Xestaspis padaviya, Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Sh. P., 2016

Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Sh. P., 2016, The Goblin spider genus Xestaspis in Sri Lanka (Araneae: Oonopidae), Zootaxa 4189 (1) : -

Xestaspis padaviya sp. nov.

( Figs. 9–10 )

Type material. Holotype 1 ♂ (IFS_Oon_084): Sri Lanka: North Central Province, Anuradhapura District , Padaviya , 8°48’ N 80°45’ E, 51m, litter, 10 January 2012, leg. N. Athukorala ; paratypes 2Ƌ, 4♀ (IFS_Oon_082– 088): collected with the holotype.

Other material examined. 1 ♀ (IFS_Oon_164), Sri Lanka, Central Province, Kandy District , Udawattakelle FR, 580 m, 0 7°17’57” N 80°38’29” E, 29 December 2011, leg. S. P. Benjamin ; 2 Ƌ (IFS_ Oon_154–155), Gannoruwa FR, 575m, 0 7°16’ 56.85” N 80°35’57.25” E, 25 November 2013, leg. N. Athukorala et al.; 2 ♀ (IFS_Oon_037–038), Matale District, IFS Arboretum , 0 7°51’34” N 80°40’28” E, ca. 180 m, 27 April 2010, leg. S. P. Benjamin and S. Batuwita ; 1 ♀ (IFS_Oon_265), North Central province, Anuradahapura District , Mihinthale FR, 8°21’10.60”N 80°30’14.54” E, 0 6 July 2014, N. Athukorala, C. I. Clayton ; 1 ♀ (IFS_Oon_012); Polonnaruwa District, Parakrama Samudraya , 0 7°53’51” N 80°59’14” E, 57m, 0 1 December 2009, leg. N. Athukorala ; 1 Ƌ and 1 ♀ (IFS_Oon_005–006), North Western Province, Puttalam District, Wanathavilluwa , 08°10’15” N 79°52’30”E, 30 m, 24 May 2010, leg. N. Athukorala .

Etymology. The species name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality. Diagnosis. X. padaviya sp. nov. are recognized by the carapace with slightly granulated sides ( Fig. 9 A). Males are recognized by the embolus, which has an anteriorly sharply narrowed tip ( Fig. 10 A). Females can be recognized by the roughly elongated, oval shaped receptaculum (re) which is narrowed anteriorly in to a bottlenecked shape ( Fig. 10 B).

Description. Description based on six males and ten females.

MALE: Body length: 1.46–1.61, small, uniformly orange red colored species. Carapace: ovoid in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 A), pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view ( Fig. 9 B), surface sides slightly granulated, posterior lateral spikes absent, lateral margin straight from dorsal view, posterior margin rounded with triangular shaped lateral sclerotizions ( Fig. 9 D). Clypeus: margin unmodified ( Fig. 9 C), chelicerae inner margin with enlarged setae (ceh). Eyes: six, well developed, ALE largest, oval shaped and posterior eyes sub equal, roundish and slightly smaller than ALE, ALE separated from edge of carapace by about their diameter. Sternum: slightly longer than wide, surface smooth but with few hairs, sternum furnish with three pairs of radial furrows between coxa I–II,II–III and III–IV, consist with small rounded pits ( Fig. 9 E), but not pronounced as in other species, anterior margin with slightly curved contiguous transverse groove, posterior margin extending beyond anterior edges of coxae IV. Abdomen: oval ( Fig. 9 G), flat, quite elongated, covered with fine hairs, postepigastric lateral apodemes (lap) visible. booklung covers (boc) small, elliptical ( Fig. 9 F). Abdomen scuto-pedicel region with paired curved to straight scutal ridge in addition with a second, upper, semicircular ridge ( Fig. 9 H). Spinnerets scutum incomplete ring. Male genitalia: Palp not strongly sclerotized, embolus and embolic accessory appendage same in size, embolus (em) tip sharply narrowed anteriorly, membranous like structure attached to end of embolic accessory appendage (ma), conductor (co) slightly shorter than embolus, bulbus tapering towards end, extend beyond cymbium ( Fig. 10 A).

FEMALE: Body length 1.74, somatic morphology as male except booklung covers (boc) slightly elevated from surface. Female genitalia: receptaculum (re) roughly elongated oval shaped, narrowed anteriorly in bottle necked shaped, secretory sac (ssa) elongated oval as receptaculum, globular appendix (gap) broad ( Fig. 10 B), less than 0.5 times the length of receptaculum, with an anterior paddle like sclerite (psc) and a nail like process (na), with lateral sclerites, postepigastric lateral apodemes (lap) not visible as in males.

Distribution. (see Fig. 13 ) Sri Lanka, Padaviya (L 47), Mihinthale FR (L 48), Gannoruwa FR (L 2), Udawattakelle FR (L 27), Parakrama Samudraya (L 49), Matale District, NIFS Arboretum (L 17).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Xestaspis padaviya sp. nov., male from Anuradhapura District, Padaviya. A. carapace, dorsal view; B. same, lateral view; C. same, anterior view; D. same, posterior view; E. sternum, ventral view; F. abdomen ventral view; G. same, dorsal view; H. same, anterior view. Abbreviations: boc, booklung covers; ctg, continuous transverse grove; psr, paired scutal ridge; usr, upper scutal ridge. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 10. Xestaspis padaviya sp. nov. A. male left palp, prolateral view; B. female epigastric region, dorsal view. Abbreviations: co, conductor; em, embolus; gap, globular appendix; ma, mesal embolic accessory appendage; na, nail like process; psc, paddle like sclerite; re, receptaculum; ssa, secretory sac. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. Map of Sri Lanka showing known localities for Xestaspis species (except for X. kandy; see Fig. 6). See text for details.