Phintella luna Sudhin, Sen & Caleb, 2024

Sudhin, Puthoor Pattammal, Caleb, John T. D. & Sen, Souvik, 2024, Additions to the knowledge on the genus Phintella Strand, 1906 (Araneae, Salticidae, Chrysillini) from India, Zoosystematics and Evolution 100 (1), pp. 31-48 : 31

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.113049
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:486B29D0-88E9-465B-B70F-96FF3CBEDD26
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/08B77287-5B14-4BE9-BFE3-2E69D999BD4F
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:08B77287-5B14-4BE9-BFE3-2E69D999BD4F
treatment provided by	Zoosystematics and Evolution by Pensoft
scientific name	Phintella luna Sudhin, Sen & Caleb
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Phintella luna Sudhin, Sen & Caleb sp. nov.

Figs 5A-E View Figure 5 , 6A, B View Figure 6 , 14 View Figure 14

Phintella vittata Tyagi et al., 2019: supplement, figs S3.29-30 (♀ misidentified).

Type material.

Holotype ♀. INDIA: West Bengal, Nadia District, Kalyani, 22°59'6.54"N, 88°26'0.06"E, 17.ix.1969, D. Sinharny coll. (NZC-ZSI-6559/18); Paratype: 1♀, Andhra Pradesh, East Godavari District, Kittukuru, 17°19'16.5"N, 82°2'26.55"E, 05.xii.2021, D. Jaiswal coll. (NZC-ZSI-8374/18).

Diagnosis.

P. luna sp. nov. is similar to Phintella vittata (C.L. Koch, 1846) in having the similar body colour patterns and female genitalia with well-developed epigynal scape and rounded spermathecae, but it can be distinguished by the following characters: epigyne with straight anterior epigynal border (arched in P. vittata ); copulatory ducts gently curved, U-shaped and relatively longer (straight, converging posteriorly, V-shaped in P. vittata ) (cf. Figs 5D View Figure 5 , 6A View Figure 6 with Figs 12G View Figure 12 , 13C View Figure 13 ).

Description.

Female (Holotype, NZC-ZSI-6559/18) (Figs 5A-E View Figure 5 , 6A, B View Figure 6 ): Measurements: body length 2.92; carapace length 1.24, width 1.07; abdomen length 1.60, width 1.25. Ocular area length 0.82, width 0.94. Eye diameters: AME 0.35, ALE 0.18, PME 0.03, PLE 0.16. Eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.02, ALE-AME 0.02, ALE-ALE 0.73, ALE-PLE 0.37, PLE-PLE 0.77, PME-PME 0.81, PME-PLE 0.17. Clypeus height 0.06. Length of chelicera 0.43. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 1.18 [0.43, 0.15, 0.20, 0.40], leg I 2.37 [0.76, 0.34, 0.55, 0.44, 0.28], II 2.13 [0.76, 0.23, 0.52, 0.36, 0.26], III 2.77 [0.89, 0.30, 0.60, 0.67, 0.31], IV 3.23 [1.02, 0.32, 0.75, 0.78, 0.36]. Leg formula: 4312. Leg setation: femur I-IV pl 1 rldo 3; patella III-IV rl 1; tibia I pl 1 plv 3 rlv 3, II pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2 III pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 1, IV pl 1 rl 2 plv 1 rlv 1; metatarsus I pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2, III-IV pl 2 rl 2 plv 1 rlv 1. Carapace oval, sloping posteriorly, light yellowish-brown, with few black patches and stripes (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); eye bases black (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ), anterior eyes surrounded by pale white setae. Clypeus low, light yellowish-brown. Chelicerae small, vertical, yellow-brown, promargin with two teeth and retromargin with a single tooth. Endites pale yellow, scopulate, margins with narrow reddish-brown lines (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ). Labium pale yellow, distally with few light brown setae (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ). Sternum yellowish-brown, with pale yellow posterior sides (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ). Abdomen oval, pale yellow with light brown anterior region, medially with a dark brown transverse band and posterior tip with a dark brown patch (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ). Venter pale yellow without any prominent markings (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ). Legs pale yellow. Epigyne nearly round, moderately sclerotised, posterior region with well-developed epigynal scape (Figs 5D View Figure 5 , 6A View Figure 6 ); copulatory openings small, widely separated from each other, situated antero-laterally (Figs 5D View Figure 5 , 6A View Figure 6 ); copulatory ducts comparatively long, gently curved and connected to anterior region of spermathecae (Figs 5D View Figure 5 , 6A View Figure 6 ); spermathecae nearly round, separated from each other (Figs 5E View Figure 5 , 6B View Figure 6 ); fertilisation duct long, orientated laterally, located at anterior region of spermathecae (Figs 5E View Figure 5 , 6B View Figure 6 ).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is noun in apposition, referring to the curved, crescent-like copulatory ducts ( ‘luna’ in Latin for the moon). We also take this occasion to mark the successful landing of the spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 close to the South Pole of the moon for the first time during the third Indian lunar expedition.

Distribution.

India: West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat ( Tyagi et al. 2019) (Fig. 14 View Figure 14 ).

Remarks.

A specimen previously identified as P. vittata from Gujarat ( Tyagi et al. 2019) has been listed here as belonging to this species. The epigyne of this specimen has a longitudinal groove on the ventral surface, present at the mid-line just below the spermathecae. The spermathecae are also comparatively wider than the type illustrated here. The scape is similar to that of the holotype of Salticus ranjitus Tikader, 1967 (a synonym of Phintella vittata ) (cf. fig. S3.29 in Tyagi et al. (2019) with Fig. 13C View Figure 13 herein).