Piranthus kohi 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 kohi Maddison, sp. nov. Figs 255-269

Type material.

Holotype male (specimen AS19.1813), in LKCNHM, from Singapore: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 1.440-1.447°N, 103.730-103.735°E, 10 June 2019 Maddison/Morehouse/et al. WPM#19-045. Paratype female (specimen JK 19.07.19.0001), in LKCNHM, from Singapore: Pulau Ubin, Balai Quarry Trail, 1.4178°N, 103.9850°E, leg. P. Ng 19 July 2019.

Etymology.

This elegant species is named in honour of Joseph Koh Kok Hong, arachnologist, conservationist, and diplomat. Koh has worked tirelessly to build peace with nature. Through his collecting and excellent books ( Koh 1989; Koh and Leong 2013; Koh and Bay 2019), he has substantially promoted our knowledge of southeast Asian spiders and stimulated interest in their diversity and beauty. Koh collected the first known specimen of this species, in Brunei, and enabled our field work in Singapore during which the holotype and other specimens were collected. Other names: In WPM’s lab notebooks the informal code for this species was “SUBSG”. This species is shown in Koh and Bay 2019 as the female of " Bavia " sp. D Strong-armed flat jumping spider.

Diagnosis.

P. kohi (Figs 254 - 269 ) shares with P. bakau (Figs 237-254 ) the pattern of transverse white bands, but differs from it in having:

Three distinct vertical lines on each side of the thorax;

Carapace lateral to the PLE more or less uniformly covered in white to gold setae;

Second transverse dorsal band of the abdomen well broken at the middle;

First and second tibiae and femora solid dark, not bicoloured;

Black dorsal stripe extends the full length of tibia 4 (Figs 266, 267);

Shorter embolus and copulatory ducts.

Juveniles can be distinguished by the non-genitalic features above.

Description.

Male (based on holotype, AS19.1813). Carapace length 2.5; abdomen length 2.5. Carapace with rugose surface, black, dusted above with narrow golden scales. Sides and back of thorax bare except for three narrow and distinct vertical lines of pale setae. Clypeus black. Chelicera vertical and black. Palp black except for white cymbium. Embolus arising on prolateral basal corner, proceeding ventrally then curving distally (Figs 255 , 256 ). RTA a long blade. Legs robust, especially the first pair. First two pairs black except for tarsus and metatarsus, and white annulae terminally on femur. First patella and tibia with ventral fringe of black setae. Fourth tibia and patella with a pattern of long black and white bands. On the tibia, a black band reaches from the base (on the prolateral side) all the way to the dorsal tip, forming an oblique dorsal band (Fig. 266 ; compare with Fig. 246 ). Abdomen similar to that of P. bakau , with three transverse white bands, anterior to the third of which the abdomen is dusted with golden setae, posterior to it a shiny black. Second transverse white band with a broad gap in both male and female.

Female (based on specimen, 12.04.11.0032). Carapace length 3.4; abdomen length 4.0. Structure and markings as in male, but generally more reddish, especially first and second legs, which are red-orange-brown in the femur and patella (and tibia of the second pair). Epigyne (Fig. 258 ) with central septum, but lacking the large cavernous atria of other Piranthus species.

Male-female matching.

See comments under P. bakau . Male and female P. kohi share the diagnostic traits mentioned above. The matching is supported by both males and females occurring in Singapore and in similar mangrove habitats - eight specimens from Sungei Buloh including 4 males; 6 specimens from Palau Ubin including 2 females.

Natural history.

Specimens in Singapore were found beating trees and vines in a mangrove area. It appeared that our greatest success in finding them was when shaking woody vines. Their motion when alive has a different sense than other baviines; rather than the sharply-jumping Indopadilla , or the frequently waving Padillothorax badut group, or the more sedate Piranthus planolancis and P. api , P. kohi is constantly flicking up and down the first legs, palps, and abdomen, somewhat like ant mimicking salticids. A video of the living holotype is available in Maddison (2020).

Additional material examined.

Singapore: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, 1.440-1.447°N, 103.730-103.735°E, 10 June 2019 Maddison/Morehouse/et al. WPM#19-045 (3 additional males raised in captivity, 2 juveniles, UBCZ); Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Coastal Trail, 1.446°N, 103.730°E to 1.445°N, 103.735°E, 19 June 2019 Maddison, Marathe, Ng WPM#19-063 (2 juveniles, UBCZ); Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa, 1.4122°N, 103.9908°E, 11 June 2019 Maddison, Sung, & Outomuro WPM#19-047 (1 female raised in captivity, 2 juveniles, UBCZ); Lim Chu Kang Mangroves, Tree trunks and limbs, 1.44°N, 103.70°E, 13 May 2005 W. Maddison, I. Agnarsson, J. X. Zhang. WPM#05-020 (2 juveniles, UBCZ). Malaysia: Selangor: Ulu Gombak Field Station, 3.325°N, 101.753°E, 250 m el., 16-19 May 2005 W. Maddison, D. Li, I. Agnarsson, J. X. Zhang. WPM#05-026 (1 juvenile, specimen MRB109, UBCZ). Brunei: Belait, Kuala Balai, Sungai Mendarum Damit Freshwater Swamp Forest, 4.4386°N, 114.3581°E, J. K. H. Koh 11 Apr. 2012 (1 female, specimen JK 12.04.11.0032, in LKCNHM). The specimen from Ulu Gombak, used in the molecular study, matches P. kohi well in markings, but it is a juvenile and thus labelled conservatively in the phylogenies as P. cf. kohi .

Figures

Figures 255 - 269. Piranthus kohi sp. nov. 255 male left palp, prolateral view (holotype AS 19.1813) 256 same, ventral view 257 same, retrolateral view 258 epigyne, ventral (specimen JK. 12.04.11.0032) 259 Vulva, dorsal 260 - 265 holotype 266 male holotype left fourth patella and tibia, dorsal view 267 female left fourth patella and tibia, dorsal view (specimen JK. 19.07.19.0001) 268 female JK. 19.07.19.0001 269 Female JK. 12.04.11.0032 (photograph Joseph K. H. Koh). Scale bars: on genitalia 0.1 mm; on bodies and legs 1.0 mm.

Figures 237 - 254. Piranthus bakau sp. nov. 237 male left palp, prolateral view (holotype SWK 12 - 0561) 238 same, ventral view 239 same, retrolateral view 240 epigyne, ventral (specimen AS 19.2895) 241 vulva, dorsal 242 male JK. 11.04.17.0040 (photograph Joseph K. H. Koh) 243 - 245 male holotype (SWK 12 - 0561) 246 male holotype left fourth patella and tibia, dorsal view (right leg digitally flipped to appear as left) 247 - 254 female specimen AS 19.2895 247 left fourth patella and tibia, dorsal view 248 left first leg, prolateral view 249 adult female prosoma 250 adult female abdomen 251 - 254 same specimen while immature. Scale bars on genitalia 0.1 mm; on bodies and legs 1.0 mm.