Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989

Griswold, Charles E., 2022, The Lace Web Spider Genus Vytfutia Deeleman-Reinhold (Araneae, Phyxelididae) in the Indo-Pacific Region, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67 (14), pp. 329-355 : 339-340

Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989

Figures 45–49 , 60–62

Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989 : ♂ M ♀ F paratypes from Niah Cave , Sarawak, Malaysia, 10 April 1984, C. Deeleman and C. Hug, RMNH, examined. Griswold et al., 2005: 90.

Diagnosis: Males with palpal tibia with elongate apical spine ( Figs. 46, 47 ), embolus short, straight, arises on prolateral side of bulb (near 8 o’clock), median apophysis hooked at apex ( Figs. 45, 46 ); females with epigynum with copulatory opening rims oblique, diverging anteriorly, posterior margin straight to slightly convex ( Fig. 48 ), vulva simple, with paired lobes of spermathecae extending far anteriad of copulatory openings ( Fig. 49 ); largest Vytfutia (see Figs. 60, 61 ), total length of males 4.40–5.00, of females 6.20–7.70; markings pale; legs long, male metatarsus I with base of concavity at more than 0.45 metatarsus length, spur high, height greater than 0.09 metatarsus length ( Figs. 60, 61 ).

Male (paratype, after Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989: 622-623): Total length 4.40. Carapace light grey-brown, ocular area slightly darker; chelicerae dark brown; labium, palpal coxae, sternum, and legs light grey-brown; abdomen pale with 3 snowy granulations on dorsal surface. Carapace 2.20 long, 1.70 wide; carapace length 1.29 times width; PER 1.14 times AER, PER 2.28 times OAL; OAL 0.57 times OQL; OQA 0.625 times OQP; ratio of eyes AM:AL: PM: PL, 1.0:2.0:3.0:3.0; AM-AM, AM-AL equal to AM diameter; PM-PM, PM-PL equal to PM diameter; AL touching PL. Sternum length 1.26 times width; labium length 0.75 times width; palpal coxae length 2.0 times width. Legs with typical spination; femur I length 1.25 times carapace width; metatarsus I as in Figs. 60, 61 , clasping spine extends beyond median spur, spur long, length nearly ½ segment width. Leg measurements: I: 2.3 + 0.9 + 2.2 + 1.9 + 1.2 = [8.5]; II: 2.1 + 0.7 + 1.8 + 1.8 + 1.0 = [7.4]; III: 2.1 + 0.8 + 1.5 + 1.7 + 0.9 = [7.0]; IV: 2.3 + 0.9 + 1.9 + 1.9 + 1.0 = [8.0]; palp: 1.2 + 0.4 + 0.6 + NA + 0.6 = [2.8]; leg formula 1423. Male palp as in Figs. 45–47 ; tibia length 1.21 times cymbial length, RTA length 0.23 times tibia ( Figs. 46, 47 ), MA origin 0.36 distance to tegular base, MA length 0.83 times that of tegulum, MA length 7.86 times width ( Figs. 45, 46 ). Variation (N=3): Total length 4.40 to 5.00. Female (Paratype, after Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989: 622-623): Total length 6.70. Markings as in male. Carapace 3.30 long, 2.30 wide, carapace length 1.43 times width, carapace height 0.47 width; PER 1.11 times AER, PER 2.50 times OAL; OAL equals OQL; OQA 0.59 times OQP; clypeal height 1.25 times AM diameter; ratio of eyes AM:AL: PM: PL, 1.0:1.6:1.6:1.2; AM-AM 0.6 times AM diameter, AM-AL equals AM diameter; PM-PM 1.125 times PM diameter, PM-PL 1.25 times PM, AL touching PL. Chelicerae 1.30 long; cheliceral length 12.0 times clypeal height; sternum length 1.34 times width; labium length 1.09 times width; palpal coxae length 1.75 times width. Legs with typical spination. Femur I 1.26 times carapace width. Leg measurements: I: 2.9 + 1.2 + 2.5 + 2.4 + 1.3 = [10.30]; II: 2.7 + 1.1 + 2.2 + 2.0 + 1.0 = [9.00]; III: 2.4 + 1.0 + 1.7 + 1.7 + 1.0 = [7.80]; IV: 2.7 + 1.1 + 1.9 + 1.9 + 1.0 = [8.60]; palp: 1.1 + 0.25 + 0.70 + NA + 1.0 = [3.05], leg formula 1243. Female genitalia as in Fig. 48 (epigynum) and Fig. 49 (vulva). Epigynum width 2.66 times length; epigynum MLW 2.20 times MLL, MLW 1.50 times LLW. Variation (N=12): Total length 6.20 to 7.70.

Natural History: Deeleman-Reinhold (1989: 619, 620, 624) describes this species from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia, a cave famous for the diversity of endemic species.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 62 ).

Material Examined: Only the paratypes from Niah Cave , Sarawak, in RMNH .

Figures

FIGURES 45–49. Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989, genitalia-drawings, male and female paratypes from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia. 45–47. Male left palp, tibia and tarsus. 45. Ventral. 46. Retrolateral. 47. Dorsal. 48. 49. Female genitalia. 48. Epigynum, ventral. 49. Vulva, dorsal. C: conductor, D: dorsal tibial apophysis, MA: median apophysis, PC: paracymbium, RL: retrolateral lobe of tibial apex. Grey arrow to tibial apical spine.

FIGURES 56–61. Vytfutia spp., male leg I with clasping modification of metatarsus. 56, 58, 61. Dorsal. 57, 59, 60. Retrolateral. 56, 57. Vytfutia bedel Deeleman-Reinhold, 1986, Holotype male from Gunung Leuser, border of National Park at Bohorok in primary rainforest, N. Sumatra, Indonesia, left. 58, 59. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Holotype male from the wall of a building at 1550m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia, CASENT9023842, right. 60, 61. Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989, male paratype from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia, right. Scale bar = 1mm.

FIGURE 62. Vytfutia spp. Distributions on map of Eurasia and Australasia. Filled circle. Vytfutia bedel Deeleman-Reinhold, 1986, Holotype male from Gunung Leuser, border of National Park at Bohorok in primary rainforest, N. Sumatra, Indonesia. Triangle. Vytfutia labalaba new species, Holotype male from the wall of a building at 1550m elevation on Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah-Borneo, Malaysia. Diamond. Vytfutia halandrefana new species, Madagascar. Star. Vytfutia pallens Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989, male paratype from Niah Cave, Sarawak, Malaysia.