Crossopriza srinagar, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 185-189

Crossopriza srinagar sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A0DF1162-C8E6-457B-B627-028E156551C6

Figs 353A , 745–764

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by details of male palp ( Figs 749, 752 ; long and slender procursus slightly curved towards ventral; distal bulbal sclerite with prominent ventral process and distinctive set of prolateral apophyses; palp similar to C. parsa sp. nov.), by male chelicerae ( Figs 750–751 ; median pair of apophyses in rather lateral position, lateral pair accompanied by additional proximal pair of humps), and by epigynum ( Fig. 758 ; relatively long, with pair of large pockets).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype INDIA – Jammu and Kashmir • ♂; Srinagar ; 34.10° N, 74.80° E; 1800 m a.s.l.; 3 Sep.1962; E. Kullmann leg.; ZFMK Ar 22449.

Other material examined

INDIA – Jammu and Kashmir • 1 ♀, 1 juv.; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 22450 .

Assigned tentatively (see description of female below)

PAKISTAN – Islamabad Capital Territory • 1 ♀; “N env. of Islamabad, National Park”; 33.75° N, 73.06° E; 800 m a.s.l.; 10 Jul. 2003; S.V. Ovchinnikov leg.; ZMMU . – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa • 1 ♀; 7 km NE of Gobor-o-Bakh [Gobor Bakth]; 36.117° N, 71.383° E; 1 Aug. 2004; S.V. Ovchinnikov leg.; ZMMU .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.4, carapace width 1.4. Distance PME–PME 115 µm; diameter PME 100 ×110 µm; distance PME–ALE 50 µm; diameter AME 90 µm; distance AME–AME 40 µm. Leg 1: 29.0 (8.4 + 0.6 + 7.8 + 10.2 + 2.0), tibia 2: 5.3, tibia 3: 3.8, tibia 4: 4.4; tibia 1 L/d: 52; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.25, 0.20, 0.19, 0.21.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow, anteriorly in median pit and posterior triangle light brown; sternum brown with dark brown radial marks; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with black lines on femora and tibiae; abdomen pale gray, with some dark marks dorsally and laterally; ventrally with broken dark band, with two dark parallel longitudinal marks behind gonopore and lighter brown mark medially.

BODY. Habitus similar to C. sahtan sp. nov. (cf. Fig. 391 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, only rim slightly more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (1.05/0.70), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, dorso-posteriorly slightly angular.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 750–751 , with three pairs of processes: lateral apophyses slightly sculptured; indistinct frontal lateral humps (arrows in Figs 750–751 ); and large frontal medial processes, each with one large modified hair at tip; distance between tips of modified hairs 270 µm; lateral stridulatory ridges fine but visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As in Figs 745–747 ; coxa with rounded retrolateral hump; trochanter barely modified; femur short, distally strongly widened, with rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick, with weak retrolateral transversal line, without retrolateral proximal process; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia-tarsus joints shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 748–749 ) long and slender, slightly curved towards ventral, narrowing distally, with low prolateral hump proximally set with many hairs, long dorsal hairs mostly straight, only 2–3 hairs weakly curved, procursus tip simple, with long ventral sclerite, prolateral-dorsal sclerite, and two small retrolateral sclerotized elements; genital bulb ( Figs 752–754 ) with simple basal sclerite connected to distal (main) sclerite, sperm duct opening not seen; distal sclerite with retrolateral ridge, with distinctive set of two large prolateral apophyses and small ridge leading to prominent ventral process.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~18 ventral spines; without curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 4.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments indistinct/irregular except 1–2 at tip.

Female

In general similar to male but without spines on legs, apparently without stridulatory files on chelicerae, and with stridulatory organ consisting of pair of weakly sclerotized but distinct processes posteriorly on carapace and pair of small but distinct light brown plates anteriorly on abdomen. Tibia 1 in female from type locality: 7.7. Epigynum as in Figs 757–758 ; main epigynal plate almost as long as wide, weakly protruding, with pair of large dark pockets (distance ~200 µm), anteriorly with light brown median part and ochre-whitish lateral parts, internal median structure visible in uncleared specimens; posterior plate brown, short but wide. Internal genitalia ( Figs 755–756 , 763–764 ) with large elongate pore plates slightly narrowing and converging anteriorly, dorsal arc with modified central area and widening laterally, ventral arc also with median modification, with indistinct ventral pocket (visible in lateral view only).

The two females from Pakistan have very similar but also slightly deviating epigyna; they are therefore assigned tentatively. Female from Islamabad with more evenly sclerotized anterior epigynal plate and pockets closer together ( Figs 759–760 ; distance ~95 µm); tibia 1: 4.5. Female from 7 km NE Gobor-o- Bakh with relatively (and absolutely) wider anterior epigynal plate ( Figs 761–762 ); distance between pockets ~200 µm; tibia 1: 5.6.

Distribution

Known from northern India (Jammu and Kashmir) and from specimens assigned tentatively from Pakistan (Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) ( Fig. 353A ).

Figures

Fig. 353. Known distribution of Crossopriza Simon, 1893; autochthonous species part 2 (cf. Fig. 352): species with main cheliceral apophyses in frontal position and epigynal pockets close together. The figure is split into two to avoid too much overlap; the split is not meant to reflect any natural grouping of species. The single record of C. maculipes from China is not shown (see text).

Figs 745–747. Crossopriza srinagar sp. nov.; holotype male from India, Srinagar (ZFMK Ar 22449); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 748–756. Crossopriza srinagar sp. nov.; holotype male and female from India, Srinagar (ZFMK Ar 22449, Ar 22450). 748–749. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 750–751. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views; arrows: frontal humps near lateral apophyses. 752–754. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 755–756. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars: 748–749, 752–754 = 0.3 mm; 750–751, 755–756 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 757–764. Crossopriza srinagar sp. nov. 757–758. Female from India, Srinagar (ZFMK Ar 22450), abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 759–760. Female from Pakistan, “N env. of Islamabad, National Park” (ZMMU), abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 761–762. Female from Pakistan, 7 km NE Gobor-o-Bakh (ZMMU), abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 763–764. Female from India, Srinagar (ZFMK Ar 22450), cleared female genitalia, regular dorsal view and dorsal view with dorsal arc tilted backwards. Abbreviations: da = dorsal arc; va = ventral arc. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 391–398. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 391–392. C. sahtan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Wadi Ghul. 393–395. C. tiwi sp. nov., males and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Tiwi. 396–398. C. dhofar sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ain Razad, and female from Oman, Wadi Nahiz.