Mallinella simoni, Dankittipakul, Pakawin, Jocqué, Rudy & Singtripop, Tippawan, 2010

Dankittipakul, Pakawin, Jocqué, Rudy & Singtripop, Tippawan, 2010, Five new Mallinella species from the Sundaland of Indonesia (Araneae, Zodariidae), Zootaxa 2636, pp. 21-36 : 29-32

Mallinella simoni sp. nov.

Figs 14–17 , 46–50

Types: Holotype: 3, original label: / Storena melanognatha det. E. Simon/Java (Buitenzorg)/ [MNHN, AR 1559, examined]. Paratype: 13, INDONESIA, Palau Belitung, Gunung Tajam, between Gurok Beraye Waterfalls (2º47'01''S, 107º51'47''E) and summit (2º46'40''S, 107º51'37''E), 150-450 m, primary forest, 21.- 23., 26.ix.2008, leg. P.J. Schwendinger [MHNG, IND-08/03].

Etymology: The species name is an eponymous noun in the genitive case in honor of Dr Eugène Simon (April 30, 1848 - November 17, 1924), a prolific French arachnologist who established and contributed to the study of modern spider taxonomy and systematics. Dr Simon described many spider species from Southeast Asia.

Diagnosis: Mallinella simoni sp. nov. can be recognized by the complicated apex of the embolus carrying a digitiform mesal ramus and a flange-like lateral one ( Figs 49–50 ), and by the TA bearing two sharply pointed apical teeth ( Fig. 46 ). The legs are fairly elongate.

Taxonomic remarks: The holotype (MNHN, AR1559) was determined by E. Simon who erroneously considered it as a conspecific male of S. melanognatha . However, the female type of S. melanognatha was described by van Hasselt (1882) from Sumatra (RMHN, examined). This male holotype was collected in Buitenzorg (Java), the capital of Indonesia during the British occupation under Sir Stamford Raffles and was later used as the capital by the Dutch during the dry season, presently known as Bogor. A conspecific male of S. melanognatha from Java was recently discovered in the collection of MHNG and is described for the first time in Dankittipakul & Jocqué (in preparation). The male of ‘ Storena melanognatha ’ which was described by Kritscher (1957) and deposited at NHMV (examined) was obtained from Luzon, the Philippines, and is considered misplaced; it belongs to M. calilungae ( Barrion & Litsinger, 1992) .

Description: Male (holotype). Total length 7.81; prosoma 3.85 long, 3.06 wide; opisthosoma 3.96 long, 2.83 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME>PME>ALE=PLE; ratio: AME 1.0, ALE 0.82, PME 0.80, PLE 0.88, AME-AME 0.40, AME-ALE 0.96, PME-PME 0.70, PME-PLE 1.72; MOQ: 1.00 anterior width, 0.85 posterior width, 1.08 long. Leg formula: 4123. Leg measurements: I 12.1 (3.2, 3.5, 3.3, 2.1), II 11.5 (3.0, 3.2, 3.2, 2.1), III 11.2 (2.9, 3.2, 3.1, 2.0), IV 13.2 (3.4, 3.7, 3.6, 2.5).

Pattern and coloration ( Fig. 14–16 ): Carapace dark reddish brown. Chelicerae brown. Sternum reddish brown. Legs yellowish orange; proximal portion of femur I & II with distinct dorsal swelling ( Fig. 14 , arrow) carrying numerous stridulating ridges (cf. Jocqué, 2005). Dorsum of opisthosoma dark brown, mottled with numerous pale spots. Dorsal pattern: first and second pairs fused, forming reniform patches; third to fifth pairs represented by pale oval spots; short patch situated medially in between the fifth pair; sixth pair represented by short transverse band. Venter pale.

Palp ( Fig. 46–50 ): RTA digitiform, apex bluntly pointed, directed ventrad in lateral view. TA apically with triangular tooth directed mesad; apico-prolateral process short, triangular, its apex sharply pointed; basal tooth distally bluntly pointed, directed anteriad. Embolic base oval, in transverse direction; anterior membranous portion narrowed, triangular. Embolus broad, grooved, originating at 270°; terminally strongly modified: mesal ramus subapically with thin flanges, distally digitiform; lateral ramus longer than mesal one, digitiform, distally blunt.

Male (paratype): Coloration and pattern somewhat different ( Fig. 17 ) but similar in male palpal morphology: carapace dark chestnut brown; sternum orange; leg yellowish, except femur greenish; opisthosoma purplish, cardiac region pale; dorsal scutum lightly sclerotized, poorly delimited; dorsal pattern with four pairs of pale round spots, followed by two short, transverse, medial bands.

Natural history: The paratype was collected by sifting leaf and decomposing organic litter in primary island forests between 150– 450 m.

Distribution: Java and Palau Belitung, Indonesia ( Fig. 51 ).

FIGURES 25–31. Mallinella wiputrai sp. nov., holotype (25–28) and paratype (29–31). Male palp, ventral (25), retrolateral (26). Apex of embolus, prolateral (27). Apical portion of bulbus showing embolus, conductor and TA, prolateral (28). Vulva, dorsal (29). Spermatheca, lateral (30), anterior (31). Scale bar = 0.1 mm (25–26, 29–31). Abbreviation: C, conductor; E, embolus; ID, insemination duct; S, spermatheca; TA, median tegular apophysis. Female. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 51. Records of Mallinella species treated in the present study.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Mallinella simoni sp. nov., holotype (14 – 16, MNHN) and paratype (17, MHNG). Habitus, dorsal (14, 17). Carapace, dorsal showing ocular region (15). Posterior ventral spines (16). Scale bar = 1.0 mm (for 14, 17).

FIGURES 46 – 50. Mallinella simoni sp. nov., holotype. Male palp, ventral (46). TA, retrolateral (47), prolateral (48). Apex of embolus, prodorsal (49), ventral (50). Scale bar = 0.1 mm (46).