Paratus reticulatus, Simon

Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa, 2001, Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Liocranidae, Gnaphosidae, Prodidomidae and Trochanteriidae)., Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders- Family Liocranidae, Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Leiden; Boston; Köln, pp. 400-505 : 401-403

Paratus reticulatus Simon ( figs 628-632 )

Paratus reticulatus Simon, 1898: 209, no figures, ♀, Sri Lanka, Kandy.

Old material studied. — The type, no 18261 in the Simon collection, was believed lost. I owe Rudy Jocqué the rediscovery of that specimen. He traced it in the collection, labelled as “ Saticula reticulata, Kandy ”. No spider has been described under that name. The specimen agrees with the orginal description of Paratus reticulatus .

Diagnosis.— A squat spider with high, almost round carapace which strongly narrows in front. The leg lengths are uniform, the anterior tibiae and metatarsi bear several pairs of strong ventral spines and some lateral spines. The abdomen is almost globular. Paratus is distinguished from the European Liocranum and related European genera by the absence of the retrocoxal window. The genus is probably endemic to Sri Lanka.

Description of the type. — Total length 2.85 mm. Carapace length 1.25 mm, width 1.20 mm, height 0.60 at the level of coxa III, head width 0.60 mm, eye group width 0.50 mm; abdomen 1.75 mm long, 1.50 mm wide, epigyne 0.2 mm wide. Leg lengths: leg I or II 3.45 mm (two similar anterior legs detached) 1.10-1.25-0.70-0.40), leg III 3.65 mm (1.10-1.30- 0.80-0.45), leg IV 3.85 mm (1.15-1.25-1.00-0.45), palp 0.40-0.20-0.25- 0.35 mm. Pale yellow spider with a dark pattern on the carapace ( figs 628-630 ) and three dark rings on all femora, rest of legs pale; abdomen with several longitudinal rows of dark roundish spots. Thoracic groove long and well developed. Eyes equal in size, AER straight, anterior eyes separated by less than their d, PER procurved and slightly longer than AER, distance posterior eyes equal to their d; ALE and PLE juxtaposed. Clypeus 1 d AME or less. Chilum obsolete. Chelicerae ( fig. 631 ) with three widely spaced teeth on the promargin, the most distal near the base of the fang, and 4 on the retromargin, the two most distal ones very small; seta which originates closest to base of fang greatly elongated, bent at a right angle just beyond its origin, with feathery margins. Endites parallel, barely 2 times longer than wide. Labium a little wider than long. Sternum almost round, broadly truncate between coxae IV. Femora I-IV with 0-1 large spine dorsally and 1 or 2 apically, anterior femora with 0-0-1 pi; patellae III and IV with a small dorsal spine only; anterior tibia with 2-2-2- 2-2v, strong spines and 0-0-1 pi, 0-0-1 rl, tibia III with 1-0d, 0-1 pi, 0-1 rl, tibia IV with 1- 0d, 0-1-0v, 0-1 p1 and 0-1 rl, anterior metatarsi with 2-2-2v strong spines and 1-1pl and 1- 1 rl, metatarsus III 1-1v, 1-1pl, 1-1 rl, metatarsus IV l-2v, 1-1pl, 1-1rl; tarsal tufts feeble, tarsal claws with few or no teeth. Palpal tarsus slightly swollen. Abdomen ( figs 628-630 ) subglobular, spotted, no colulus. Epigyne ( fig. 632 ) with a pair of round spermathecae near the epigastric fold, on the surface a pair of dark spots (openings?). MALE unknown.

Distribution. — Only known from the type specimen.

Figures

Figs 628 - 632. Paratus reticulatus Female holotype. 628. Habitus, dorsal. 629. Ventral. 630. Lat­ eral. 631. Left chelicer, ventral. 632. Epigyne.