Savarna thaleban Huber, 2005

Huber, Bernhard A., Petcharad, Booppa & Bumrungsri, Sara, 2015, Revision of the enigmatic Southeast Asian spider genus Savarna (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 160, pp. 1-23 : 11

Savarna thaleban Huber, 2005

Figs 8–10 , 30–31 , 42–43 , 55–62

Savarna thaleban Huber, 2005: 77 , Fgs 124–126, 131–134 (Ƌ ♀).

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by morphology of male palp (shape of bulbal apophysis; tip of procursus; Fgs 131–132 in Huber 2005), and by female external and internal genitalia (epigynal plate without median or lateral processes, posterior margin evenly curved; pore plates oval, not contiguous; Figs 30–31 , 42–43 ); from S. tessellata and S. miser also distinguished by black marks laterally on carapace ( Fig. 9 ).

Material examined

Holotype

THAILAND: Ƌ, Satun Province, Thale Ban National Park (6°42.5’N, 100°10’E), 270 m a.s.l., 15–18 Oct. 2003, ATOL Expedition 2003 leg., MACN, examined ( Huber 2005) .

Other material

THAILAND: 8 ♀♀, 6 juvs, same data as holotype ( MACN; see Huber 2005) ; 6 ƋƋ, 9 ♀♀, 3 juvs, Thale Ban National Park (6°43.58’ N, 100°09.74’ E), forest and cave entrance , near ground among rocks , 100 m a.s.l., 5 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12993, 12994 ) ; 3 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, same data ( PSUZC) ; 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data, ZFMK ( Mal 326 ) .

Amendments to original description

Male clypeus with pair of small lateral processes at rim ( Fig. 55 ). Male gonopore without epiandrous spigots. Male and female ALS with only two spigots each ( Fig. 61 ). In the palp illustrated in the original description ( Huber 2005: Fgs 131–132), the bulb is rotated about 180° from its natural position. In the natural position, the long bulbal process is directed in the opposite direction and the proximal bulbal sclerite is visible in prolateral view. All males seen without leg spines; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; male and female tarsus 4 with single row of ventral comb-hairs ( Fig. 62 ). Tibia 1 in 8 males: 4.5–5.4 (mean: 5.0); in 9 females: 4.2–4.9 (mean 4.5).

Natural history

All specimens were found in the forest outside a small cave, in domed webs among rocks close to the ground. Spiders were abundant but Fed very rapidly, dropping from the web to the ground and becoming essentially invisible.

Distribution

Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig 1. Known distribution of the genus Savarna; but see Addendum.

Figs 8 – 13. Live specimens. — 8 – 10. Savarna thaleban Huber, 2005. ƋƋ and ♀ with eggsac; all from Thaleban National Park. — 11 – 13. S. tessellata (Simon, 1901). ƋƋ and ♀ with eggsac; all from Tham Meud.

Figs 28 – 35. Epigyna, ventral and lateral views. — 28 – 29. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. — 30 – 31. S. thaleban Huber, 2005. — 32 – 33. S. tessellata (Simon, 1901). — 34 – 35. S. miser (Bristowe, 1952). At varying scales.

Figs 36 – 43. Cleared and stained female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. — 36 – 37. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. — 38 – 39. S. miser (Bristowe, 1952). — 40 – 41. S. tessellata (Simon, 1901). — 42 – 43. S. thaleban Huber, 2005. At varying scales.

Figs 55 – 62. Savarna thaleban Huber, 2005. 55 – 56. Male and female prosomata, frontal views. 57. Right male palpal trochanter (tr), prolateral view. 58. Left procursus, ventro-distal view. 59. Right procursus, prolateral view. 60. Right genital bulb (b) and bulbal process (bp); arrow points at sperm duct opening. 61. Female ALS. 62. Comb-hair on female right tarsus 4, prolateral view. Scale bars: 61 – 62 = 10 µm; 57, 60 = 100 µm; 55 – 56, 58 – 59 = 200 µm.