Piranthus api Maddison, sp. nov.

Maddison, Wayne P., Beattie, Imara, Marathe, Kiran, Ng, Paul Y. C., Kanesharatnam, Nilani, Benjamin, Suresh P. & Kunte, Krushnamegh, 2020, A phylogenetic and taxonomic review of baviine jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae, Baviini), ZooKeys 1004, pp. 27-97 : 27

Piranthus api Maddison, sp. nov. Figs 229-236

Type material.

Holotype female (specimen AS19.3205), in LKCNHM, from Singapore: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, near Visitor Centre, 1.440°N, 103.734°E, 19 June 2019 Maddison/Marathe/Morehouse/et al. WPM#19-064.

Etymology.

From the Malay word, " Piranthus api ", meaning “fire”, referring to the colour. Other names: In WPM’s field or lab notebooks the informal code for this species was “PIORG”.

Diagnosis.

A distinctively narrow species with bright red-orange legs.

Description.

Female (holotype, specimen AS19.3205). Carapace length 3.0; abdomen length 3.5. Carapace narrow and low, orange-red-brown with central black area covering ocular area and medial part of thorax (Figs 229 , 233 ). Clypeus black. Chelicerae short and vertical, dark. Legs red-orange except for black patella and tibia of first legs. Abdomen dark brown above, with median longitudinal paler band that in alcohol appears as to uneven parallel cream bands, extending backward until the black end of the abdomen. Epigyne (Fig. 235 ) with medial septum and a small medial ECP.

Natural history.

The two specimens were both found deep within large grass tussocks overhanging a moist ditch. A video of the living holotype is available in Maddison (2020).

Additional material examined.

A second female (specimen AS19.3217, in UBCZ), raised in captivity, same data as the holotype.

Figures

Figures 229 - 236. Piranthus api sp. nov., female holotype (specimen AS 19.3205) 229 - 234 body 235 epigyne, ventral 236 vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: on epigyne 0.1 mm; on body 1.0 mm.