Koppe armata ( Simon, 1896 )

Sankaran, Pradeep M., 2022, Remarks on the spider genus Koppe Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Araneae: Liocranidae), including the first records from India, Zootaxa 5104 (3), pp. 436-440 : 439

Koppe armata ( Simon, 1896)

Fig. 3

Medmassa armata Simon, 1896: 415 (♀).

Koppe armata Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001: 276 , 396 (examined syntype female of M. armata ; transfer from Medmassa ).

Type material. Syntype ♀ ( MNHN 12266 ) from SRI LANKA: Galle (06°03'N, 80°13'E; 13 m a.s.l.), date unknown, collector unknown, not examined .

Other material. 1♀ ( RNMH ARA.15256) from SRI LANKA: Kandy (07°17'N, 80°38'E; 544 m a.s.l.), 7–11 August 1981, leg. Deeleman-Reinhold, examined based on photographs .

Diagnosis. Females of K. armata are closely related to the females of K. baerti Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 , as both share similar M-shaped anterior epigynal margin and vulva with highly twisted ducts, but can be distinguished from the latter by femur I with two prolateral spines (vs. absent in K. baerti ) and epigynal window with triangular, median flap (vs. median flap absent in K. baerti ) (cf. Fig. 3H and Deeleman-Reinhold 2001: figs 399–400).

Supplementary description. Female ( Fig. 3A–G ) in alcohol. Prosoma, chelicerae, palps and legs brownish; thoracic part with pale black patches; opisthosoma greyish-black, with brown dorsal scutum; spinnerets creamy-white. Fovea narrow, straight, short, dark ( Fig. 3A ). AER slightly and PER moderately procurved, both in dorsal view ( Fig. 3A ). Femur I with two prolateral spines, ventrally with numerous tiny, thorn-like spines ( Fig. 3D–E , arrows); tibia I with nine pro- and nine retrolateral ventral spines ( Fig. 3F–G ); metatarsus I with six pro- and six retrolateral ventral spines ( Fig. 3F–G ). Opisthosoma globular, with complete dorsal scutum ( Fig. 3C ). Epigyne ( Fig. 3H ): epigyne less sclerotised, with wider than long epigynal window having small, triangular, median flap; anterior epigynal margin M-shaped, posterior margin convex. Copulatory openings indistinct. Vulva with twisted and sclerotised ducts.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Koppe armata (Simon, 1896), female from Sri Lanka. A prosoma, dorsal view; B same, prolateral view; C opisthosoma, prolateral view; D left femur I showing two prolateral spines, ventral view; E left femur I showing ventral thornlike spines, retrolateral view; F left tibia and metatarsus I showing prolateral ventral spines, prolateral view; G same, showing retrolateral ventral spines, retrolateral view; H epigyne, ventral view; I labels from the vial. Arrows indicate prolateral spines. Figures not to scales. © RMNH, Netherlands.