I: femur, pv0-0-1-1-1-1; rv0-1-1; tibia, v2-2-2-2-2-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg II: femur, pv0-0-1-1; rv0-1-1; tibia, v2-2-2-2-2-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg III: patella, d2; tibia, dp1-1; dr1-1; v1-1ap; metatarsus, dp1-1; dr1; leg IV: patella, d2; tibia, d2-2; v1-1; metatarsus, p0-1; r0-1. Tarsi I–IV superior claws tooth not examined in detail. Trichobothria not examined. GENITALIA (figs. 19, 21): Ventral view: anterior margin of postepigastric scutum with a procurved chitinized ridge. Field in front snow white, with in the middle a very long straight anteriorly directed element, slightly longer than the spanning width of the arched ridge, extending underneath the epigastric scutum (visible by transparence). Tis element is probably homologous to the anterior receptacle of other dysderoids, it has a thin lumen, a widened anterior tip and two pairs of muscles, one directed forward and the other posterolaterally directed, connecting with the lateral sclerotized endings of the procurved epigynal ridge. Laterally to this ridge, bracket-shaped sclerotized lines, corresponding to the posteriorly directed internal apodemes. Te posterior part of the internal genitalia consists of a relatively large, slightly sclerotized posterior receptacle.

REMARKS: Although the male type specimen of Ischnothyreus vestigator is presumably lost (it could not be found in the MNHN), we attribute the specimens collected from the type locality to this species; in all major respects, they match Simon’s (1893b) description. Tese specimens, however, do not match the genus Ischnothyreus by the bulb completely fused to the cymbium (“ pedes maxillares palli luridi […] tarso bulboque inter se coalitis …”; Simon, 1893b). We here transfer this species to Aprusia .

Although two species of Aprusia were collected at Kandy, we ascribe the larger specimens to A. vestigator , as the female is larger than the other species, A. veddah , and by the presence of four macrosetae on the prolateral side of the first femora (“femoribus anticis intus aculeis longis, 4…”; Simon, 1893b) rather three, as in A. veddah .

MATERIAL EXAMINED: SRI LANKA: Central Province: Kandy , ca. N 7°15′, E 80°43′, secondary forest, leaf litter, 600 m, 7–11 Aug. 1981, C.L. Deeleman and P . R. Deeleman, 1 ♀ ( RMNH, PBI _OON 12914); same locality and collectors, Aug. 18, 1981, 1♂ ( RMNH, PBI _

OON 12915 ). Sabaragamuwa Province: Ratnapura: Sinharaja , ca. N 6°24′, E 80°30′, 400 m, Aug. 20, 1981, C.L. Deeleman and P. R. Deeleman, 1 ♂ ( RMNH PB I_OON 15036) .

Figures

FIGS. 6–12. Aprusia vestigator (Simon), male (PBI_OON 15036). 6–8, habitus (6, dorsal, 7, ventral, 8, lateral); 9–12, cephalothorax (9, dorsal, 10, ventral, 11, anterior, 12, lateral).

FIG. 13–19. Aprusia vestigator (Simon), female (PBI_OON 12914). 13–15, habitus (13, dorsal, 14, ventral, 15, lateral); 16–18, cephalothorax (16, dorsal, 17, ventral, 18, anterior); 19, epigastric area, ventral.

FIG. 20–21. Aprusia vestigator (Simon), genitalia. 20, male (PBI_OON 15036), left palp, retrolateral; 21, female (PBI_OON 12914), vulva, cleared, ventral. Abbreviations: ar = anterior receptaculum, e = embolus, la = lateral apodeme, pr = posterior receptaculum, ss = semicircular sclerotizations.

FIGS. 56–66. Morphology of the tarsi of Aprusia spp. 56–61, A. kerala, male, 62, A. kataragama, male; 63, A. kataragama, female; 64, A. vestigator, male; 65, A. vestigator, female; 66, A. veddah, female; 56 = tarsus I, 57 = II, 58, 65 = III, 59–63, 66 = IV. 61 = detail of the clawlike seta. Arrows = clawlike setae. Scale bars: 56–59, 62–66 = 0.05 mm; 60 = 20 µm; 61 = 10 µm.

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