Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877

Benjamin, Suresh P. & Dayananda, Naruwan, 2023, Redescription and new locality records of Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 from Sri Lanka (Araneae: Zodariidae), Zootaxa 5352 (2), pp. 296-300 : 296-299

Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877

( Fig. 1 )

Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877: 563 , plate LVI, fig. 4a-e (adult ♀).

Type material. Holotype subadult ♀ from SRI LANKA, leg. G.H.K. Thwaites. No additional data given, in OUMNH, no museum number, bottle number B392, examined.

Other material examined. - 1♁ (IFS_ZOD_193): SRI LANKA, Central Province, Kandy District, Dunumadalawa Forest, 701m, 07°16'38''N 80°38'69''E, 6.II.2017, leg. N. Athukorala et al. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _017): Central Province, Kandy District , Gannoruwa Forest , 575m, 07°17'16''N 80°35'47''E, 30.VII.2016, leg. N. Athukorala et al. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _192): Central Province, Kandy District , Kandy , Deltota , Loolcandura Estate , 1480m, 07°08'45''N 80°41'53''E, 14.XI.2012, leg. S. P. Benjamin et al. 3♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _002, 003, 010): Central Province, Kandy District , Panvila , Dikhinna Village , 939m, 10°22'00''N 80°43'00''E, 17.XII.2012, leg. N. Athukorala et al. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _019): Central Province, Kandy District , Uda Peradeniya , 874m, 07°14'58''N 80°36'43''E, 15.XII.2016, leg. N. Athukorala & S. Ranasinghe. 2♁ 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _ 013, 189, 190): Central Province, Kandy District , Udawattakele Forest , 580m, 07°17'54''N 80°38'29''E, 11.Ⅴ.2015, leg. N. Athukorala et al. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _199): Central Province, Matale District , Elahera/Pallegama Road, 3km to Pallegama, 267m, 07°32'16''N 80°40'20''E, 3.II.2016, leg. S. P. Benjamin & N. Athukorala. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _012): Central Province, Matale District , Gammaduwa, Knuckles Range, 918m, 07°34'45.6''N 80°41'55.3''E, 18.XI.2009, leg. S. P. Benjamin & S. Batuwita. 1♁ 2♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _021, 191, 202): Central Province, Matale District , IFS Arboretum, 180m, 07°51'34''N 80°40'28''E, 24.VIII.2010, leg. S. P. Benjamin & S. Batuwita. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _020): Central Province, Matale District , Riverstone, Knuckles Range, 1088m, 07°31'47.82''N 80°44'23.32''E, 2.II.2010, leg. S. Batuwita & P. M. H. Sandamali. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _200): Central Province, Nuwara Eliya District , Horton plains , 2148m, 06°47'55''N 80°47'39''E, 30.Ⅰ.2019, leg. S. P. Benjamin et al. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _015): Eastern Province, Ampara District , Ekgal Aru Sanctuary, 80m, 07°09'44''N 81°37'14''E, 10.II.2010, leg. S. P. Benjamin & S. Batuwita. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _009): North Central Province, Anuradhapura District , Mihintale Sanctuary, 123m, 08°21'10.60''N 80°30'14.54''E, 6.VI.2014, leg. C. Clayton & N. Athukorala. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _016): North Central Province, Anuradhapura District , Padaviya, 56m, 08°48'0''N 80°45'0''E, 10.Ⅰ.2012, leg. N. Athukorala. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _005): North Central Province, Polonnaruwa District , Parakrama Samudraya, 57m, 07°53'51''N 80°59'14''E, 1.XII.2009, leg. N. Athukorala. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _011): North Western Province, Kurunegala District , Ethagala range, 190m, 07°29'11.23''N 80°22'21.64''E, 8.IV.2015, leg. S. P. Benjamin et al. 1♀ ( IFS _ ZOD _014): North Western Province, Puttalam District , Wilpattu NP, Surroundings of Malai Villu , 16m, 08°30'47''N 79°54'15''E, 5.IV.2018, leg. S. P. Benjamin et al. 1♁ ( IFS _ ZOD _018): Northern Province, Mannar District , Giant's Tank Sanctuary (Site 1), 27m, 08°52'59''N 80°03'44''E, 4.IV.2018, leg. S. P. Benjamin et al .

Diagnosis. - Males of C. ceylonica are closely related to the males of Cryptothele alluaudi Simon, 1893 as both share a similar tegular extension but can be separated from the latter species by the round tegulum (vs. oval in C. alluaudi ) (compare Fig. 1B with Marusik & Omelko 2012: figs 5–8). Females of C. ceylonica can be separated from females of C. alluaudi by the shorter septum (SE) (vs. longer in C. alluaudi ) (compare Fig. 1H with Marusik & Omelko 2012: figs 4). Females of C. ceylonica can be separated from females of C. collina Pocock, 1901 by the presence of lateral pockets of the epigynum (vs. anterior hood in C. collina (compare Figs 1H with Sankaran & Joseph 2022: fig. 1c).

Supplementary description. - Female (IFS_Zod_007) ( Figures 1G, H ): Total length 6.30. Carapace 2.25 long, 1.95 wide. Opisthosoma 3.50 long, 3.35 wide. Eye measurements: AME 0.10, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08; AME-AME 0.06, PME-PME 0.08, PLE-PME 0.16. Leg measurements: I 4.14 (1.38, 0.66, 0.78, 0.72, 0.60), II 3.54 (1.17, 0.51, 0.66, 0.68, 0.52), III 3.23. (1.05, 0.48, 0.60, 0.62, 0.48), IV 4.27 (1.40, 0.68, 0.81, 0.74, 0.64). Leg formula 4123. Body covered with thick layer of dirt and soil particles ( Figs 1F, G ). Carapace flattened, yellowish brown, rugose, constricted laterally, covered with dense layer of bent bristles and hairs. Cephalic pit behind PER. AMEs largest. Spinnerets brown, covered with tuft of coarse hairs. Legs short, strong, brownish yellow. Palpi, yellowish brown, furnished with coarse bristles and hairs. Genitalia ( Figs 1A–B, C , 2A–C ): epigyne sclerotized, with paired lateral plates and a narrow median septum. Vulva with long spirally coiled copulatory ducts with an anterior turning point and lateral globular spermathecae ( Figs 2B, C ).

Male (IFS_Zod_006) ( Figs 1A–C, F , 2A ). Total length 5.30. Carapace 2.54 long, 1.89 wide. Opisthosoma 2.25 long, 2.16 wide. Eye measurements: AME 0.10, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08, AME-AME 0.06, PME-PME 0.08, PLE-PME 0.16. Leg measurements: I 3.86 (1.35, 0.63, 0.70, 0.66, 0.52), II 3.56 (1.29, 0.57, 0.60, 0.62, 0.48), III 3.42 (1.26, 0.54, 0.58, 0.60, 0.44), IV 4.21 (1.44, 0.64, 0.79, 0.72, 0.62). Leg formula 4123. Palpi ( Figs 1 A-C, 2A): RTA stout, distolaterally with claw-like process, bulbus round. Tegulum round with triangular terminal extension ( Figs 1B , 2A ). Conductor transparent, distinct in shape ( Figs 1A–C , 2A ). Embolus filiform, encircling tegulum, with short embolar base, originating proximolateral to tegulum ( Figs 1B , 2A ).

Variations. - In males, the total body length varies within a range of 5.50,Carapace 2.90 long, 1.93 wide. Opisthosoma 2.50 long, 2.20 wide (IFS_ZOD_017) to 4.30, Carapace 2.20 long, 1.60 wide. Opisthosoma 2.00 long, 1.90 wide (IFS_ZOD_020). In females, it deviates from 7.5, Carapace 3.30 long, 2.92 wide. Opisthosoma 4.10 long, 3.85 wide (IFS_ZOD_011) to 4.5, Carapace 1.93 long, 1.62 wide. Opisthosoma 2.42 long, 2.20 wide (IFS_ZOD_012).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877. A–C. Male left palp; D–E. Juvenile holotype female (OUM- NH); F. Male habitus (IFS_Zod_006); G. Female habitus (IFS_Zod_007); A. Prolateral; C. Retrolateral; D, F–G. Dorsal; B, E, H. Ventral. Abbreviations: C, conductor; Cp, cephalic pit; E embolus; Lp, lateral pocket; Se, septum; T, tegulum, Te, tegular extension. Scale lines = 0.2 mm (C, H), 0.5 mm (A, B), 1 mm (F), 2.0 mm (D, G, E).

FIGURE 2. Cryptothele ceylonica O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877. A. Male right palp, retrolateral; B, epigynum, ventral; C, vulva, ventral view. Abbreviations: C, conductor; E embolus; Lp, lateral pocket; Se, septum. Scale lines = 0.2 mm (A, B), 0.1 mm (C, D).