Wanniyala viharekele, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 44-46

Wanniyala viharekele sp. n.

Figures 141–143 , 152–153 , 190–196 , 217

Wanniyala SL71: 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 sickleshaped dorsal process with obtuse tip and small ventral process; distinctive processes of palpal trochanter, and short curved bulbal apophysis; Figs 190–193 ) and by modification of clypeus (pair of small pointed processes and small median process; similar only in W. labugama ). Females are distinguished from known congeners by shape of epigynum (strongly projecting but rounded in lateral view; Fig. 195 ) and by details of internal genitalia (narrow anterior ‘valve’; prominent median membranous structure; shapes of fragmented pore plates; Figs 196 , 217 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality (noun in apposition).

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20090), Southern Province, Viharekele Forest (6.099°N, 80.594°E), 120 m a.s.l., 17.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 1♂ 1♀, NMSL , 7♂ 9♀ 4 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 20091–92), and 1♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL155 ), same data as holotype . 1♂ 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 20093), and 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL159 ), Southern Province, Kottawa Forest (6.097°N, 80.308°E), 60 m a.s.l., 17.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) . 1♀, RMNH, same locality, “under leaves”, 15.x.1982 (F. Wanless) . 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Benj 38), Kombala- Kottawa Forest Reserve (6.098°N, 80.314°E), 60 m a.s.l., 19.v.2010 (S.P. Benjamin, S. Batuwita) . 2♂, RMNH, Southern Province, Deniyaya [~ 6.34°N, 80.56°E], 400 m a.s.l., secondary forest margin, 25.viii.1981 (C.L. & P.R. Deeleman) .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.7, carapace width 0.75. Distance PME- PME 110 µm, diameter PME 90 µm, distance PME-ALE 30 µm; AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.52/0.36. Leg 1: 13.2 (3.2 + 0.3 + 3.3 + 4.9 + 1.5), tibia 2: 1.8, tibia 3: 1.4, tibia 4: 2.0; tibia 1 L/d: 60.

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, without light mark; legs ochre-yellow, with dark 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 141–142 ; ocular area slightly raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus with pair of small pointed processes and small median process; 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: 0.61.

PALPS. As in Figs 152–153 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with several distinctive processes ( Fig. 190 ); femur with small dorsal apophysis proximally; tibia very long (0.92); procursus with several distinctive elements ( Figs 192–193 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus and short, weakly curved and pointed apophysis ( Fig. 191 ).

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 13%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~20 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in 11 other males: 2.9–3.6 (mean 3.3). Sternum in some males medially lighter. Ventral process of retrolateral sclerite of procursus (arrow in Fig. 193 ) slightly more slender in males from Kottawa.

Female. In general similar to male but clypeus unmodified and legs with usual low number of short vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in 12 females: 2.5–2.9 (mean: 2.7). Epigynum as in Figs 194–195 , strongly protruding but evenly rounded 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 196 , 217 , with narrow anterior ‘valve’, prominent median membranous structure, and pore plates posteriorly fragmented into several smaller platelets.

Natural history. The spiders were found in the leaf litter.

Distribution. Known from three localities in southern Sri Lanka ( Fig. 227 ).

Figures

FIGURES 138–149. Wanniyala, live specimens, part 2. 138–140. W. ohiya sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Ohiya (Fig. 139 shows a male in typical resting position). 141–143. W. viharekele sp. n., males from Viharekele and Kottawa, female from Kottawa. 144–146. W. mapalena sp. n., male and females from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella. 147–149. W. labugama sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Labugama.

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 190–196. Wanniyala viharekele sp. n., from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20091–92). 190. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 191. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 192–193. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views; arrow points at ventral process of retrolateral sclerite that is more slender in males from Kottawa. 194–195. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 196. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (190–193), 0.5 mm (194–196).

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 226–227. Known distribution of Wanniyala.