Nanometa sarasini ( Berland, 1924 ) Álvarez-Padilla & Kallal & Hormiga, 2020

Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando, Kallal, Robert J. & Hormiga, Gustavo, 2020, Taxonomy And Phylogenetics Of Nanometinae And Other Australasian Orb-Weaving Spiders (Araneae: Tetragnathidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2020 (438), pp. 1-107 : 1-107

Nanometa sarasini ( Berland, 1924) , comb. nov.

Figures 14 –16, 37

Orsinome sarasini Berland, 1924: 210 , figs. 108–112.

Orsinome sarasini Álvarez-Padilla and Hormiga, 2011: 805 , figs. 91D, 96A–G, 97A–H, 98A–F, 99A–F.

TYPE MATERIAL: Two female and four male syntypes from New Caledonia, Forêt du Mont Ignambi, au-dessus d’Oubatche, 800–1000 m. May 1911. We have not been able to locate the syntypes ; other Berland types from that publication are deposited at the MNHN and Naturhistorisches Museum , Basel, Switzerland. Nonetheless, the drawings and description quality are enough to make accurate identifications .

DIAGNOSIS: The long male pedipalpal tibia with about 10 trichobothria is unique for this species (fig. 16A–C). Additionally, N. sarasini can be differentiated from other large Nano- meta species by the following combination of characters: epigynum rectangular at least three times wider than long, genital openings visible on ventral view and located at the sides of the epigynum, septum wide, at least three times its length (figs. 14B–D, 16D), spermathecae longer than wide, L-shaped, walls well sclerotized, copulatory “sacs” cuticle translucent and weakly sclerotized (figs. 14F, 16E). CEBP apophysis large, excavated at its base and continuous with the CEMP (figs. 15D, 16B). CEMP tip separated from the cymbium and L-shaped (fig. 16A–C).

DESCRIPTION: Female (TEAU011) total length 8.9. Cephalothorax length 3.6, width 2.7. Clypeus height 1.1 AME diameter. Cephalothorax background dark yellow, cephalic region and carapace margins dark brown (fig. 14A, C). Eyes subequal in size, lateral smaller. Sternum dark brown (fig. 14E). Cheliceral promargin and retromargin each with three teeth, ca. three cheliceral denticles. Abdomen dorsum background gray, ca. six to five pairs of guanine patches concentrated in the center and delineated by dark-brown patches (fig. 14A). Stridulatory organ present in females as a cuticular thick and highly sclerotized ridge on booklung anterior edge (fig. 14H). Lateral line of guanine patches diffuse and intercalated with dark-brown reticulated spots (fig. 14C). Femur I length 6.9. Copulatory ducts modified as membranous sacs with translucent cuticle and internal sclerotized apodemes, spermathecae longer than wide (figs. 14F, 16E), accessory duct glands not examined with SEM.

Male (TEAU012) same as female except as noted. Total length 6.9. Cephalothorax length 3.1, width 2.5. Clypeus 2.0 AME diameter (fig. 14I). Cephalothorax and abdomen lighter than in female. Cheliceral promargin and retromargin with three and one teeth respectively, denticles ca. 10. Stridulatory organ slightly longer, coxa IV retrolateral not examined with SEM. Femur I length 7.5. Conductor tip apophyses present (figs. 15A, F, H, I, 16A–C).

FD

FIGURE 16. Nanometa sarasini (QM S25460 ). A. Pedipalp, ventral. B. Pedipalp, dorsal. C. Pedipalp, ectal. D. Epigynum, ventral. E. Epigynum, dorsal. Scale bars: A–D, 0.5 mm; E, 0.2 mm.

DISTRIBUTION: This is the only nanometine collected in New Caledonia (fig. 37C).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: N = 8. NEW CALE- DONIA, Mt. Panié , 20° 35′ 0″ S, 164° 45′ 0″ E, 1300 m. R.J. Raven 4–14 December 1990, Agathis montana rainforest, QM S25460 (one female specimen removed for image voucher TEAU011) ; Mt. Panié , 20° 35′ 0″ S, 164° 45′ 0″ E, 1300 m. R.J. Raven 4–14 December 1990, Agathis montana rainforest, QM S25460 (one male specimen removed for image voucher TEAU012) ; Mt. Panié , 20° 35′ 0″ S, 164° 45′ 0″ E, 1300 m. R.J. Raven 4–14 December 1990, Agathis montana rainforest, 3 males, 2 females QM S25460 . Mt. Panié, 20° 35′ 0″ S, 164° 45′ 0″ E, 1300 m. R.J. Raven, T. Churchill, 2–3 November 1988, night collecting, 1 male, QM S34217 .

Figures

FIGURE 14. Nanometa sarasini (male: TEAU012; female: TEAU011). A. Female, dorsal habitus. B. Epigynum, ventral. C. Female, lateral habitus. D. Epigynum, caudal. E. Female, ventral habitus. F. Epigynum, dorsal digested. G. Female, frontal habitus. H. Stridulatory ridge. I. Male, frontal habitus. Scale bars: A, C, E, 1.0 mm; B, D, F, 0.2 mm; G–I, 0.5 mm.