Phasmolia elegans, Zhang & Maddison, 2012

Zhang, Jun-Xia & Maddison, Wayne P., 2012, New euophryine jumping spiders from Papua New Guinea (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae) 3491, Zootaxa 3491, pp. 1-74 : 39

Phasmolia elegans sp. nov.

Figs 183–195

Type material. Holotype: male, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Southern Highlands Province: Tualapa, near Wanakipa , 5.283° S, 142.498° E, elev. 1100 m a.s.l., 13–22 July 2008, forest edge, coll. W. Maddison & Luc Fimo Tuki, WPM#08-010 ( UBC-SEM AR00093 ) . Paratypes: 1 female, same data as holotype ( UBC-SEM AR00094 ) ; 6 males and 2 females in three vials, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Southern Highlands Province: Tualapa, near Wanakipa , 5.283° S, 142.498° E, elev. 1000–1100 m a.s.l., 11–22 July 2008, forest interior and river side, coll. W. Maddison & Luc Fimo Tuki, WPM#08-008 ; 1 female, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Southern Highlands Province: trail from Tualapa to Umgé , 5.2933° S, 142.4999° E, elev. 1210 m a.s.l., 19 July 2008, coll. W. Maddison, WPM#08-015 .

Etymology. Latin elegans , referring to the elegant body form.

Diagnosis. See the diagnosis of the genus.

Description. Male (holotype, UBC-SEM AR00093). Carapace length 1.5 (variation 1.5–1.7, n=7); abdomen length 1.8. ALEs relatively posterior to AMEs. Chelicera: gray brown. Palp ( Figs 191–192): cymbium light yellow, and other segments gray brown. Embolic disc almost round; embolus slender and curved for about half a circle. Retrolateral tibial apophysis long and finger-like. Tibia of first leg with four pairs of ventral macrosetae; metatarsus with three pairs. Measurements of legs: I 3.4, II 3.3, III 3.8, IV 3.4. Color in alcohol ( Fig. 189): carapace dark brown with a large light brown marking behind PLEs; eye area covered with gray white long scales between ALEs and PMEs; abdomen dark gray, with one anterior light yellow band and two lateral round light yellow patches near the middle; legs light yellow, all femora with distinct dark gray markings.

Female (paratype, UBC-SEM AR00094). Carapace length 1.5 (variation 1.5–1.7, n=4); abdomen length 1.9. Chelicera ( Fig. 193): light yellow. Tibia of first leg with five pairs of ventral macrosetae; metatarsus with three pairs. Measurements of legs: I 3.2, II 3.0, III 3.4, IV 3.5. Epigynum ( Figs 194–195): window relatively large; opening to copulatory duct near anterior edge of the window; median septum narrow. Copulatory duct relatively narrow and not convoluted; spermatheca almost spherical. Color in alcohol ( Fig. 190): eye area dark, other regions light yellow; abdomen dark with a light yellow transverse band near the middle and two lateral light yellow patches at posterior end; legs light yellow without dark markings.

Natural history. Specimens were collected by beating forest understory vegetation.