Aprusia kerala Grismado and Deeleman, 2011

Grismado, Cristian J., Deeleman, Christa & Baehr, Barbara, 2011, Te Goblin Spider Genus Aprusia Simon, 1893 (Araneae: Oonopidae), American Museum Novitates 2011 (3706), pp. 1-24 : 18-19

Aprusia kerala Grismado and Deeleman , new species

Figures 46–61 , 67

TYPE MATERIAL: Male holotype and 1 male paratype from India: Kerala: Cardamom Hills, Muttapatti near Munnar, ca. N 9°52′, E 77°09′, 1700 m, Nov. 24, 1972, C. Besuchet and I. Löbl (deposited in MHNG, PBI _OON 12360) .

ETYMOLOGY: Te specific epithet is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: Males of A. kerala are easily distinguishable from the other species by their large size, their more strongly pigmented and sclerotized integuments and by having a small conductor together with the embolus (fig. 55).

DESCRIPTION: Male (PBI_OON 12360). Total length 2.8. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace pars cephalica strongly elevated in lateral view, sides finely reticulate (fig. 52), two shallow posterior thoracic depressions (fig. 49); nonmarginal pars cephalica setae present in one row; nonmarginal pars thoracica setae light, needlelike. Clypeus curved downward in front view; setae present, light, needlelike. All eyes oval; posterior eye row straight from above; ALE separated by their radius to diameter, PLE-PME separated by less than PME

Nuwara Eliya ( A. strenuus ); 2, Kandy ( A. vestigator and A. veddah ); 3, Sinharaja ( A. vestigator ); 4, Kataragama Peak ( A. kataragama ). India: 5, Cardamom Hills ( A. kerala ).

radius (figs. 49, 51). Sternum longer than wide (fig. 50). Mouthparts: Setae dark; labium wide, with a procurved indentation; two subdistal normal setae. Endites ummodified, relatively short, anteriorly directed, parallel. ABDOMEN: Dorsum soft portions white, three pale orange spots anterolateral to each ALS. Dorsal scutum covering ½ to ¾ of abdomen, fused to epigastric scutum (fig. 48). Postepigastric scutum short, almost rectangular (fig. 47). LEGS: Pale orange. Leg spination (only surfaces bearing spines listed, all spines longer than segment width): leg I: femur, pv0-0-1-1-1-0; rv0-0-1-0-1-0; tibia, v2-2-2-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg II: tibia, v2-2-2-0; femur, vr1-0-0; metatarsus, v2-2-0; leg III: legs III missing; leg IV: tibia, v1-1-2; r0-0-1; metatarsus (dorsal), 1-2-1; (ventral), 0-1-0. Tarsi I–IV superior claws tooth not examined in detail. Trichobothria not examined. GENITALIA: Epigastric region with sperm pore large, situated between anterior and posterior spiracles. Palp (figs. 53–55) proximal segments pale orange; embolus short, gently sinuous, with an also short paraembolic process (conductor); cymbium without distal patch of setae; bulb stout, elongated, distal part with a tiny conical projection.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Only the type series .

Figures

FIGS. 46–52. Aprusia kerala, new species, male holotype (PBI_OON 12360). 46–48, habitus (46, dorsal, 47, ventral, 48, lateral); 49–52, cephalothorax (49, dorsal, 50, ventral, 51, anterior, 52, lateral).

FIGS. 53–55. Aprusia kerala, new species, male holotype (PBI_OON 12360), left palp. 53, prolateral, 54, ventral, 55, detail of the distal part of the bulb. Abbreviations: c = conductor, e = embolus, arrow = conical projection.

FIGS. 56–66. Morphology of the tarsi of Aprusia spp. 56–61, A. kerala, male, 62, A. kataragama, male; 63, A. kataragama, female; 64, A. vestigator, male; 65, A. vestigator, female; 66, A. veddah, female; 56 = tarsus I, 57 = II, 58, 65 = III, 59–63, 66 = IV. 61 = detail of the clawlike seta. Arrows = clawlike setae. Scale bars: 56–59, 62–66 = 0.05 mm; 60 = 20 µm; 61 = 10 µm.

FIG. 67. Geographic distribution of Aprusia spp. Sri Lanka: 1,