Glenognatha paullula, Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian, 2020

Sankaran, Pradeep M., Caleb, John T. D. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2020, A new Indian species of the orb-weaving spider genus Glenognatha Simon, 1887 with a new combination and a new synonymy of Tylorida marmorea (Pocock, 1901) (Araneae, Tetragnathinae), Zootaxa 4808 (1), pp. 196-200 : 197-198

Glenognatha paullula new species ( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type material. Holotypemale ( ADSH1048 ), INDIA: Kerala: Malappuram: Akambadam , 11 o 18’37.42’’N, 76 o 12’31.68’’E, 41 m alt., 23 August 2013, M.S. Pradeep leg., from litter, by hand. Paratypes: 2 males ( ADSH1049 ), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific epithet, from the Latin word for little (paullulus), is an adjective and refers to the short distal part of the embolus of the new species ( Fig. 1G ).

Diagnosis. Males of G. paullula n. sp. are most similar to those of the neotropical species Glenognatha gaujoni Simon, 1895 , but can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of features: chelicerae lack ectal apophysis (present in G. gaujoni ), broad paracymbium (narrow in G. gaujoni ), paracymbium with a prominent medio-prolateral process (absent in G. gaujoni ) and distal part of cymbium shorter than conductor and embolus (distal part of cymbium as long as conductor and embolus in G. gaujoni ) (compare Fig. 1 C–I with Cabra-García & Brescovit 2016: fig. 52E–H).

Description. Male (holotype, Fig. 1 A–B, E). Overall pale yellow. Dorsal opisthosoma with a dark folium; laterals mottled with a few silvery spots. Eyes on black tubercles; lateral eyes contiguous. Chelicerae long, distally diverged, with a short, blunt prolateral spur at tip ( Fig. 1E , arrow); promargin with three (apical, median and basal), retromargin with two basal teeth, promarginal teeth wide apart, median and basal promarginal teeth largest, basal three teeth lie close together ( Fig. 1E ). Fangs strong, curved with a proximo-retrolateral triangular cheliceral fang outgrowth ( Fig. 1E ; CFO). All the leg segments except patellae without spines. All patellae with paired dorsal spines. Body length 1.97. Prosoma length 0.96, width 0.71. Opisthosoma length 1.01, width 0.77. Eyes diameter: ALE 0.06. AME 0.08. PLE 0.05. PME 0.09. Eye interdistance: AME–ALE 0.07. AME–AME 0.10. AME–PME 0.06. PME–PLE 0.07. PME–PME 0.14. Clypeus height at ALEs 0.08, at AMEs 0.09. Length of chelicerae 0.57. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: Pedipalp 1.10 [0.36, 0.11, 0.12, 0.51], I 5.24 [1.38, 0.32, 1.44, 1.28, 0.82], II 4.48 [1.23, 0.31, 1.19, 1.07, 0.68], III 2.77 [0.87, 0.23, 0.62, 0.61, 0.44], IV 3.70 [1.18, 0.24, 0.92, 0.85, 0.51]. Leg formula: 1243. Pedipalp ( Fig. 1 C–D, F–I): Paracymbium long, rectangular in retrolateral view, with distal setae ( Fig. 1D ), with a medio-prolateral process ( Fig. 1D , H–I; P, mpP). Cymbium setaceous, with broad base, narrowing towards tip, with apical excavation, partially wrapping the distal and proximal parts of embolus and conductor respectively ( Fig. 1 C–D, F–I; Cy). Embolus long, broad at base, distal 1/4 th thin, with short, narrow angular tip ( Fig. 1 C–D, F–I; E). Conductor broad at base, with prolaterally extended conductor retrolateral apophysis, wrapping the distal part of embolus prolaterally ( Fig. 1C , F–G; C; CRa).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 2 ).

Note. Placement in Glenognatha was based on the description of the genus provided by Cabra-García and Brescovit (2016): distal part of paracymbium oriented in opposite direction to the cymbium in retrolateral view, conductor with folded retrolateral apophysis and embolus with a median groove in its basal portion ( Fig. 1C , F–H).

Figures

FIGURE 1A–I. Glenognatha paullula n. sp. A, Holotype male habitus, dorsal. B, Same, retrolateral. E, Left chelicera of the same, prolateral. C–D, F–I Left pedipalp of the same: C, F prolateral; G, ventral; D, H, retrolateral; I dorsal. Abbreviations: C, conductor; Cy, cymbium, CRa, conductor retrolateral apophysis; CFO, cheliceral fang outgrowth; E, embolus; mpP, medio-prolateral process of paracymbium; P, paracymbium; T, tegulum. Scale bars: A–B, 1 mm; C–I, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 2. Collecting locality of Glenognatha paullula n. sp.