Vytfutia labalaba Griswold, 2022

Griswold, Charles E., 2022, The Lace Web Spider Genus Vytfutia Deeleman-Reinhold (Araneae, Phyxelididae) in the Indo-Pacific Region, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67 (14), pp. 329-355 : 338-339

Vytfutia labalaba Griswold , new species

Figures 1–13 , 26–44 , 58, 59 , 62

Types: Holotype male and paratype female collected on the wall of a building at 1550 m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu , Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia, by P. Zbarowski, 2–8 April 1990, deposited in Naturalis, Leiden.

Etymology: From a Malay word for spider, labah-labah; a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: Males with palpal tibia having a short subapical cuspule ( Figs. 37, 38 ), embolus long, curved, arises at base of bulb (near 6 o’clock), median apophysis flattened, with spoonshaped apex ( Figs. 36, 37 ); females with epigynum with copulatory opening rims oblique, converging anteriorly, posterior margin slightly concave ( Figs. 39 , 41 ), vulva simple, with paired lobes laterad of copulatory openings ( Figs. 40 , 42 ); thoracic fovea linear ( Fig. 34 ).

Male (holotype): Total length 2.40. Markings as in Figs. 26–30 ; carapace orange-brown, darker on ocular area; chelicerae, labium and palpal coxae dark brown, sternum brown, coxae, trochanters, leg femora and palpal femur-tibia pale yellow, remainder of legs yellow-brown; palpal tibia and cymbium dark brown; abdomen pale grey with anterodorsal dark brown cardiac mark ( Fig. 27 ), sides and venter speckled with brown, dark brown anterior to epigastric furrow and around spinnerets ( Fig. 28 ). Carapace 1.26 long, 0.95 wide, 0.42 high; clypeus 0.07 high, height 1.20 times AM diameter; ocular area 0.18 long, 0.45 wide, PER strongly recurved, OAL equals OQL; ratio of eyes AM:AL: PM: PL, 1.00:1.33:1.33:1.42, diameter of PM 0.08; AM-AM 0.70 AM diameter, AM-AL 0.50 AM; PM-PM and PM-PL equal PM diameter; AL-PL 0.18 PL. Chelicerae 0.50 long; sternum 0.76 long, 0.54 wide; labium 0.20 long, 0.21 wide; palpal coxae 0.38 long, 0.20 wide. Legs with typical spination; femur I length 1.25 times carapace width; metatarsus I as in Figs. 58, 59 , clasping spine extends beyond median spur, spur long, length greater than 1/3 segment width. Leg measurements: I: 1.19 + 0.47 + 1.12 + 1.06 + 0.59 = [4.43]; II: 1.09 + 0.44 + 0.87 + 0.87 + 0.53 = [3.80]; III: 1.00 + 0.44 + 0.69 + 0.81 + 0.47 = [3.41]; IV: 1.16 + 0.47 + 0.91 + 0.94 + 0.47 = [3.95]; palp: 0.69 + 0.16 + 0.34 + na + 0.50 = [1.69]. Palpal tibia length 2/3 cymbial length, RTA broad, apically concave, RTA length 1/4 tibia length, DTA length also 1/4 tibia length, narrow, with sharply pointed apex ( Fig. 38 ); cymbium tapering with conical proximobasal paracymbium; tegulum with MA origin subbasal, distance to tegular base 0.19 tegular length, MA large, length 0.77 that of tegulum, oval, length five times width, margins smooth and apex expanded ( Fig. 36 ), apex concave on bulb side ( Fig. 37 ); base of conductor broad, fleshy, tapering to pointed apex; embolus convex, unmodified, gradually tapering to pointed apex. Female (paratype): Total length 3.25. Markings as in Figs. 1–13 , 31–35 , as in male except carapace and mouthparts darker ( Figs. 33–35 ) and dorsal cardiac mark on abdomen broken into several parts, extending for whole length of abdomen ( Fig. 31 ). Carapace 1.39 long, 1.03 wide, 0.55 high; clypeus 0.09 high, height 1.70 times AM diameter; ocular area 0.18 long, 0.52 wide, OAL equals OQL; ratio of eyes AM:AL: PM: PL, 1.00:1.10:1.60:1.40, diameter of PM 0.08; AM-AM 1.28 times AM diameter, AM-AL 1.365 times AM; PM-PM 0.73 PM, PM-PL 1.50 times PM; AL-PL 0.17 times PL. Chelicerae 0.59 long; sternum 0.82 long, 0.61 wide; labium 0.21 long, 0.24 wide; palpal coxae 0.41 long, 0.23 wide. Femur I length 1.48 times carapace width. Legs with typical spination. Leg measurements: I: 1.53 + 0.59 + 1.28 + 1.16 + 0.69 = [5.25]; II: 1.25 + 0.47 + 0.94 + 0.94 + 0.59 = [4.19]; III: 1.19 + 0.50 + 0.78 + 0.78 + 0.47 = [3.72]; IV: 1.16 + 0.56 + 0.97 + 0.94 + 0.56 = [4.19]; palp: 0.62 + 0.31 + 0.44 + na + 0.59 = [1.96]. Epigynum as in Figs. 39 , 41 , vulva as in Figs. 40 , 42–44 , with lateral double lobes that have proximal HS pores ( Fig. 44 ) and a distal BG pore ( Fig. 43 ).

Natural History: The holotype and paratype were collected on the wall of a building at Kinabalu Park headquarters, elevation 1550m. The collecting labels state “in ridges…outer wall bungalow” and “webbe als Amaurobius simiis ”. This suggests that this species builds a cribellate appressed sheet or funnel on objects that offer space for a retreat, as is typical of many Phyxelididae and Titanoecidae . The elevation of the type locality suggests that surrounding vegetation is lower montane rainforest.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality on Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo ( Fig. 62 ).

Material Examined: Only the holotype male and paratype female from Mt. Kinabalu , Malaysia, in Naturalis, Leiden .

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, CASENT9023842, female, morphology photos. 1. Cephalothorax, anterior, showing chelicerae and palps. 2. PME, dorsal, showing canoe-shaped tapeta. 3. ALE and PLE, lateral, showing canoe-shaped tapeta. 4. Cephalothorax, anterior, showing AER, clypeus and chilum. 5. Trochanter I. 6. Trochanter IV. 7. Posterior margin of carapace and pedicel, dorsal. 8. Left metatarsus IV, retrolateral, showing calamistrum. 9. Left palp, prolateral, arrows to probasal thorns. 10. Left leg I, prolateral. 11. Left leg IV, retrolateral. Scale bars, 1, 8, 9, 10, 11 = 0.5 mm, 2, 3, 4 = 0.25 mm, 5, 6, 7 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 12–14. Spinnerets of female Phyxelididae. 12, 13. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, CASENT9023842. 14. Ambohima ranohira Griswold, Wood and Carmichael, 2012, Ranohira, Madagascar, CASENT9019986. 12, 14. Ventral. 13. Lateral. Arrow and inset in 14 to stout, curved apicodorsal seta, which occurs in Phyxelidini and Vidoleini but not in Vytfutiini. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 26–30. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Holotype male, Mt. Kinabalu, CASENT9023842, habitus photos. 26. Carapace, dorsal. 27. Dorsal. 28. Ventral. 29. Cephalothorax, ventral. 30. Lateral. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 31–35. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, CASENT9023842, female, habitus photos. 31. Dorsal. 32. Ventral. 33. Cephalothorax, ventral. 34. Cephalothorax, dorsal. 35. Cephalothorax, lateral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 36–40. Vytfutia labalaba new species, genitalia-drawings, Holotype male and paratype female collected on the wall of a building at 1550 m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia, CASENT9023842. 36–38. Male left palp, tibia and tarsus. 36. Ventral. 37. Retrolateral. 38. Dorsal. 39, 40. Female genitalia. 39. Epigynum, ventral. 40. Vulva, dorsal.

FIGURES 41–44. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo, CASENT9023842, female genitalia, scanning electron micrographs (SEM). 41. Epigynum, ventral. 42. Vulva, dorsal. 43. Bennet’s gland pore (BG), left. 44. Pores of spermathecal head (HS), left. Scale bars, 41 = 100µm, 42 = 30µm, 43, 44 = 10µm.

FIGURES 56–61. Vytfutia spp., male leg I with clasping modification of metatarsus. 56, 58, 61. Dorsal. 57, 59, 60. Retrolateral. 56, 57. Vytfutia bedel Deeleman-Reinhold, 1986, Holotype male from Gunung Leuser, border of National Park at Bohorok in primary rainforest, N. Sumatra, Indonesia, left. 58, 59. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Holotype male from the wall of a building at 1550m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia, CASENT9023842, right. 60, 61. Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989, male paratype from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia, right. Scale bar = 1mm.

FIGURE 62. Vytfutia spp. Distributions on map of Eurasia and Australasia. Filled circle. Vytfutia bedel Deeleman-Reinhold, 1986, Holotype male from Gunung Leuser, border of National Park at Bohorok in primary rainforest, N. Sumatra, Indonesia. Triangle. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Holotype male from the wall of a building at 1550m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia. Diamond. Vytfutia halandrefana new species, Madagascar. Star. Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989, male paratype from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia.