A new genus of the family Theraphosidae (Araneae:
Mygalomorphae) with description of three new species from the Western Ghats of
Karnataka, India
Manju Siliwal 1, Neha Gupta 2 & Robert Raven 3
1 Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society, 96
Kumudham Nagar, Vilankuruchi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India
2 University School of Environmental Management, Guru
Gobind Indraprastha University, Sector 16-C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075, India
3 Queensland Museum, Grey Street, PO Box 3300, South
Brisbane, 4101, Queensland, Australia
Email: 1 manjusiliwal@gmail.com(corresponding author), 2 neha_11taurian@rediff.com,3 robert.raven@qm.qld.gov.au
Date of publication
(online): 26 November 2012
Date of publication (print): 26 November 2012
ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Anonymity requested
Manuscript details:
Ms # o3065
Received 20 January 2012
Final received 09 July 2012
Finally accepted 08 November 2012
Citation: Siliwal, M., N. Gupta & R. Raven(2012). A new
genus of the family Theraphosidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) with description of three
new species from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 4(14): 3233–3254
Copyright: © Manju Siliwal, Neha Gupta & Robert Raven 2012. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT
allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Acknowledgment:Authors (MS and NG) are grateful to
the following personnel and institutions: PCCF, Karnataka Forest Department for
giving permission and logistic help during the surveys; Mr. Sunil Kumar, Deputy
Conservator of Forest, Dandeli WLS, and Mr. R. Gokul, Conservator of Forests,
Karwar Division for the logistic support and help during the surveys; Mr.
Ramesh and Mr. Suraj Chauhan for assisting in field during the surveys; CEPF
(Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund)-ATREE (Ashoka Trust For Research In
Ecology And The Environment) Western Ghats Small Grants Program for funding the
tarantula project during which the new genus was found; Dr. Peter Jäger, Senckenberg
Museum, Frankfurt, for providing valuable old reprints on this group of
spiders; Dr. Sanjay Molur and Ms. Sally Walker, Zoo Outreach Organization, for initiating,
and their support and encouragement of the Indian tarantula project; Dr.
Bhaskar Acharya, ATREE and Dr. Jack Tordoff, CEPF for their interest and
encouragement to the Western Ghats tarantula project; Dr. Bilal Habib, Wildlife
Institute of India for helping in scanning drawings. RR and MS wish to thank
the Australian Biological Resources Study grant research funds for partially
funding a trip to Australia for MS and so, some of the
information used in this paper was obtained by MS during her visit to
Queensland Museum, Brisbane. NG wishes to deeply thank Dr. Sanjay Keshari Das,
Assistant Professor, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi for all the encouragement and support he provided as a
supervisor for the Masters dissertation during which this spider was found.
Author Details and Author Contribution:
Manju Siliwalhas been working on spiders since 1997. She has specialized on taxonomy of
primitive spiders (mygalomorphs including tarantulas) and has described many
new species from India. Her main interest lies in taxonomy, ecology and
conservation of Indian spiders. Her contribution to this paper is in collecting
specimens, identifying the species and preparing the manuscript including
taxonomy.
Neha Guptais MSc in biodiversity and conser-vation and is very much interested in ecology
and conservation of Indian spiders. For her M.Sc. dissertation, she worked on
the ecology of trapdoor spiders of the family Idiopidae in Ut-tara Kannada,
Karnataka. She was involved in the spider surveys when some of the new species
listed in this paper were collected. She also assisted in taking morphometry
information for most of the specimens and finalizing illustrations.
Robert Raven is world renownedexpert on primitive spiders (mygalomorphs) and has ex-perience of about 40
years in spider taxonomy. He has described 42 genera and 351 species till date
from different parts of the world, pre-dominantly from Australia. His
contribution to this paper was in finalizing the text, working on language of
the paper, reviewing the taxonomy of the species and providing critical inputs
on various genera of Theraphosidae.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:698FBB17-F014-4EA8-89C9-C5FF1AAA37A5
Abstract: In this paper, a new genus Neoheterophrictus gen. nov.,with three new species, Neoheterophrictus crurofulvus sp. nov.,
N. sahyadri sp. nov. and N. uttarakannada sp. nov., is described from Uttara Kannada District,
Karnataka, India. The new genus is
close to Heterophrictus Pocock, 1900 and Plesiophrictus Pocock,
1899 but has multilobed spermathecae, which was consistent in all the three
species and the males possessing double tibial spur. Natural history information for all the
species described is provided. We
transfer Plesiophrictus bhori Gravely, 1915 to Heterophrictus and
synonymise P. mahabaleshwari Tikader, 1977 with Heterophrictus milleti Pocock,
1900.
Keywords: Eumernophorinae, Heterophrictus, new genus,
new species, Plesiophrictus, tarantula, taxonomy, Theraphosidae.
Abbreviations: ALE = anterior lateral eye; AME =
anterior median eye; AT = allotype; HT = holotype; MOQ = median ocular
quadrate; MS = Manju Siliwal; NG= Neha Gupta; PME = posterior median eye; PLS =
posterior lateral spinnerets; PMS = posterior median spinnerets; PT = paratype;
RR = Robert Raven; STC = superior or paired tarsal claws; WILD = Wildlife
Information Liaison Development Society; ZSI = Zoological Survey of India.
Abbreviations used for hair and spines count are d = dorsal; fe= femur; mt = metatarsus; p = prolateral; pa = patella; r = retrolateral; ta =
tarsus; ti = tibia; v = ventral.
This article forms part of a special
series on the Western Ghats of India, disseminating the results of work
supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint initiative
of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global
Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the
World Bank. A fundamental goal of CEPF is to ensure civil society is engaged in
biodiversity conservation. Implementation of the CEPF investment program in the
Western Ghats is led and coordinated by the Ashoka Trust for Research in
Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).
For
figures, images, tables -- click here
INTRODUCTION
The subfamily Ischnocolinae of the family Theraphosidae
is a generic complex and Raven (1985) considered all genera (including the only
Indian genus Plesiophrictus Pocock, 1899) as incertae sedis. These genera require re-examination of
the type specimens along with examination of new collections from the type
locality to revalidate their taxonomic position under Ischnocolinae. Recently, Guadanucci (2011) revalidated
the genus Heterophrictus Pocock, 1900 and removed it from the junior
synonym of Plesiophrictus; he also provided distinct generic characters
for Heterophrictus and Plesiophrictus, which are helpful in the
revision of Indian Plesiophrictus. Though the taxonomic position of Heterophrictus is still
confusing in the absence of cladistic analysis (R. Raven pers. comm. 7 February
2012), inthis paper, we consider Heterophrictus a valid genus until further
cladistic analysis (based on more specimens) is published.
During surveys in Uttara Kannada, Western
Ghats of Karnataka, the authors (MS and NG) collected a theraphosid spider
where the females had a distinct rastellum. As per published literature, none of the
known Indian theraphosids have a cheliceral rastellum. The spider from Uttara Kannada had a combination
of characters of the two Indian genera Annandaliella Hirst, 1909 and Plesiophrictus,
and the African genus Euphrictus Hirst, 1908. Male specimens of the spider from Uttara
Kannada resembled morphologically Annandaliella travancoricaHirst, 1909, but on examining the specimen there were no stridulatory setae
between the chelicerae, which is an important generic character for Annandaliella. Furthermore, on looking at unpublished
notes based on the examination of type specimens in different European museums,
RR had made a special comment for Euphrictus spinosus Hirst,
1908—“very like Annandaliella but low spur and rastellum
present”. The spider from Uttara
Kannada possesses all these characters including similar palpal bulb
morphology, but differs from Euphrictus by the absence of stridulatory
spines on the prolateral surfaces of the chelicerae and well-developed double
tibial spur being present in males. It also closely resembles Plesiophrictus in male spur structure
but there were no spinules or granules between the spurs. After comparing with all the known
genera it was clear that it represents a new genus, which is phylogenetically
close to Plesiophrictus. The
publication of Guadanucci (2011) has cleared many a doubt regarding the genus
and helped extensively in the preparation of this paper. The new genus resembles Heterophrictus,
but has distinct multilobed spermathecae and well developed double tibial
spurs; these characters are consistently found in of all the three different
species reported in this paper. Therefore, the spider is assigned to the new genus Neoheterophrictus gen.nov. Probably, Plesiophrictus, Heterophrictus and Neoheterophrictusgen. nov. belong to the
same group and are good examples of Gondwana relict taxa.
In the present paper, we describe the new
genus Neoheterophrictus gen. nov. with three new species from the Western Ghats of Karnataka,
India. Neoheterophrictus crurofulvus sp. nov. (type species) and N. sahyadri sp. nov. are described here based on both the sexes, whereas, N.
uttarakannada sp. nov. is based only on female
specimens. Although male and female specimens of N. sahyadri were
collected from different localities, a subadult female was also collected along
with the male specimen, and based on its morphological and taxonomic
characters, which resembled the mature female, these specimens from different
locations were considered conspecific. Natural history notes for all the new species are provided.
METHODS
All specimens are deposited at Wildlife
Information Liaison Development Society, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Measurements of body parts, except for the eyes, were
made with a MitutoyoTM Vernier Calliper. Eye measurements were done with
calibrated ocular micrometer. All
measurements are in millimetres. Spermathecae were dissected and cleared in concentrated lactic acid in a
1000C water bath for 15–20 minutes. Total length excludes chelicerae. All
illustrations were prepared with the help of a camera lucida attached to a
MOTICTM stereomicroscope by MS and NG. The taxonomic description style follows
Siliwal & Molur (2009). All photographs by Manju Siliwal.
TAXONOMY
Neoheterophrictus gen. nov.
Siliwal & Raven
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:85A3DBB9-5357-45C2-AB75-CB2BB502AE44
Diagnosis
The new genus closely resembles Heterophrictusin the absence of serrula, procurved fovea, presence of rastellum on
chelicerae, scopulae on tarsi I-IV divided with setae but differs in
spermathecae structure, two receptacles, with many lobes/termini at the apex;
it also closely resembles Plesiophrictus by presence of two tibial
spurs, each with a pointed spine and female scopulae on tarsi I-IV divided with
setae, but differs from Plesiophrictus by serrula being absent; fovea
procurved; presence of rastellum on chelicerae; spermathecae structure, two
receptacles with many lobes at the apex; tegular keel absent on male palpal
bulb; absence of a row of stout black granules between primary and secondary
spur; male ta I-III divided by a row of hairs and ta IV divided by a band of
setae; presence of prolateral brush of large feathery hair (appearing like
scopulae from lateral view) on distal half of coxae, trochanter to patella of
leg I and on retrolateral distal half of trochanter to tibia and a band on
prolateral femorae of palp. The new
genus differs from the genus Ischnocolus and African genus Heterotheleby presence of tibial spur (absent in Ischnocolus); differs from
Afro-European genera Chaetopelma and Nesiergus by primary tibial
spur with only a single spine at its tip.
Description
Spider covered with a mat of short hair
(grey/brown/pallid), more dense on carapace, chelicerae and abdomen than on
legs, sternum, maxillae, labium and spinnerets. Cephalic region weakly raised. Eyes on ocular
tubercle. Fovea
slightly procurved. Clypeus very narrow or absent. Rastellum present on
anterior dorsoprolateral edge of chelicerae, distinct in female and greatly
reduced in male. All legs
subequal in thickness; tibiae to tarsi of leg IV covered with many long hairs;
metatarsi and tarsi of leg III and IV heavily spined. Thorn setae present on prolateral coxae
I and above suture band of setae partially covered with brush of grey hair. Brush of large feathery hair (appearing
like scopulae from lateral view) on prolateral distal half of coxae, trochanter
to patella of leg I and on retrolateral distal half of coxae, trochanter to
tibia and band on prolateral femorae of palp. Tarsal scopulae on all legs divided in
females with band of setae, which gets broader distally, in male tarsi I-III
divided with single row of hair and tarsi IV divided with band of setae. Male with double tibial spur on ventral
side of tibia I, primary spur, long, gradually narrowing down towards apex,
with prominent spine at tip; secondary spur rounded at apex with numerous
bristles, hairs and a few tubercles on inner side, long curved spine emerge at
base of secondary spur, covering spur on its retrolateral aspect. Male palp simple, palpal bulb simple
without any keel or protrusions, embolus long, gradually tapering towards tip
and without keels. Spermathecae, two receptacles, each with many lobes at apex
(resembling sketch of a tree).
Etymology
The name is a combination of two words
‘neo’ and ‘heterophrictus’, neo in Latin meaning new and ‘heterophrictus’ is a
genus name within the family Theraphosidae to which the new genus resembles.
Type species
Neoheterophrictus crurofulvus sp. nov., based on female and male
specimens deposited at WILD, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Species included
Neoheterophrictus crurofulvus sp. nov., N. sahyadri sp. nov., andN. uttarakannada sp. nov.
Distribution
Western Ghats, India.
Neoheterophrictus crurofulvus sp. nov.
(Images 1–2, Figs. 1A–I, 2A–J, 3A–D, Table
1–2, Appendix 1)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F5A6C6B8-A2A6-4C30-BCD1-CEED1ECC3BAE
Type material:
Holotype: female, 5.v.2010, Kulgi, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka,
India (15.1670280N & 74.6170830E, 521m), coll. M.
Siliwal, S. Chauhan, K. Ramesh, WILD-10-ARA-1067.
Allotype: male, 10.xii.2009, same data as holotype,
coll. M. Siliwal, S. Behera, WILD-09-ARA-472.
Paratypes: 4 females, same data as holotype, WILD-10-ARA-1061, WILD-10-ARA-1065,
WILD-10-ARA-1066, WILD-10-ARA-1088; 1 female, 22.xi.2009, near Nagoda forest
guest house, Joida, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India (15.192800N,
74.6170830E, 584m), coll. M. Siliwal, S. Behera, WILD-09-ARA-420; 1
male, same data as allotype, WILD-09-ARA-473; 2 juveniles, 1-5.v.2010, same
data as holotype, coll. M. Siliwal, S. Chauhan, K. Ramesh, WILD-10-ARA-1081,
WILD-10-ARA-1082.
Diagnosis
Female differs from other known species in
spermathecae structure (Fig. 1I), two receptacles, each long slightly narrowing
down at apex, many very small or minute lobes at apex resembling inflorescence
of flower; legs, chelicerae, margins of carapace and ventral and lateral sides
of abdomen coffee brown, rest black in life (Image 1).
Male of the new species differs by primary
tibial spur narrowing down gradually towards apex with pointed spine at the
tip; absence of thick spine at the base of primary tibial spur (Fig. 2J) on
retrolateral aspect; distal two-third of metatarsi and complete tarsi of all
legs is white (Image 2).
Etymology
The species name is a combination of two
Latin words, ‘cruro’ (for legs or limbs) and ‘fulvus’ (for tawny or
yellowish-brown). Crurofulvus refers to the light brown legs of the female spider,
which is not seen in any other known Indian theraphosid.
Description of holotype female (WILD-10-ARA-1067)
Female: Carapace 11.41 long, 9.51wide, chelicerae 6.64 long. Abdomen
14.25 long, 7.09 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.14 long, 0.45 wide, 0.56
apart; PLS, 1.98 basal, 1.46 middle, 1.73 apical, mid-width 0.81, 0.76, 0.58
respectively, 5.17 total length. Leg and palp morphometry in
Table 1.
Colour
in life (Image 1): Carapace, dorsal base of chelicerae and
dorsal side of abdomen black, reflects greyish shade in light. Legs, chelicerae,
margins of carapace and ventral and lateral sides of abdomen along with long
hairs pale/coffee brown. Leg
IV appears to be incrassate in life because of presence of long hair (not as
dense as seen in Lyrognathus).
Carapace
(Fig. 1A): Length to width ratio 1.20;
reddish-brown, lighter towards periphery; covered with a strong mat of short
black hairs, more dense towards margins and concentrated along striae radiating
from fovea, long, curved, light brown hairs at periphery. Bristles: 11 long on caput
in mid-dorsal line; 5 long anteromedially; 9 long, 5 short between PME; 11
long, 8 short on clypeus edge. Mat of fine hair on anterior
and posterior ocular area, fine golden hair at base of PLE. Fovea deep, slightly
procurved. Two glabrous
bands emerging from anteriolateral sides of carapace, on either side of caput,
broadens posteriorly and ends up much before fovea. Caput not much higher
than cephalic and thoracic region.
Eyes
(Fig. 1B): Group occupies 0.26 of head-width; ratio of group width to length 1.89. ALE clearly larger
than rest, PME clearly smaller than rest. Eyes on ocular
tubercle. Eye diameter: ALE,
0.42; AME, 0.36; PLE, 0.33; PME, 0.19. Distance between eyes: AME-AME, 0.17; PME-PLE, adjacent; AME-ALE, 0.08;
PME-PME, 0.69. Ocular
Quadrate, 0.89 long, 1.68 wide. MOQ: length, 0.71; front width, 0.89;
back width, 1.05. Clypeus absent.
Maxillae
(Fig. 1C,E): 3.46 long in front, 4.56 long in back, 2.18 wide. Posterior edge near heel
concave; anterior lobe distinct, serrula absent, long bristles present;
posterior ventral edge straight. Cuspules: ca. 200 sparsely arranged in anterior cornerin triangle region. Prolateral
face, scattered short and long hair present, a few short setae above maxillary
suture, setae and bristles absent. Retrolateral face reddish-orange, glabrous in centre with thin short
(stiff black bristles) spines on distal quarter, posterior and retroventral
edge.
Labium
(Fig. 1C): 1.55 long, 1.94 wide; ca. 100 cuspules in
band for one-fourth of length anteriorly; cuspules similar in size to those on
maxillae. Basal
groove shallow, distinct. Labiosternal groove convex. One pair of large
sigilla present in labiosternal groove but not meeting in centre.
Chelicerae
(Fig. 1D): Intercheliceral spines absent. Cheliceraelyra absent. Prolateral, not smooth, band with
sparsely covered hairs running on curved chelicerae shape just below
dorso-prolateral face with 3–4 stiff bristles at base; retrolateral faces
glabrous, reddish-brown; 12 promarginal teeth, 42 basomesal teeth. Rastellum
present, 33 short thick curved spines in 2–3 rows present on
dorsoprolateral edge of chelicerae.
Sternum
(Fig. 1C): 5.20 long, 4.80 wide. Almost round, high
in centre, sloping gradually, covered with long and short brown hair. Posterior angle short,
blunt and not separating coxae IV. Posterior edge clearly seen. Prostrate hair mat strong, dense, of
pallid hairs. Single row of long black bristles like hair
present on margins. Pedicel pallid, not seen properly.
Sigilla
(Fig. 1C): 3 pairs, posterior, oval, 0.31diameter,
ca. 2.16 apart, 1.01 from margin; middle, oval, 0.25 diameter, 3.58 apart, 0.39
from margin; anterior, very small, round, marginal.
Legs: Formula 4123. Leg I clearly thicker than IV, II subequal to IV. Basifemoral thorns absent on all. Mat of short feathery hair (Image 1,
resembling scopulae hair) present on prolateral side of distal half of coxae,
trochanter to basal half of patella of leg I and on retrolateral side of distal
half of coxae, trochanter to tibia of palp (not as dense as on leg I). Metatarsus III 1.5 times longer than
tarsus, metatarsus IV 2.00 times longer than tarsus, rest slightly longer (1.30
times) than tarsi.
Spines: I: ti, v=2; mt, v=1. II: ti, p=1, v=3; mt, p=1, v=4. III: pa, p=1, ti,
p=1, v=3, r=1; mt, p=2, v=6, r=2. IV: ti, p=1, v=4, r=4; mt, p=3, v=9, r=3.
Palp: ti: v=2. Spines on distal metatarsi: I, 1 distal ventral; II-III-IV, 1 distal ventral, 2 distal ventrolateral.
Trichobothria:Tarsi: I, 30 clavate, 16 long and short filiform; II,
30 clavate, 24 long and short filiform; III, 24 clavate, 24 long and short
filiform; IV, 14 clavate, 20 long and short filiform; palp, 23 clavate, 12 long
and short filiform. Clavate on I-IV in distal three-quarters in two rows; filiforms
only in basal three-quarters. Short epitrichobothrial hair field on tarsi as wide as
clavates and uniform height for length.
Coxae
(Figs. 1F-G): Coxal bases dorsally easily seen from
above (Image 1). I longest, about
1.33 times length of II; IV clearly widest and basally
with anterior corner distinct, edge curves dorsally, rounded at interface. Coxae ventrally with short golden brown
hair, weak thorns present on prolateral faces of I-II and very much reduced on
III-IV, sparsely distributed in basal one half portion on coxae I, one fourth
basal on coxae II, very few on proventral basal edge; above suture thick
blackish-brown long thick stiff setae along with brush of fine grey hair on leg
I-II, on III-IV reduced to a few setae. I-IV ventrally covered with golden brown mat of small hairs at base of
coxa, long and short black and pallid hair, all coxae sloping backward.
Retrolateral setation: I-III with median narrow light thin brush of pallid
hair, IV glabrous.
Leg
pilosity: Leg
III-IV, tibia to tarsi covered with long hairs, leg IV appears incrassate. Femorae of all legs have pallid brush
like long hair ventrally. All legs
covered with mat of greenish-brown short hair. Number of long hairs extending well
above base layer, I: pa, v=4; ti, d=4, p=3, v=8, r=2; mt,
d=5, p=4, v=3, r-2; ta, d=2. II: pa, d=2, v=4; ti, d=7, p=4, v=8, r=3; mt, d=9,
p=2, v=5, r=3; ta, d=2. III: pa, d=5, p=6, v=3, r=6; ti, d=7, p=12, v=26, r=16;
mt, d=18, p=7, v=21, r=14; ta, d=2, p=2, r=2. IV: pa, d=8, p=10, v=4, r=17; ti,
d=28, p=32, v=24, r=48; mt, d=38, p=40, v=34, r=80; ta, d=24, p=14, r=36.
Scopulae: Entire on all tarsi, divided with setae, division broader distally; ta
I, divided centrally with 2–3 setae (distally with band of 6–8
setae), ta II-III, divided with band of 3–4 (distally 12–16) setae,
ta IV, divided with band of 5–6 (distally 16–20) setae; mt I,
distal three-quarters; mt II, distal half; mt III-IV, distal quarter,
scanty. Metatarsi scopulae
intermixed with long black hair and bristles. No scopula on proventral tibiae.
Tarsal
weakness: Not prominent.
Claws: Paired claws on leg I-IV without dentition and single bare claw on
palp. Claw tufts well developed but
not obscuring claws.
Abdomen
pilosity (Image 1): cuticle not exposed dorsally and
ventrally; dorsally covered with a thick mat of black hair, a fine layer of
brown long and short hair, many pallid; ventrally and ventrolateral uniformly
greenish-brown, thick mat of fine pallid hair, intermixed uniformly with long
pallid and golden hair. Abdomen slightly broader posteriorly.
Spinnerets
(Fig. 1H): Two pairs, digitiform, yellowish with
brown hairs.
Spermathecae
(Fig. 1I): Two receptacles with multiple minute
lobes (like inflorescence of flower) at apex. Each
receptacle, long, broader at base, slightly tapering towards apex (like a tree
trunk).
Variations in female paratypes (n=5):
Total length: 20.33–25.78
(23.81±2.23). Carapace: 10.14–11.58 (10.81±0.54) long, 7.92–9.65
(9.18±0.71) wide. Ocular group:
0.58–0.65 (0.62±0.03) long, 1.50–1.64 (1.59±0.06) wide. MOQ: 0.50–0.73 (0.64±0.10) long, front width 0.61–0.95
(0.77±0.15), back width 0.96–1.19 (1.05±0.10). Labium:
1.12–1.55 (1.26±0.17) long, 1.27–1.94 (1.46±0.28) wide;
55–100 cuspules. Sternum: 4.65–5.43 (5.07±0.31) long, 3.87–5.24 (4.74±0.52)
wide. Maxillae: 1.73–3.46
(2.50±0.63) long in front, 2.62–4.56 (3.38±0.74) long in back,
2.18–4.35 (3.33±0.95) wide; cuspules 150–280. Abdomen: 10.19–14.25 (13.02±1.70)
long, 6.01–7.63 (6.86±0.59) wide. Leg and palp morphometry in Table 1.
Description of allotype male (WILD-09-ARA-472):
Total length 20.64. Carapace 10.28 long, 8.84
wide, chelicerae 5.53 long. Abdomen 10.36 long, 5.26 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.40 long, 0.27 wide,
0.52 apart; PLS, 1.43 basal, 0.92 middle, 1.09 apical, mid-width 0.69, 0.41,
0.32 respectively, 3.44 total length. Leg and palp
morphometry in Table 2.
Colour
in life (Image 2): Carapace, chelicerae and dorsal side of
abdomen greenish-black. Carapace margin lighter. Legs greyish-black except for distal
two-third of metatarsi of legs and tarsi of legs and palp white (brighter on
anterior legs than posterior legs and palp). Chelicerae and dorsal
side of coxae and trochanter creamish/pallid. Legs and abdomen covered with long
pallid hairs and black bristles with orange tips.
Carapace
(Fig. 2A): Length to width ratio 1.16;
reddish-brown, lighter at periphery; covered with a strong mat of short golden
brown hairs intermixed with short black hairs, more dense towards margins and
concentrated along interstitial ridges radiating from fovea, long curved light
brown bristles with pallid tips at periphery on posterior half of
carapace. Bristles: 4 long, 9 short
anteromedially; 4 long, 7 short between PME; 12 long, 11 short on clypeus
edge. Mat of fine
hair on anterior and posterior ocular area, fine golden hair at base of PLE. Fovea deep, slightly
procurved. Two glabrous
bands emerging from anteriorlateral sides of carapace, on either side of caput,
broadens posteriorly and ends before fovea. Caput not much higher
than cephalic and thoracic region.
Eyes
(Fig. 2B): Group occupies 0.29 of head-width; ratio of group width to length 1.81. ALE clearly larger
than rest, PME smaller than anterior eyes. Eyes on
ocular tubercle. Eye
diameter: ALE, 0.35; AME, 0.29; PLE, 0.27; PME, 0.25. Distance between eyes:
AME-AME, 0.12; PME-PLE, adjacent; AME-ALE, 0.05; PME-PME, 0.58. Ocular Quadrate, 0.66
long, 1.20 wide. MOQ:
length, 0.58; front width, 0.80; back width, 0.95; difference between back and
front width, 0.15. Clypeus very narrow.
Maxillae
(Fig. 2C,E): 2.64 long in front, 3.72 long in back, 1.83 wide. Posterior edge near heel concave, anterior lobe
distinct, serrula absent, long bristles present; posterior ventral edge
straight. Cuspules: ca. 190 in
anterior corner in triangle region. Prolateral face, scattered short and long hair present, few short stiff
hair above maxillary suture, setae and bristles absent. Retrolateral face reddish-orange,
glabrous in centre with thin short (stiff black bristles) spines on distal
quarter, posterior and retroventral edge.
Labium
(Fig. 2C): 0.89 long, 1.34 wide; ca. 80 cuspules in
band for one-fourth of length anteriorly; cuspules similar in size to those on
maxillae. Basal
groove shallow, distinct. Labiosternal groove convex. One pair of large
sigilla present in labiosternal groove.
Chelicerae
(Fig. 2D): 5.53 long, intercheliceral spines absent.
Chelicerae lyra absent. Prolateral, not smooth, band
with faint ridges (at the half way point of band), sparsely covered with hairs
running on curved chelicerae shape in just below dorso-prolateral face with 3-4
stiff bristles at base; retrolateral faces glabrous, reddish-brown; 16
promarginal and 39 basomesal teeth in 2-4 rows. Rastellum present, not as prominent as
in female, 18 short and long thick, curved bristle-like spines in 2-3 rows on
dorsoprolateral edge of chelicerae.
Sternum
(Fig. 2C): 4.62 long, 4.39 wide. Slightly oval (more roundish), broader
posteriorly, high in centre, sloping gradually, covered with long and short
brown hair. Posterior
angle short and blunt and not separating coxae IV. Posterior edge clearly
seen. A few scattered small
pallid hair covering base of sternum like mat but not
dense and not covering sternum. 2-3
rows of long black bristle-like hair present on margins posteriorly. Pedicle pallid, not
seen properly.
Sigilla
(Fig. 2C): Three pairs, posterior sigilla, oval,
0.37 diameter, ca. 1.41 apart, 0.60 from margin; median sigilla, oval, 0.29
diameter, 3.24 apart, 0.12 from margin; anterior, very small, round, marginal.
Legs
(Figs. 2I-J): Formula 4123. All legs almost subequal in thickness. Basifemoral thorns absent on all. Mat of short feather hair (Image 2,
resembling scopulae hair) present on prolateral side of distal half of coxae,
trochanter to basal half of patella of leg I and on retrolateral side of distal
half of coxae, trochanter to tibia of palp (not as dense as on leg I). Mt IV 2.98 times longer than ta IV, rest 2.00-2.40 times longer than ta. Tibial apophysis
consists of two spurs ventrally, primary spur on ventro-retrolateral surface,
long, gradually narrowing down slightly towards apex, with prominent spine at
tip; secondary spur on ventro-prolateral aspect of primary spur, rounded at
apex with numerous bristles, hairs and a few tubercles on the inner side of it,
long curved spine emerge at base of secondary spur, covering spur on its
retrolateral aspect. No granules or spines present between two spurs.
Spines: I:
ti, v=2 spur, each with pointed spine; mt, v=1. II: ti, p=1, v=3; mt, p=1, v=3.
III: ti, p=r=1, v=4; mt, p=r=2, v=5. IV: ti, p=3, r=1, v=4; mt, p=r=3, v=5.
Spines on distal metatarsi: I, 1 ventral; II, 2 ventrolateral; III-IV, 1
ventral, 2 ventrolateral.
Trichobothria: ta I, 25 clavate, 10 long and 10 short filiform; ta II, 23 clavate, 10
long and 20 short filiform in 2 rows for length; ta III, 22 clavate, 12 long
and 13 short filiform; ta IV, 22 clavate, 14 long and 20 short filiform and 15
clavate, 8 long and 6 short filiform on palp. Clavate on I-IV in
distal three-quarters in two bands; filiforms for length. Short
epitrichobothrial field on all legs as wide as clavates and uniform height for
length.
Coxae
(Fig. 2F-G): Coxal
bases dorsally easily seen from above. I longest, about 1.30 times longer than II; IV
clearly widest and basally with anterior corner distinct, edge curves dorsally,
rounded at interface. I-IV
ventrally covered with short golden brown hair at base accompanied by long and
short black and pallid hair, weak thorns present on prolateral faces of I-II
but not as dense as in female and very much reduced on III, absent on IV,
sparsely distributed in basal one half portion on coxae I, one fourth basal on
coxae II, very few on proventral basal edge; above suture thick blackish-brown
long thick stiff setae along with brush of fine grey hair on I, reduced on II,
only few setae on III-IV. I-II slopping forward and III-IV backward. Retrolateral
setation: I-III with median narrow light brush of pallid hair, IV
glabrous.
Leg
pilosity: All
legs not very hairy, III-IV relatively more hairy than I-II. Femorae of all legs ventrally have
pallid brush like long hairs. All
legs covered with mat of greenish-brown short hairs along with black bristles
and pallid hairs. Number of long hairs extending well
above base layer, I: fe p=d=r=10 ,v=50; pa, p=r=2, d=5, v=7; ti, p=5, d=15, r=7, v=20; mt, d=v=10, p=r=7; ta,
d=6, p=3, r=3. II: fe d=12, p=4, r=10, v=30; pa, d=4, p=2, r=6, v=5; ti, d=12,
p=r=6, v=20; mt, d=15, p=4, r=6, v=14; ta, d=10, p=4, r=2. III: fe, d=10, p=7,
r=20, v=30; pa, d=r=4, p=v=2; ti, d=r=10, p=4, v=20; mt, d=12, p=4, v=10, r=7;
ta, d=3, p=5, r=6. IV: fe, d=p=10, v=25, r=20; pa,
d=6, p=r=5, v=4; ti, d=8, p=16, v=30, r=10; mt, d=30, p=20, v=25, r=50; ta,
d=15, p=10, v=2, r=15.
Scopulae: Entire on all tarsi, intermixed with hair and divided with hair on
I-III and divided by setae on IV, division broader distally, dividing setae
brown with pallid tips and hair pallid; ta I-III, only one setae (distal with
band of 3-4 setae), ta IV, divided with band of 4-5 (distally 8-9) setae. Mt I, distal
three-quarters; met II, distal half; mt III-IV, distal quarter, scanty. Metatarsi scopulae intermixed with long
black hair and bristles. No scopula on proventral tibiae.
Tarsal
weakness: Not
prominent.
Claws: Paired claws on leg I-IV without dentition
and single bare claw on palp. Claw
tufts well developed but not obscuring claws.
Abdomen
pilosity (Image 2): Cuticle not exposed dorsally and
ventrally; dorsally covered with a thick mat of brown hair, a fine layer of
black, brown long and short hair, many pallid; ventrally and ventrolateral
uniformly greenish-brown, thick mat of fine pallid hair, intermixed uniformly
with long pallid hair.
Spinnerets
(Fig. 2H): Two
pairs, digitiform, yellowish covered with brown hairs.
Palp
(Figs. 3A–D): Tarsi divided distally but not deep. Bulb large and twisted on cymbium with long embolus. Embolus
emerges from posterioventral area of the tegulum, takes 1800 bend
and gradually tapers towards the tip, diverting away from the bulb.
Variations in male paratype
Total length: 18.79. Carapace: 8.73 long, 7.53 wide. Ocular group: 0.65 long, 1.26 wide. MOQ: 0.50 long, front width 0.68, back
width 0.84. Labium damaged. Sternum: 3.98 long, 3.59 wide. Maxillae: 2.97 long in front, 3.59 long
in back, 1.99 wide; cuspules 155. Abdomen: 10.06 long, 6.36 wide. Leg and palp
morphometry in Table 2.
Natural History
Males of the species were found in mixed
forest and semievergreen patch of forest under decaying logs or rocks with
60–70% of canopy cover, 30–80% ground cover (based on season) and
0–20% rock cover. No male was
found in the burrow. Females were
found in burrows constructed vertically on sloping ground (15–400),
burrows were facing sloping direction and were mostly found around the base of
large trees or decaying logs. Burrows of female resembled those of Arctosa spp. (Lycosidae)
with minimal silk (few strands) at the entrance and inside the burrow. The first female was found wandering on
a katchcha (unmetalled, country) road, near a fresh landslide by the roadside
bund because of the previous night’s rain. Probably, the burrow had been destroyed by the
landslide and, when spotted, the female was in search of a new site to
construct her burrow. Searching for
other females was hampered by the lack of a thick layer of silk at the burrow
entrance (confused for a lycosid spider burrow), which is characteristic of a
theraphosid burrow. The burrows
were 15–25 mm in diameter and 0.15–0.25 m deep. In May 2010, one empty eggsac was found
in the burrow with the female; probably the eggsac was from the previous
season. No eggsac was found in
April–May. Mature males were
observed from September to March.
Neoheterophrictus sahyadri sp. nov.
(Image 3–4, Figs. 4A–I, 5A–H, 6A–F, Table 3)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3742F690-386A-4C3E-BA7C-97378673A96D
Type specimens
Holotype: Female, 19.iv.2010, mixed forest, Between Nagoda and Joida, Uttara
Kannada, Karnataka, India (15.1880280N & 74.4900560E,
584m), coll. M. Siliwal, N. Gupta, S. Chauhan, WILD-10-ARA-1008.
Allotype: Male, 24.i.2010, Kadra, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India (14.918970N
& 74.360710E, 29m), coll. S. Behara, M. Siliwal, Neha Gupta, WILD-10-ARA-579.
Paratype: 1 female, 26.ix.2009, data same as
allotype, coll. M. Siliwal, S. Behera, WILD-09-ARA-418.
Diagnosis
Females of N. sahyadri sp. nov. differ from other species in
spermathecae structure (Fig. 4I), two receptacles, each receptacle not very
long and broad, constricted at apex, where 6–7 large contiguous lobes
present (in N. crurofulvus sp. nov., receptacles relatively longer and
gradually narrowing down towards apex and many, very small lobes);
cephalothorax, chelicerae, legs and abdomen greenish-black in life (Image 3)
(in N. crurofulvus sp. nov., legs, chelicerae, margins of carapace and
ventral and lateral sides of abdomen coffee brown, rest black in life); tarsi
of same colour as legs, blackish-brown (in N. crurofulvus sp. nov., legs
uniformly coloured, coffee-brown).
Male of N. sahyadri sp. nov. differs by the presence of
thick spine at base of primary tibial spur on retrolateral aspect (Fig. 6B);
palp embolus gently curving retrolaterally towards tip; metatarsi and tarsi of
all legs completely white (whereas in N. crurofulvus sp. nov. distal
two-thirds of metatarsi and complete tarsi white), more brighter on anterior
legs than posterior legs (Image 4); spider lighter in colour than male of N.crurofulvus sp. nov.
Etymology
The species name is a noun in apposition
for Sahyadri, vernacular name for the Western Ghats.
Description of female holotype (WILD-10-ARA-1008)
Total length 22.78. Carapace 10.51 long, 7.91 wide, chelicerae 6.08 long. Abdomen 12.27 long, 6.80 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.13 long,
0.29 wide, 0.46 apart; PLS, 1.45 basal, 1.08 middle, 1.10 apical, mid-width
0.78, 0.71, 0.51 respectively, 3.63 total length.
Colour
in life (Image 3): Carapace,
chelicerae, legs and abdomen greenish-black, reflects greyish shade in light. Periphery of carapace, legs and abdomen
covered with pallid long hairs with black bristles with orange red tips.
Carapace
(Fig. 4A): Length
to width ratio 1.30; reddish-brown; covered with strong mat of short
greyish-brown hairs, more dense towards margins and concentrated along striae
radiating from fovea, long curved light brown hairs with pallid tips at
periphery. Bristles: 17 long on
caput in anteromedially; 7 long and 14-16 short between anterior eyes; 9 long,
6 short between PME; 9 long, 8 short on clypeus edge. Mat of fine hair on
anterior and posterior ocular area, fine grey hair between ALE-PLE. Fovea deep, slightly
procurved. Two glabrous
bands emerging from anteriorlateral sides of carapace on either side of caput
broadens posteriorly and ends up before fovea. Caput not much
higher than cephalic and thoracic region.
Eyes
(Fig. 4B): Group
occupies 0.30 of head-width; ratio of group width to
length 1.98. ALE
clearly larger than rest, PME clearly smaller than PLE. Eye diameter: ALE, 0.41; AME, 0.26; PLE,
0.23; PME, 0.20. Distance between eyes: AME-AME, 0.13; PME-PLE, adjacent;
AME-ALE, 0.02; PME-PME, 0.65. Ocular Quadrate, 0.74 long,
1.47 wide. MOQ: length, 0.63; front width, 0.66; back width, 1.09.
Clypeus narrow.
Maxillae
(Fig. 4C,E): 3.11 long in front, 4.47 long in back, 2.22 wide. Posterior edge near heel concave, anterior lobe
distinct, serrula absent, long bristles present; posterior ventral edge
straight. Cuspules: ca. 160 sparsely arranged in anterior cornerin triangle region. Prolateral
face, scattered short and long hair present, few short stiff hair above
maxillary suture, setae and bristles absent. Retrolateral face reddish-orange,
glabrous in centre with thin short (stiff black bristles) spines on distal
quarter, posterior and retroventral edge.
Labium
(Fig. 4C): 1.27 long, 1.49 wide; ca 24 cuspules in
band (in two groups) for one-fourth of length anteriorly; cuspules similar in
size to those on maxillae. Basal groove shallow, distinct. Labiosternal groove
convex. One
pair of large sigilla present in labiosternal groove but not meeting in centre.
Chelicerae
(Fig. 4D): Intercheliceral
spines absent. Chelicerae lyra absent. Prolateral, not smooth, band with ridges
sparsely covered with hairs running on curved chelicerae shape in just below
dorso-prolateral face with 4-5 stiff bristles at base, a few scattered small
hairs present on prolateral face; retrolateral faces glabrous, reddish-brown;
16 promarginal teeth , 28 basomesal teeth in 1-4
rows. Rastellum present, 21 short thick
curved spines in 1-2 rows present on dorso-prolateral edge of chelicerae.
Sternum
(Fig. 4C): 4.40 long, 4.08 wide. Almost round, high in centre, sloping
gradually, covered with long and short black hair. Posterior angle short
and blunt and not separating coxae IV. Posterior edge clearly
seen. A few scattered small
pallid hair covering base of sternum like mat, but not dense. 1-2 rows of long black bristles like
hair present on margins posteriorly. Pedicle pallid, not seen properly.
Sigilla
(Fig. 4C): three
pairs, posterior sigilla, oval, 0.29 diameter, ca. 1.47 apart, 0.64 from
margin; middle, oval, 0.18 diameter, 3.12 apart, 0.20 from margin; anterior,
very small, round, marginal.
Legs: Formula 4132. All legs almost subequal in thickness,
reddish-brown. Basifemoral
thorns absent on all. Mat of
short feathery hair (Image 3, resembling scopulae hair) present on prolateral
side of distal half of coxae, trochanter to patella of leg I and on
retrolateral side of distal half of coxae, trochanter to tibia of palp (not as
dense as on leg I); also narrow band of feather hair present on prolateral side
of femorae of palp. Mt III-IV 2.06
to 2.14 times longer than ta.
Spines: I: mt, v=1. II: ti, v=2; mt, v=4. III: pa, p=1, ti, p=1, r=1, v=4; mt,
p=r=2, v=6. IV: ti, p=r=2, v=4; mt, p=r=2, v=6. Palp: ti: p=1. Spines on
distal metatarsi: I, 1 ventral; II, 1ventral, 2 ventrolateral; III-IV,
1ventral, 2 ventrolateral.
Trichobothria: Tarsi: I, 28 clavate, 11 long and 8 short filiform; II, 29 clavate, 10
long and 7 short filiform; III, 29 clavate, 8 long and 6 short filiform; IV, 24
clavate, 11 long and 6 short filiform; palp, 27 clavate, 6 long and 4 short
filiform. Clavate
on I-IV in distal three-quarters in two rows; filiforms only in basal
three-quarters. Short epitrichobothrial hair field on tarsi as wide as clavates and
uniform height for length but not very dense as seen in theraphosids.
Coxae
(Figs. 4F-G): Coxal bases dorsally easily seen from
above. I longest, about 1.33 times
length of II; IV clearly widest, edge curves dorsally, rounded at
interface. Coxae ventrally with
short and long black hair, weak thorns present on prolateral faces of I-II and
very much reduced on III-IV, sparsely distributed in basal one half portion on
coxae I, one fourth basal on coxae II, very few on proventral basal edge; above
suture thick blackish-brown long thick stiff setae along with brush of fine
grey hair on leg I-II, on III-IV reduced to a few setae. I-IV ventrally covered
with a mat of small grey hairs at base of coxae, intermixed with long and short
black and pallid hair, all coxa sloping forward. Retrolateral setation: I-III
with median narrow light thin brush of pallid hair in centre, IV glabrous.
Leg
pilosity: Posterior
legs more hairy than anterior legs. Femorae of all legs ventrally have pallid
brush like long hair but not very dense. All legs covered with a mat of greyish-brown short hair. A number of long hairs extending well above base layer, I: fe, p=10, d=15, v=50; pa, d=8, p=2, v=10,
r=12; ti, d=12, p=15, v=14, r=13; mt, d=6, p=15, v=8, r=12; ta, d=p=5, r=4. II:fe, d=15, p=5, v=25, r=15; pa, d=r=4, p=2, v=7; ti,
d=12, p=10, v=21, r=7; mt, d=10, p=12, v=16, r=6; ta, d=6, p=18, r=12. III: fe, d=20, p=14, v=40, r=12; pa, d=8, p=5, v=4, r=3; ti,
d=10, p=15, v=25, r=15; mt, d=p=20, v=30, r=20; ta, d=7, p=9, r=7. IV: fe, d=p=20, v=35; pa, d=18, p=10, v=15, r=25; ti, d=p=20,
v=15, r=25; mt, d=p=25, v=20, r=30; ta, d=6, p=25, r=20. Palp: fe, d=, v=25; pa, d=, v=4; ti, d=, p=4, v=14, r=5; ta, d=,
p= r=8.
Scopulae: Entire on all tarsi, divided with setae, division broader distally; ta
I, divided centrally with band of 3-4 setae (distally 5-6 setae), ta II,
divided with band of 5-6 setae (distally 8-9 setae), ta III, divided with band
of 5-6 setae (distally 8-10 setae), ta IV, divided with band of 5-6 setae
(distally 9-10 setae); palp ta divided with band of 4-5 setae (distally 6-8
setae). Metatarsi
scopulae undivided and intermixed with long black hair and bristles. No scopula on proventral tibiae.
Tarsal
weakness: Not prominent.
Claws: Paired claws on leg I-IV without dentition and single bare claw on
palp. Claw tufts well developed but not obscuring claws.
Abdomen
pilosity (Image 3): Oval; cuticle not
exposed dorsally and ventrally, covered with a thick mat of black-brown hair
intermixed with long and short black hair, many pallid hairs.
Spinnerets
(Fig. 4H): Two pairs, digitiform, yellowish with
brown hairs.
Spermathecae
(Fig. 4I): Two receptacles with multiple large lobes
at apex. Each receptacle stout, broader (almost as wide as width of the cluster
of lobes at apex) with constriction at apex, where a cluster of 6–7 large
contiguous lobes (of different size) present; spermatheca appears like a tree
with a stout trunk.
Description of allotype male (WILD-10-ARA-579)
Total length 19.27. Carapace 10.04 long, 8.78 wide, chelicerae 5.36 long. Abdomen 9.23 long,
4.51 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.54 long, 0.33 wide, 0.21 apart; PLS, 1.05 basal, 1.37 middle, 1.30 apical, mid-width 0.35,
0.49, 0.35 respectively, 3.72 total length.
Colour in life (Image 4): Carapace,
greenish-brown with lighter margins. Legs and palp
greenish-brown except for metatarsi of legs and tarsi of legs and palp white
(brighter on anterior legs than posterior legs and palp); margins of carapace
lighter. Chelicerae
and dorsal side of coxae and trochanter creamish/pallid. Abdomen dorsal and ventral light brown.
Carapace
(Fig. 5A): Length
to width ratio 1.14; reddish-brown, lighter towards periphery; covered with a
strong mat of short golden/pallid hairs, more dense towards margins and
concentrated along striae radiating from fovea, long, curved brown with pallid
tips hairs at periphery. Bristles:
6 long, many short anteromedially; 8 long, many short like brush of pallid
hairs between PME; 12 long, 11 short on clypeus edge. A mat of fine hair on
anterior and posterior ocular area, fine golden hair between PLE-ALE, PME-PME,
ALE-ALE. Fovea
deep, slightly procurved. Two glabrous bands emerging from anteriorlateral sides of carapace, on
either side of caput, broadens posteriorly and ends before fovea. Caput is not higher than cephalic and
thoracic region.
Eyes
(Fig. 5B): Group occupies 0.47 of head-width; ratio of group width to length 2.09. ALE clearly larger
than rest, PME smaller than rest. Eyes on ocular tubercle. Eye diameter: ALE, 0.31; AME, 0.29; PLE,
0.27; PME, 0.26. Distance between eyes: AME-AME, 0.06; PME-PLE, adjacent;
AME-ALE, 0.04; PME-PME, 0.47. Ocular Quadrate, 0.65 long, 1.36 wide. MOQ: length, 0.54;
front width, 0.59; back width, 0.98; difference between back and front width,
0.39. Clypeus very narrow.
Maxillae
(Fig. 5C,E): 2.67 long in front, 3.59 long in back, 1.73 wide. Posterior edge near heel concave, anterior lobe distinct, serrula
absent, long bristles present; posterior ventral edge straight. Cuspules: ca.140 in anterior corner in
triangle region. Prolateral face, scattered short and long hair present, a few
short stiff hair above maxillary suture with setae and bristles absent. Retrolateral face reddish-orange,
glabrous in centre with thin short (stiff black bristles) spines on distal
quarter, posterior and retroventral edge.
Labium
(Fig. 5C): 1.19 long, 1.51 wide; ca. 70 cuspules in
band for quarter of length anteriorly; cuspules similar in size to those on
maxillae. Basal
groove shallow, distinct. Labiosternal groove convex. One pair of large sigilla present in
labiosternal groove, not touching at the centre.
Chelicerae
(Fig. 5D): 5.53 long, intercheliceral spines absent.
Chelicerae lyra absent. Prolateral, not smooth, band
with strong ridges (more prominent on mid band), sparsely covered with hairs
running in curved chelicerae shape just below dorso-prolateral face with
3–4 stiff bristles at base, and a few scattered small hairs present on
prolateral face; retrolateral faces glabrous, reddish-brown; 17 promarginal, 41
basomesal teeth in 1–4 rows. Rastellum not very prominent, covered with 17 stiff bristle-like spines
in 2–3 rows on anterior dorsoprolateral edge of chelicerae.
Sternum
(Fig. 5C): 4.63 long, 3.80 wide. Oval, high in centre, sloping gradually,
covered with long and short brown hair. Posterior angle short and blunt and not separating
coxae IV. Posterior
edge clearly seen. A few small pallid hair covering base of sternum like a mat but not
dense. A single row of long
brown bristle-like hair present on margins in posterior half. Pedicle pallid, not seen properly.
Sigilla
(Fig. 5C): three pairs, posterior sigilla, oval,
0.39 diameter, ca. 1.92 apart, 0.42 distance from margin; median sigilla, oval,
0.23 diameter, 2.40 apart, 0.13 from margin; anterior, very small, round,
marginal.
Legs
(Figs. 6A-B): Formula 4123. Reddish-brown, covered with a mat of
grey hair intermixed with hairs and bristles. All legs almost subequal in thickness. Basifemoral thorns absent on all. A mat of short feather hair (Image 4,
resembling scopulae hair) present on prolateral side of distal half of coxae,
trochanter to basal half of patella of leg I and on retrolateral side of distal
half of coxae, trochanter to tibia of palp (not as dense as on leg I). Mt IV 2.60 times longer than ta IV, rest 1.90 to 2.40 times longer than ta. Tibial apophysis consists of two spurs
ventrally, primary spur on ventro-retrolateral, long, slightly swollen at apex
with prominent spine at tip, at base of primary spur on retrolateral face long
thick straight spine; secondary spur on ventro-prolateral aspect of primary
spur, rounded at apex with numerous bristles, hairs and a few tubercles on the
inner side of it, long curved spine emerge at base of secondary spur, covering
spur on its retrolateral aspect. No
granules or spines present between two spurs.
Spines: I: ti, v=2 spurs, each with pointed spine, r=1; mt, v=1. II: ti, v=3,
r=1; mt, p=1, v=2. III: ti, p=1, r=2, v=4; mt, p=r=2, v=7. IV: ti, p=1, r=2,
v=4; mt, p=3, r=2, v=9. Spines on distal metatarsi: I, 1 ventral; II, 2
ventrolateral; III, 1 ventral, 2 ventrolateral, IV, 1 ventral, 2 ventrolateral.
Trichobothria: ta I, 34 clavate, 10 long and 6 short filiform; ta II, 30+broken
clavate, 12 long and 8 short filiform in 2 rows for length; ta III, 22+broken
clavate, 8 long and 6 short filiform; ta IV, 18+broken clavate, 10 long and 7
short filiform; palp, 26 clavate, 5 long and 4 short filiform. Clavate on I-IV in
distal three-quarters in two bands; filiforms for length. Short
epitrichobothrial hair field on all legs as wide as clavates and uniform height
for length.
Coxae
(Fig. 5F-G): Coxal
bases dorsally easily seen from above. I longest, about 1.30 times longer than II; IV
clearly widest and basally with anterior corner distinct, edge curves dorsally,
rounded at interface. I-IV
ventrally covered with a mat of small pallid hairs intermixed with long and
short black and pallid hair. Weak
thorns present on prolateral faces of I-II but not as dense as in female and
very much reduced on III, absent on IV, sparsely distributed in basal half of
coxae I, basal quarter of coxae II, very few on proventral basal edge; above
suture thick blackish-brown long thick stiff setae along with brush of fine
grey hair on I, reduced on II, only a few setae on III-IV. I-III sloping forward
and IV backward. Retrolateral setation: I-III with median
narrow light brush of pallid hair, IV glabrous.
Leg
pilosity: All
legs not very hairy, III-IV relatively more hairy than I-II. All legs covered with a thick mat of
pallid short hairs. Number of long hairs extending well
above base layer, I: fe d=10 ,v=30; pa, p=2, d=6; ti, p=7, d=15, r=10, v=12; mt, p=2+broken, d=15, v=12,
r=4+broken; ta, d=10, p=8, r=10, v=4. II: fe d=10,
r=5, v=50; pa, d=r=8, p=3, v=5; ti, d=15, p=5, r=12, v=25; mt, d=20, p=9, r=12,
v=16; ta, d=12, p=9, r=12, v=4. III: fe, d=8, p=10,
r=25, v=30; pa, d=r=4, p=7, v=10; ti, d=9, r=6, p=8, v=20; mt, d=35, p=17,
v=25, r=15; ta, d=10, p=12, r=15. IV: fe, d=8, p=10,
v=30, r=5; pa, p=8, r=4, v=5; ti, d=12, p=15, v=25, r=20; mt, d=45, p=25,
r=v=35; ta, d=7, p=16, r=20.
Scopulae: Entire on all tarsi, intermixed with hair and divided with hair on
tarsi I-III and tarsi IV divided with brown pale-tipped setae, division broader
distally; ta I-II, divided with single row of hairs (distal bunch of setae like
hairs at base of claw tufts; III, divided with a band of 3-4 setae (distal with
a bunch of setae), ta IV, divided with band of 4-5 setae (distally 10-12
setae). Mt I,
distal three-quarters; met II, distal half; mt III-IV, distal quarter, scanty. Metatarsi scopulae intermixed with long
black hair, bristles and spines. No
scopula on proventral tibiae.
Tarsal
weakness: not
prominent.
Claws: Paired claws on leg I-IV without dentition
and single bare claw on palp. Claw
tufts well developed but not obscuring claws.
Abdomen
pilosity (Image 4): Dorsally,
coffee-brown with greyish shade posteriorly, ventrally, greenish-brown. Cuticle not exposed dorsally and
ventrally; dorsally covered with a thick mat of pallid hair intermixed with
brown pale-tipped bristles; ventrally and ventrolateral uniformly
greenish-brown, a thick mat of fine pallid hair, intermixed uniformly with long
pallid hair.
Spinnerets
(Fig. 5H): Two
pairs, digitiform, yellowish covered with pallid hairs.
Palp
(Figs. 6C–F): Tarsi divided distally but not deep. Bulb large and twisted on cymbium with long embolus. Embolus emerges from posterioventral area
of the tegulum, takes a 1800 bend and
gradually tapers towards tip, diverting the retrolateral side of the bulb.
Natural History
Male and females of the species were found
in mixed forest and semievergreen patches or moist areas of forest under decaying
log or rocks with 60–70 % of canopy cover, 30–80 % ground cover
(based on season) and 0–20 % rock cover. No male was found in the burrow. Females were found in shallow
holes/burrows (maximum 30cm deep) below rock or decaying log. Females were found using burrows for
hiding when log or rock was disturbed, otherwise found
resting below the substrate. In the
resting place they had prepared a small border with mud. Habitat information is similar to N.
crurofulvus sp. nov.
Neoheterophrictus uttarakannada sp. nov.
(Image 5, Figs. 7A–H, Table 4)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:745FA172-9CDB-4873-895C-30F20E1EFF4D
Type specimens
Holotype: Female, 14.iv.2010, Anshi National Park, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka,
India (15.0080N & 74.3844720E, 538m), coll. M.
Siliwal, N. Gupta and S. Chauhan, WILD-10-ARA-923.
Paratype: 1 female, 13.iii.2010, mixed forest, between Nagoda and Joida, behind
agriculture fields, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India (15.1919720N
& 74.4886110E, 581m), coll. M. Siliwal, N. Gupta, S. Behera, K.
Ramesh, WILD-10-ARA-672.
Diagnosis
Female of the new species differs from
other species in spermathecae structure (Fig. 7H), two receptacles, each
receptacle relatively short and broader at base, gradually narrows towards
apex, where 6–7 large contiguous lobes (of varying size) present (in N.
crurofulvus sp. nov., receptacles relatively
longer and gradually narrowing down towards apex with many very small lobes at
apex; in N. sahyadri sp. nov., receptacles relatively short, broad,
uniform width with constriction at apex, where 6–7 large contiguous lobes
present); mt and ta I-II paler colour (yellowish-orange) and less hair than
rest of the legs parts (in N. crurofulvus sp. nov. and N. sahyadri sp.
nov. all legs of uniform colour). Male unknown.
Etymology
The species name is noun in apposition for
the district name Uttara Kannada (North Canara District), from where the type
specimens were collected.
Description of holotype female (WILD-10-ARA-923)
Total length 18.30. Carapace 8.56 long, 6.72
wide, chelicerae 5.20 long. Abdomen 9.74 long, 5.40 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.83 long, 0.24 wide,
0.32 apart; PLS, 1.52 basal, 1.08 middle, 1.27 apical,
mid-width 0.67, 0.65, 0.52 respectively, 3.87 total length. Morphometry
of legs and palp in Table 4.
Colour
in life (Image 5): Carapace, chelicerae, legs and abdomen
greenish-brown, reflects brownish shade in light. The periphery of carapace, legs and
abdomen covered with pallid long hairs and black bristles with orange red tips.
Carapace
(Fig. 7A): Length
to width ratio 1.30; reddish-brown; covered with a strong mat of
short black hairs, more dense towards margins and concentrated along striae
radiating from fovea, with long curved light brown hairs at periphery. Bristles: 14 long on caput in mid-dorsal
line; 7 long and 14–16 short anteromedially; 9 long, 5 short between PME;
1 long, 7 short on clypeus edge. A mat of fine hair on
anterior and posterior ocular area, fine golden hair at base of PLE. Fovea deep, slightly
procurved. Two glabrous bands emerging from anteriorlateral sides of
carapace, on either side of caput, broadens posteriorly and ends up much before
fovea. Caput is not much higher than cephalic and thoracic region.
Eyes
(Fig. 7B): Group occupies 0.29 of head-width; ratio of group width to length 1.79. ALE clearly larger
than rest, PME clearly slightly smaller than PLE. Eye diameter: ALE, 0.36; AME, 0.26; PLE,
0.25; PME, 0.23. Distance between
eyes: AME-AME, 0.14; PME-PLE, adjacent; AME-ALE, 0.03; PME-PME, 0.44. Ocular Quadrate, 0.69
long, 1.24 wide. MOQ: length, 0.57; front width, 0.58; back width, 0.76.
Clypeus narrow.
Maxillae
(Fig. 7C,E): 2.48
long in front, 3.36 long in back, 1.75 wide. Posterior edge near heel concave,
anterior lobe distinct, serrula absent, long bristles present; posterior
ventral edge straight. Cuspules:
ca. 200 arranged in anterior corner in triangle region. Prolateral face, scattered
short and long hairs present, a few short stiff hairs above maxillary suture,
setae and bristles absent. Retrolateral face reddish-orange, glabrous in centre with thin short
(stiff black bristles) spines on distal quarter, posterior and retroventral
edge.
Labium
(Fig. 7C): 0.94 long, 1.14 wide; ca 37 + broken
cuspules in band for quarter of length anteriorly;cuspules similar in size to those on maxillae. Basal groove shallow,
distinct. Labiosternal
groove convex. One pair of large sternal sigilla present in labiosternal groove
but not meeting in centre.
Chelicerae
(Fig. 7D): Intercheliceral
spines absent. Chelicerae lyra absent. Prolateral surface, not smooth, band
with ridges sparsely covered with hairs running on curved chelicerae shape just
below dorso-prolateral face with 3-4 stiff bristles at base, a few scattered
small hairs present on prolateral face; retrolateral faces glabrous,
reddish-brown; 15 promarginal teeth, 38 basomesal teeth in 1-4 rows. Rastellum present, 22 short thick curved
spines in 2 rows present on dorsoprolateral edge of chelicerae.
Sternum
(Fig. 7C): 3.81 long, 3.28 wide. Almost round, high in centre, sloping
gradually, covered with long and short black hair. Posterior angle short
and blunt and not separating coxae IV. Posterior edge clearly
seen. A
few scattered small pallid hairs covering base of sternum like a mat but not
dense and not covering sternum. A single row of long black bristle-like hairs present on margins
posteriorly. Pedicle
pallid, not seen properly.
Sigilla
(Fig. 7A): three
pairs, posterior sigilla, oval, 0.33 diameter, ca. 1.39 apart, 0.42 from
margin; middle, oval, 0.11 diameter, 2.95 apart, 0.06 from margin; anterior,
very small, round, marginal.
Legs: Formula 4132. All legs almost subequal in thickness,
reddish-brown. Basifemoral thorns absent on all. A mat of short feather hair (Image 5,
resembling scopulae hair) present on prolateral side of distal half of coxae,
trochanter to patella of leg I and on retrolateral side of distal half of coxae,
trochanter to tibia of palp (not as dense as on leg I). Mt IV 2.23 times longer than ta IV; mt
III 1.75 times longer than ta III; rest 1.40-1.50 times longer than ta.
Spines: I: ti, p=1; mt, v=1. II: ti, p=2, r=1; mt, p=1, r=1, v=2. III: pa, p=1,
ti, p=r=2, v=1; mt, p=4, r=3, v=2. IV: ti, p=3, r=4, v=1; mt, p=5, r=3, v=2.
Palp: ti: p=1, r=1. Spines on distal metatarsi: I, 1 ventral, 1 ventrolateral;
II, 1ventral, 2ventrolateral; III, 1ventral, 2ventrolateral; IV, 1ventral,
2ventrolateral.
Trichobothria: Tarsi: I, 26 clavate, 10 long and 8 short filiform; II, 24 clavate, 10
long and 6 short filiform; III, 23 clavate, 10 long and 6 short filiform; IV,
22-26 clavate, 10 long and 6 short filiform; palp, 26 clavate, 6 long and 4
short filiform. Clavate
on I-IV in distal three-quarters in two rows; filiforms only in basal
three-quarters. Short epitrichobothrial hair field on tarsi as wide as clavates and
uniform height for length but not very dense.
Coxae
(Fig. 7F): Coxal bases dorsally easily seen from
above. I longest, about 1.33 times
length of II; IV clearly widest and basally with
anterior corner indistinct, edge curves dorsally, rounded at interface. Coxae ventrally with short and long
black hair, weak thorns present on prolateral faces of I-II and very much
reduced on III, absent on IV, sparsely distributed in basal half of coxae I,
basal quarter on coxae II, very few on proventral basal edge; above suture
thick blackish-brown long thick stiff setae along with a brush of fine grey
hair on I, reduced on II, only few setae on III-IV. I-IV ventrally covered with
golden brown mat of small hairs at base of coxae, long and short black and
pallid hair, all coxa sloping forward. Retrolateral
setation: I-III with median narrow light thin brush of pallid hair in centre,
IV glabrous.
Leg
pilosity (Image 5): Leg III-IV, tibia to tarsi covered with
long hairs. Femorae of all legs
ventrally have pallid brush like long hair. All legs covered with a mat of
greenish-brown short hairs. A
number of long
hairs extending well above base layer, I: fe, d=7, v=24; pa,
d=10, p=2, v=10, r=8; ti, d=14, p=r=6 v=20; mt, d=12, p=4, v=7, r=2; ta, d=10,
p=5, r=5. II: fe, d=8, p=2, v=16, r=18; pa, d=9, p=4, v=8, r=7; ti, d=15, p=7,
v=15, r=7; mt, d=10, p=7, v=14, r=6; ta, d=12, p=r=6. III: fe, d=17, p=7, v=24,
r=5; pa, d=p=5, v=4, r=9; ti, d=6, p=8, v=12, r=13; mt, d=13, p=20, v=10, r=13;
ta, d=8, p=9, r=12. IV: fe, d=8, p=4, v=30, r=2; pa,
d=7, p=v=6, r=10; ti, d=10, p=r=v=12; mt, d=13, p=v=20, r=25; ta, d=7, p=10,
r=14. Palp: fe, d=7, v=14; pa, d=10, v=4; ti, d=10,
p=5, v=10, r=2; ta, d=12, p=4, r=2.
Scopulae: Entire on all tarsi, intermixed with hair and divided with setae,
division broader distally; ta I, divided centrally with band of 4-5 setae
(distally 8-9 setae), ta II, divided with band of 4-5 setae (distally 12-14
setae), ta III, divided with band of 4-5 setae (distally 14-16 setae), ta IV,
divided with band of 4-5 setae (distally 16-18 setae); palp ta divided with
band of 4-5 setae (distally 6-8 setae). Metatarsi scopulae undivided, intermixed with
long black hair and bristles. No scopula on proventral tibiae.
Tarsal
weakness: Not prominent.
Claws: Paired claws on leg I-IV without dentition and single bare claw on
palp. Claw tufts well developed but
not obscuring claws.
Abdomen
pilosity (Image 5): Oval; cuticle not exposed dorsally and
ventrally; dorsally covered with a thick mat of greyish-black hair intermixed
with long and short black hairs, many pallid hairs; ventrally and ventrolateral
a uniformly greyish-brown, thick mat of fine greyish-brown hair, intermixed
uniformly with long pallid hairs.
Spinnerets
(Fig. 7G): Two pairs, digitiform, yellowish with
brown hairs.
Spermathecae
(Fig. 7H): Two receptacles with multiple large lobes
at apex, appears like sketch of tree. Each receptacle relatively short and broader at base, gradually narrows
towards apex (like tree trunk), where 6–7 large contiguous lobes (of
varying sizes) present.
Variations in paratype
Total length: 18.79. Carapace: 7.28 long, 5.96 wide. Ocular
group: 0.52 long, 1.09 wide. MOQ: 0.47 long, front width 0.60, back width
0.77. Labium 1.24
long, 1.48 wide, 27 cuspules. Sternum: 3.97 long, 3.07 wide. Maxillae: 2.68 long in front, 3.34 long in back, 1.95 wide; cuspules
ca.200. Abdomen: 8.37 long, 4.35
wide.
Natural History
It is similar to N. sahyadri sp.
nov., females were found below small rocks and had
shallow burrows for temporary hideouts.
DISCUSSION
Guadanucci (2011) transferred Heterophrictusto the subfamily Eumenophorinae based on presence of plumose stridulatory setae
above suture of coxae I. However,
it is not stated whether this character is present only on coxae I or coxae I and II or all coxae. As per characters of
Eumenophorinae, paddle and spike setae or just spike setae are present on coxae
I-II (Smith 1990). Moreover, none
of the members of the Eumenophorinae have been reported to have a rastellum on
the chelicerae. Rastellum is only
reported in Euphrictus Hirst, 1908 (Selenogyrinae). It is very likely that a rastellum is
present in many described theraphosid genera and which would have been missed
out by pioneer arachnologists. A
complete revision for theraphosid genera is urgently needed. As the new genus is phylogenetically related
to Heterophrictus, we also place Neoheterophrictus gen. nov. in the subfamily
Eumernophorinae.
An interesting character observed in all
the specimens (both sexes) of Neoheterophrictus gen. nov.is the presence of large feathery hair (appearing like
scopulae from lateral view) on prolateral of distal half of coxae, trochanter
to patella of leg I and on retrolateral of distal half of coxae, trochanter to
tibia and a band on prolateral femorae of palp. It is very prominent from the dorsal
view in preserved and spider in life. This character has been previously reported in the Australian genus XamiatusRaven, 1981 of the family Nemesiidae; African
theraphosid genera Encyocratella Strand, 1907 (Stromatopelminae) and PelinobiusKarsch, 1885 (Eumenophorinae) (Raven 1981; Gallon 2003, 2005, 2010). According to Gallon (2003), these hairs
are used with a stridulatory function.
With the additional information on Plesiophrictusand Heterophrictus by Guadanucci (2011), the photographs of type
specimens of Plesiophrictus deposited at Zoological Survey of India,
Kolkata were re-examined and comments on a few Plesiophrictus sp. are
provided here. However, the
validation for all Indian Plesiophrictus is not provided here due to
lack of information on important generic characters and it will be done after
re-examination of the type specimens in different museums.
The type specimen of Plesiophrictus
bhori Gravely, 1915 (Type, ZSIK 2218/17) from Parambikulam, Cochin State
(now Kerala) and P. mahabaleshwari Tikader, 1977 (ZSIK, Type,
number not designated) from Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra. These spider specimens
possess rastellum (Images 6–7), serrula absent (Image 8) and procurved
fovea. Based on these characters, we transfer P. bhori and P.
mahabaleshwari to the genus Heterophrictus. Further, the spermathecae of P.
mahabaleshwari (Image 9) resemble that of Heterophrictus milletiPocock, 1900 and based on it, we synonymise H. mahabaleshwariwith Heterophrictus milleti.
The type specimen of Plesiophrictus
nilagiriensis Siliwal et al., 2007 was also re-examined and was found that
the species has transverse fovea, serrula present and absence of rastellum on
maxillae. These characters validate
the placement of P. nilagiriensis in the genus Plesiophrictus.
REFERENCES
Gallon, R.C. (2003). A new African arboreal
genus and species of theraphosid spider (Araneae, Theraphosidae,
Stromatopelminae) which lacks spermathecae. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 12(9):
405–411.
Gallon, R.C. (2005). Encyocratella olivacea
Strand, 1907, a senior synonym of Xenodendrophila gabrieli Gallon, 2003
(Araneae: Theraphosidae: Stromatopelminae) with a description of the male. Zootaxa 1003: 45–56.
Gallon, R.C. (2010). On
some Southern African Harpactirinae, with notes on the eumenophorines
Pelinobius muticus Karsch, 1885 and Monocentropella Strand, 1907 (Araneae,
Theraphosidae). Bulletin of the British
Arachnological Society 15(2): 29–48.
Guadanucci,
J.P.L. (2011). The genus PlesiophrictusPocock and revalidation of Heterophrictus Pocock (Araneae:
Theraphosidae). The Journal of Arachnology39(3): 523–527.
Raven, R. (1981). A
Review of the Australian Genra of the Mygalomorph Spider Subfamily Diplurinae
(Dipluridae: Chelicerata). Australian Journal of
Zoology 29(3): 321–363.
Raven, R.J. (1985). The spider infraorder
Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics. Bulletin of the
American Museum of Natural History (USA): 1–180.
Siliwal, M. & S. Molur (2009). Redescription, distribution and status of the Karwar Large Burrowing
Spider Thrigmopoeus truculentus Pocock, 1899 (Araneae: Theraphosidae), a
Western Ghats endemic ground mygalomorph. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 1(6): 331–339.
Smith,
A. M., Ed. (1990). Baboon Spiders - The
Theraphosidae of Africa and the Middle East. London,
Fitzgerald Publishing, 141pp.