Wanniyala orientalis, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 36-39

Wanniyala orientalis sp. n.

Figures 132–134 , 165–171 , 214

Wanniyala sp. (from Inginiyagala): Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3311 , fig. 9.

Wanniyala SL38: Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 7.

Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from congeners by details of palp (retrolateral sclerite of procursus with short and wide dorsal process; distinctive processes of palpal trochanter, and distally strongly curved bulbal apophysis; Figs 165–168 ) and by modification of clypeus (pair of processes connected by protruding arc; similar only in W. mudita ; cf. Figs 156–157 ). Females are easily distinguished from most known congeners (except W. hakgala , W. mudita ) by shape of epigynum (strongly projecting and pointed in lateral view; Fig. 170 ); they differ from W. hakgala by large anterior angle between epigynal plate and abdomen (compare Fig. 170 and Huber & Benjamin 2005: fig. 5i); from W. hakgala and W. mudita also by details of internal genitalia (almost round pore plates; anterior valve narrower than in W. mudita ; Figs 171 , 214 ).

Etymology. The specific name is an adjective and refers to the distribution of this species in eastern Sri Lanka.

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20078), North Central Province, Dimbulagala (7.860°N, 81.118°E), 140 m a.s.l., 11.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 3♂ 5♀ 2 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 20079), and 4♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL124 ), same data as holotype . 1♂ 11♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 20080), and 3♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL122 ), North Central Province, Minneriya Forest (8.047°N, 80.832°E), 150 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 7♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20081), and 2♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL120 ), Central Province, Kandalama Forest (7.859°N, 80.711°E), 220 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 3♂ 9♀, ZFMK (Ar 20082), and 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL130 ), Uva Province, Inginiyagala (7.225°N, 81.535°E), 110 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♂, ZMUT ( AA 3635 ), same locality, “in litter of stony djungle”, 21.xi.1972 (P. Lehtinen) . 1♂ 1♀, NMSL , 4♂ 10♀, ZFMK (Ar 20083), and 3♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL139 ), Uva Province, near Okkampitiya (6.728°N, 81.336°E), 190 m a.s.l., 13.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 2♂ 5♀, ZFMK (Ar 20084), Uva Province, near Gowindahela (7.041°N, 81.538°E), 130–180 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♀, ZMUT ( AA 3632 ), Moneragala District , “Gumbukana” [Kumbukana, ~ 6.805°N, 81.294°E], in teak litter, 19.xi.1972 (P. Lehtinen) .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.9, carapace width 0.90. Distance PME- PME 140 µm, diameter PME 100 µm, distance PME-ALE 30 µm; AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.66/0.54. Leg 1: 19.2 (4.6 + 0.4 + 4.8 + 7.5 + 1.9), tibia 2: 2.9, tibia 3: 2.2, tibia 4: 2.9; tibia 1 L/d: 69.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre yellow with median and lateral dark bands; ocular area posteriorly dark; clypeus with pair of dark bands below eye triads; sternum black; legs ochre-yellow, with indistinct darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); abdomen ochre-gray with dark marks dorsally and laterally, ventrally also with dark pattern.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 132–133 ; ocular area slightly raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus with pair of processes connected by protruding arc (similar to W. mudita ; cf. Figs 156–157 ); sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. Similar to W. mudita (cf. Figs 156–157 ), with pair of small apophyses proximally laterally and pair of long apophyses directed forwards, tips of apophyses distally directed downwards, distance between tips of apophyses: 0.76.

PALPS. In general very similar to known congeners (cf. Figs 150–155 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with distinctive processes ( Fig. 165 ); femur with indistinct small dorsal apophysis proximally; tibia very long (0.98); procursus with several distinctive elements ( Figs 167–168 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus and strongly curved apophysis with rounded tip ( Fig. 166 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with short vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all metatarsi (especially proximally); retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 15%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~25 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in three other males from type locality: 4.3, 4.4, 4.6. Males from other localities have shorter legs: tibia 1 in 17 males from all other localities: 3.2–3.9 (mean 3.5). In males from Minneriya, the dorsal process of the retrolateral sclerite of the procursus (arrow in Fig. 168 ) is slightly smaller.

Female. In general similar to male ( Fig. 134 ) but clypeus unmodified and legs with usual low number of short vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in 5 females from type locality: 3.7–4.0 (mean 3.9); in 38 females from all other localities: 2.6–3.7 (mean 3.1). Epigynum as in Figs 169–170 , strongly protruding and pointed in lateral view; posterior plate apparently reduced(?) to two lateral sclerites mostly hidden behind epigynal plate and poorly visible in ventral view; internal genitalia as in Figs 171 , 214 , with narrow anterior ‘valve’ and pair of roundish pore plates.

Natural history. At Kandalama, the spiders were abundant under leaves and other objects on the forest floor; when disturbed, they did not vibrate but rather ran away. At Okkampitiya, the spiders were mainly found under loose bark on the ground.

Distribution. Widely distributed in eastern Sri Lanka, excluding high elevation areas ( Fig. 226 ).

Figures

FIGURES 126–137. Wanniyala, live specimens, part 1. 126–128. W. agrabopath Huber & Benjamin, 2005, male and females with egg-sacs from Hakgala. 129–131. W. mudita sp. n., male and females with egg-sacs from Kandy. 132–134. W. orientalis sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Inginiyagala. 135–137. W. upekkha sp. n., male from Dematagala and females with and without egg-sac from Ella.

FIGURES 165–171. Wanniyala orientalis sp. n., from Dimbulagala (ZFMK Ar 20079). 165. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 166. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 167–168. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views; arrow points at dorsal process of retrolateral sclerite that is smaller in males from Minneriya. 169–170. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 171. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Abbreviations: ps1, ps2, prolateral sclerites 1 and 2; ptp, prolateral transparent process; rs, retrolateral sclerite; vtp, ventral transparent process. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (165–168), 0.5 mm (169–171).

FIGURES 213–219. Wanniyala spp., cleared female genitalia in dorsal views. 213. W. mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 214. W. orientalis sp. n., from Dimbulagala (ZFMK Ar 20079). 215. W. upekkha sp. n., from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 216. W. ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 217. W. viharekele sp. n., from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20092). 218. W. mapalena sp. n., from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (ZFMK Ar 20095). 219. W. labugama sp. n., from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). At various scales.

FIGURES 156–164. Wanniyala mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 156–157. Male chelicerae, clypeus and ocular area, frontal and lateral views. 158. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 159. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 160–161. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 162–163. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 164. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points at anterior ‘valve’). Abbreviations: ba, bulbal apophysis; e, embolus; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ps1, ps2, prolateral sclerites 1 and 2; ptp, prolateral transparent process; rs, retrolateral sclerite; vtp, ventral transparent process. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (158–161), 0.5 mm (156–157, 162–164).

FIGURES 150–155. Wanniyala left male palps in prolateral and retrolateral views. 150–151. W. upekkha sp. n. from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 152–153. W. viharekele sp. n. from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20091). 154–155. W. labugama sp. n. from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; ba, bulbal apophysis; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 226–227. Known distribution of Wanniyala.