Paculla globosa Lin & Li

Lin, Yucheng, Koh, Joseph K. H., Koponen, Seppo & Li, Shuqiang, 2017, Taxonomic notes on the armored spiders of the families Pacullidae and Tetrablemmidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from Singapore, ZooKeys 661, pp. 15-60 : 17-19

Paculla globosa Lin & Li sp. n. Figs 4, 5, 6

Type material.

Holotype ♂ (LKCNHM), SINGAPORE: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Jungle Fall Stream, altitude 118 m, 1°21'25.4"N, 103°46'25.3"E, 21 August 2015, S. Li and Y. Tong leg. Paratype 1♀ (LKCNHM), SINGAPORE: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Timah Summit, altitude 163 m, 1°21'16.7"N, 103°46'35.0"E, 19 August 2015, S. Li and Y. Tong leg.

Etymology.

The specific epithet derives from the Latin word “globosus” = globular, drawing attention to the shape of palpal bulb; adjective.

Diagnosis.

This new species can be distinguished from all congeners with the exception of Paculla sulaimani Lehtinen, 1981 by the globular bulb (Fig. 5 C–D), the long, finger-like embolus (Fig. 5 A–D) and the presence of three bridge fragments of MV (Fig. 6B). Its male differs from Paculla sulaimani (see Lehtinen, 1981: 18, fig. 13) by the narrower embolus with weakly lobed end (Fig. 5A, C–D). The female differs from Paculla bukittimahensis sp. n. (Fig. 3B) by the anterior median part of the atrium protruding broadly and the larger, bridge fragments of MV almost touching each other (Fig. 6B).

Description.

Male (holotype). Coloration: body dark reddish brown; legs reddish-brown.

Measurements: total length 4.40; carapace 1.95 long, 1.40 wide, 1.20 high; abdomen 2.50 long, 1.90 wide, 2.30 high; clypeus 0.49 high; sternum 1.30 long, 1.00 wide. Length of legs: I 8.28 (2.53, 0.65, 2.35, 1.75, 1.00); II 6.95 (2.10, 0.60, 1.85, 1.50, 0.90); III 5.75 (1.70, 0.54, 1.41, 1.30, 0.80); IV 8.16 (2.50, 0.62, 2.30, 1.91, 0.83).

Prosoma (Fig. 4 A–B, E): carapace low, sparsely granulated over whole surface, but surface between the granules smooth; eyes white, ALE=AME=PLE; cephalic part moderately raised; cervical groove distinct; thoracic fovea shallow; clypeus vertical an teriorly; labium triangular, distally obtuse; sternum rough, covered with thin setae, posterior corner protruded. Legs: cuticle striated, weakly granular.

Opisthosoma (Fig. 4 A–B, E): dorsal scutum long, oval, covered with thin setae, margin rugose, center modified by sparse pits; rows of small sclerites between lateral scuta, lateral scutum I short; ventral scutum smooth, margin rugose; perigenital scutum broad, triangular.

Palp (Fig. 5 A–D): femoral cuticle smooth, approximately two times as long as patella; patella proximally narrow, distally wide; tibia broad, swollen, 1.3 times as wide as femur; cymbium compressed, slightly shorter than tibia, distally obtuse bifurcate; bulb globular, surface smooth (Fig. 5 C–D); embolus long, clavate, starting from subdistal-ventral 1/3 position of bulbous surface (Fig. 5B), proximally sclerotized and bent, distally shallow furcated; embolic tip faint, with split ends (Fig. 5A).

Female (paratype). Coloration as in male.

Measurements: total length 4.50; carapace 1.85 long, 1.45 wide, 1.20 high; abdomen 2.67 long, 1.80 wide, 2.21 high; clypeus 0.43 high; sternum 1.14 long, 0.97 wide. Length of legs: I 7.35 (2.25, 0.55, 2.10, 1.65, 0.80); II 6.23 (1.95, 0.53, 1.65, 1.35, 0.75); III 5.22 (1.55, 0.50, 1.30, 1.22, 0.65); IV 7.20 (2.15, 0.54, 2.00, 1.80, 0.71). Length of palp: 1.58 (0.45, 0.21, 0.34, 0.38).

Carapace, abdomen, and legs as in male (Fig. 4 C–D, F); clypeus slightly lower than in male.

Genitalia (Figs 4G; 6 A–B): epigynal area strongly sclerotized (Fig. 4G); postgenital scutum rugose, wider than preanal scutum; median ventrolateral plate triangular; preanal scutum rugose, wider than long (Fig. 6A). Vulva with a large, nearly rectangular atrium, laterally rugose, and protruding anteromedially; three adjacent, equal sizes bridge fragments of MV below the atrium, and close to the dorso-posterior margin of postgenital scutum (Fig. 6B).

Distribution.

Singapore.