Savarna kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015: 2–5

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 : 8-11

Savarna kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015

Figs 5–7 , 44–54

Savarna kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015: 2–5 , Fgs 1–2 (Ƌ ♀).

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by morphology of male palp (bulb with two long processes; tip of procursus; Figs 49–50 ), and by female external and internal genitalia (epigynal plate with median process; Fig. 54 ). From S. kaeo sp. nov. also distinguished by absence of pair of processes on male clypeus ( Figs 44–45 ); from S. tessellata and S. miser also distinguished by black marks laterally on carapace ( Figs 5–6 ).

Type material

THAILAND: Ƌ, holotype; 1 Ƌ, 2 ♀♀, paratypes; Ranong, Kraburi District, Phra Kha Yang Cave (10°19.57’ N, 98°45.91’ E), 6 m a.s.l., 28 Oct. 2014, P. Wongprom leg., Thailand Natural History Museum, Pathum Thani, not examined .

Material examined

THAILAND: 8 ƋƋ, 5 ♀♀, Ranong, Kraburi District, Tham Phra Kayang [= Phra Kha Yang Cave ] (10°19.54’ N, 98°45.88’ E), 10–50 m a.s.l., in cave and in forest above cave , 13 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12991, 12992 ) ; 3 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, same data ( PSUZC) ; 4 ♀♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data, ZFMK ( Mal 365 ) .

Amendments to original description

Male clypeus without processes but with strong hair brushes not present in female ( Figs 44–46 ). Male gonopore without epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 52 ). Male and female ALS with only two spigots each ( Fig. 53 ). In the palp illustrated in the original description ( Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya 2015: Fg. 1a) the bulb is rotated about 180° from its natural position. In the natural position, the long pointed process is directed in the opposite direction and the proximal bulbal sclerite is visible in prolateral view. Spines on male legs sometimes absent, sometimes present (each femur 1 with two ventral rows of up to ~25 spines each); tibia 1 L/d: 53; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; male and female tarsus 4 with single row of ventral comb-hairs ( Fig. 51 ). Tibia 1 in 10 males: 5.7–6.8 (mean: 6.3); in 5 females: 4.7–5.6 (mean 5.3).

Natural history

Spiders were found both inside and outside the cave, in domed webs of ~ 20 cm diameter. In the cave, they only occurred in the twilight zone. Outside the cave, they were found to be most abundant in the small forest above the cave. When lightly disturbed, the spiders vibrated in their webs; when disturbed more strongly, spiders dropped to the ground, remaining motionless (cf. Fig. 7 ).

Distribution

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

Figures

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

Figs 2 – 7. Live specimens. — 2 – 4. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. ƋƋ from Reclining Buddha Cave and from Tham Sai (2, 4); ♀ with eggsac from Tham Sai (3). — 5 – 7. S. kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015. Ƌ, ♀ with eggsac, and ♀ with eggsac after dropping to the ground; all from Tham Phra Kayang.

Figs 44 – 54. Savarna kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015. 44. Male prosoma, frontal view. 45. Male clypeus and chelicerae, oblique frontal view. 46. Female prosoma, frontal view. 47. Trichobothrium on female palpal tibia. 48. Right male palpal trochanter (tr) and femur, prolateral view. 49. Right procursus, prolatero-distal view. 50. Right procursus (pr) and genital bulb (b), prolaterodistal view (bp = bulbal processes). 51. Comb-hair on female left tarsus 4, prolateral view. 52. Male gonopore. 53. Female ALS. 54. Epigynum, ventral view (arrow points at median process). Scale bars: 47, 51 = 10 µm; 53 = 20 µm; 52 = 60 µm; 49 = 100 µm; 45, 48, 50, 54 = 200 µm; 44, 46 = 300 µm.