Xestaspis paulina Eichenberger, 2012

Eichenberger, Beata, Kranz-Baltensperger, Yvonne, Ott, Ricardo, Graber, Werner, Nentwig, Wolfgang & Kropf, Christian, 2012, Morphology of new Indian / Indonesian Gamasomorpha and Xestaspis species (Araneae: Oonopidae) 3160, Zootaxa 3160 (1), pp. 1-68 : 51-53

Xestaspis paulina Eichenberger n. sp.

( Figs. 38–40 )

Type material: Holotype male ( PBI_OON 00031920 ): East Sri Lanka: Kataragama Peak, dry litter, 18 August 1983, coll. Deeleman, leg. C.L. en P.R. Deeleman ( RMNH). Female paratype ( PBI_OON 00031917 ): collected with male holotype ( RMNH). Four male paratypes ( PBI_OON 00031909 ; PBI_OON 00031913 ; PBI_OON00031916 ; PBI_OON 00031411 ): collected with male holotype ( RMHN). Two female paratypes ( PBI_OON00031911 ; PBI_OON00031907 ): collected with male holotype ( RMNH). Male paratype ( PBI_OON 00031910 ): collected with male holotype ( NMBE). Female paratype ( PBI_OON 00031915 ): collected with male holotype ( NMBE). Female paratype ( PBI_OON 00031914 ): collected with male holotype ( AMNH). Male paratype ( PBI_OON00031908 ): collected with male holotype ( AMNH).

Etymology: The species epithet is in honor of the describer’s grandmother Paulina for her 100 th birthday.

Diagnosis: Resembles X. kandy n. sp. but male palp, conductor, distal part with dorsal, tooth-like projection (to), (fig. 40. C). Females can not be distinguished from X. kandy n. sp. Resembles X. biflocci n. sp. but carapace without posterolateral hair tufts of long, needle-like hairs (fig. 38. F).

Description: Description based on to 9 males and 9 females.

MALE: Body length 2.6 mm. Uniformly orange-brown colored species, legs pale orange (figs. 38. A–C). Carapace broadly oval in dorsal view (fig. 38. F); pars cephalica quite strongly elevated in lateral view (fig. 38. C), posterolateral spikes and pits absent (fig. 38. F), lateral margin straight from dorsal view, cephalic setae u-shaped in single to double row. Eye group by less than diameter of anterior lateral eyes narrower than clypeus, all eyes oval, subequal (fig. 38. E). Anterior margin of sternum with continuous transverse groove, posterior extension laterally indented (figs. 38. D). Chelicerae paturon inner margin with pairs of enlarged setae giving it a mustache-like appearance from dorsal view (see fig. 31. B); labium anterior margin not indented at middle. Abdomen scuta surface finely punctate; scuto-pedicel region with paired to straight scutal ridge (psr) with a second, upper, semicircular ridge (usr), (fig. 39. A); pedicel tube without triangular, dorsolateral extensions; booklung covers (boc) small, elliptic, border elevated from surface, anterolateral edge unmodified (figs. 39. B, D); postepigastric scutum with short posteriorly directed lateral apodemes. Legs patella plus tibia shorter than carapace. No detailed description on promarginal chelicerae setae, serrula, grooves on lateral margin of sternum, trichobothria hood structure, tarsal organ and scopula between claws. Male genitalia: Similar to X. kandy n. sp. with a long slender, lamellar embolus (em), adjacent to an embolic accessory appendage (ma) and a lamellar conductor (co) (figs. 40. A–C). Bulbus distally tapering into a pointed conical extension (ce) (figs. 40. A–B). Cymbium just not extending beyond distal tip of bulb.

FEMALE: Body length 2.6 mm. Chelicerae inner margin without pairs of elongated setae. Female genitalia: Ventral view: Without external features (fig. 39. C). Dorsal view (figs. 40. D–E): receptaculum (re) ovoid, elongated, secretory sac (ssa) ovoid, globular appendix (gap) narrow, slightly shorter than 0.5 times the length of receptaculum, pore field of receptaculum (pof) distributed widely along the globular appendix, with an anterior paddlelike sclerite (psc) and a nail-like process (na), with lateral sclerites functioning as muscle attachments (A1). With lateral apodemes originating from the posterior spiracles (lap).

Intraspecific variation:

Abdominal scuta orange-brown or dark red-brown. Sternum with radial furrows of large roundish or channel-like, droplike pits between coxae I-II, II-III and III-IV (fig. 38. D).

Distribution: South Sri Lanka (fig. 50. A)

Figures

FIGURE 38. Xestaspis paulina n. sp. Male: habitus dorsal view; B. habitus lateral view; C. sternum ventral view; D. sternum ventral view; E. carapace anterior view; F. carapace dorsal view; G. carapace posterior view. Abbreviations: ctg, continuous transverse groove; Scale bars: A–C 1 mm; D–G 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 39. Xestaspis paulina n. sp. Male: A. abdomen anterior view; B. booklung covers lateral view; D. booklung covers posterior view. Female: C. abdomen ventral view. Abbreviations: psr, paired scutal ridge; usr, dorsal scutal ridge; boc, booklung covers. Scale bars: A,C 0.5 mm; B, D 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 40. Xestaspis paulina n. sp. Male: A–B. right palp, prolateral view; C. right embolus, ventral-prolateral view. Female: D–E, epigastric region, dorsal view. Abbreviations:ce, conical extension; em, embolus; co, conductor; ma, mesal embolic accessory appendage; psc, paddle-like sclerite; na, nail-like process; go, genital opening; gap, globular appendix; pof, pore field of receptaculum; re, receptaculum; ssa, secretory sac; A1, lateral sclerites functioning as muscle attachments. Scale bars: A–B, D–E 300 µm, C 100 µm.