Wanniyala mapalena, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 46-48

Wanniyala mapalena sp. n.

Figures 144–146 , 197–205 , 218

Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from congeners by details of palp (retrolateral sclerite of procursus with distinctive process between dorsal process and main branch; distinctive processes of palpal trochanter, and small curved bulbal apophysis; Figs 199–202 ) and by modification of clypeus (pair of large processes at rim and small median pointed process; Figs 197–198 ). Females are possibly indistinguishable externally from W. labugama ; they differ from W. labugama and other congeners by details of internal genitalia (distinctive pair of membranous, Vshaped elements ( Figs 205 , 218 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality (noun in apposition).

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK ( Ar 20094), Sabaragamuwa Province, between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (6.762°N, 80.428°E), 100 m a.s.l., 19.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 3♂ 6♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 20095), and 3♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL165 ), same data as holotype .

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.6, carapace width 0.70. Distance PME- PME 80 µm, diameter PME 80 µm, distance PME-ALE 30 µm; AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.50/0.40. Leg 1: 12.4 (2.9 + 0.3 + 3.0 + 4.7 + 1.5), tibia 2: 1.6, tibia 3: 1.2, tibia 4: 1.7; tibia 1 L/d: 50.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre yellow with median and lateral dark bands; ocular area posteriorly dark; clypeus with pair of dark bands below eye triads; sternum mostly black, with light median band; legs ochre-yellow, with dark rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); abdomen ochre-gray with dark marks dorsally and laterally, ventrally also with dark pattern.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 144 ; ocular area slightly raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus with pair of relatively large processes at rim and small median pointed process ( Figs 197–198 ); sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 197–198 , with pair of small apophyses proximally laterally and pair of long apophyses directed forwards, tips of apophyses distally directed downwards, distance between tips of apophyses: 0.51.

PALPS. In general very similar to known congeners (cf. Figs 150–155 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with distinctive processes ( Fig. 199 ); femur with small dorsal apophysis proximally; tibia very long (0.68); procursus with several distinctive elements ( Figs 201–202 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus and short, weakly curved and pointed apophysis ( Fig. 200 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with short vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all metatarsi (especially proximally); retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 11%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~20 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in three other males: 2.7, 2.9, 3.0. One male with irregular pattern on sternum.

Female. In general similar to male ( Figs 145–146 ) but clypeus unmodified and legs with usual low number of short vertical hairs; light median band on sternum in some females barely visible. Tibia 1 in 6 females: 2.1–2.4 (mean 2.3). Epigynum as in Figs 203–204 , weakly protruding and rounded in lateral view; posterior plate apparently reduced(?) to two lateral sclerites mostly hidden behind epigynal plate and poorly visible in ventral view; internal genitalia as in Figs 205 , 218 , with distinctive pair of v-shaped membranous elements and pair of roundish pore plates.

Natural history. The spiders were found in small webs among small exposed roots on the ground.

Distribution. Known from type locality only ( Fig. 227 )

Figures

FIGURES 138–149. Wanniyala, live specimens, part 2. 138–140. W. ohiya sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Ohiya (Fig. 139 shows a male in typical resting position). 141–143. W. viharekele sp. n., males from Viharekele and Kottawa, female from Kottawa. 144–146. W. mapalena sp. n., male and females from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella. 147–149. W. labugama sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Labugama.

FIGURES 197–205. Wanniyala mapalena sp. n., from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (ZFMK Ar 20095). 197–198. Male chelicerae, clypeus and ocular area, frontal and lateral views. 199. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 200. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 201–202. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow points at distinctive process on retrolateral sclerite of procursus). 203–204. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 205. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points at V-shaped element). Scale lines: 0.3 mm (197–202, 205), 0.5 mm (203–204).

FIGURES 213–219. Wanniyala spp., cleared female genitalia in dorsal views. 213. W. mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 214. W. orientalis sp. n., from Dimbulagala (ZFMK Ar 20079). 215. W. upekkha sp. n., from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 216. W. ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 217. W. viharekele sp. n., from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20092). 218. W. mapalena sp. n., from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (ZFMK Ar 20095). 219. W. labugama sp. n., from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). At various scales.

FIGURES 150–155. Wanniyala left male palps in prolateral and retrolateral views. 150–151. W. upekkha sp. n. from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 152–153. W. viharekele sp. n. from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20091). 154–155. W. labugama sp. n. from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; ba, bulbal apophysis; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 226–227. Known distribution of Wanniyala.