Wanniyala batatota Yao & Li, 2020

Xin, Yafei, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2020, Two new species of the spider genus Wanniyala Huber & Benjamin, 2005 (Araneae Pholcidae) from Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 4759 (4), pp. 566-574 : 570

Wanniyala batatota Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 3–4

Type material. Holotype: male (IZCAS-Ar 39838), Isthripura Cave (6°49’53.7’’N, 80°22’27.4’’E, elevation 268 m), Batatota Village , Adam’s Peak Area , Ekneligoda Town, Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, 28 September 2014, S. Kosala leg. Paratype: 1 female (IZCAS-Ar 39839), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from all known congeners by combination of following characters: retrolateral sclerite 1 of procursus bifurcated into small rounded apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 3D ) and large blunt apophysis (arrow 2 in Fig. 3D ), retrolateral sclerite 2 of procursus not bifurcated and slightly protruding medially (arrow 3 in Fig. 3D ), epigynum strongly protruding and with distinct rounded median process process (arrow in Fig. 4A ), vulva with pair of large sclerites (arrow in Fig. 4B ), and vulval pore plates nearly n-shaped ( Fig. 4B ).

Description. Male (holotype, IZCAS-Ar 39838): Total length 2.47 (2.60 with clypeus), carapace 0.77 long, 0.93 wide, opisthosoma 1.70 long, 0.90 wide. Leg I: 20.17 (4.85 + 0.38 + 5.10 + 7.9 + 1.94), leg II: 11.81 (3.15 + 0.34 + 2.88 + 4.29 + 1.15), leg III: 9.21 (2.45 + 0.32 + 2.27 + 3.35 + 0.82), leg IV: 12.4 (3.42 + 0.35 + 3.14 + 4.65 + 0.84); tibia I L/d: 56. Distance PME-PME 0.13, diameter PME 0.10, distance PME-ALE 0.04, AME absent. Sternum slightly wider than long (0.66/0.61). Habitus as in Figs 4 E–F. Carapace slightly yellow, with dark brown lateral margins and dark brown median stripe; ocular area brown; clypeus slightly yellow, with pair of brown bands; sternum dark brown but slightly yellow medially. Legs slightly brown, but slightly grey on distal parts of femora and tibiae, with darker rings on subdistal parts of femora and tibiae. Opisthosoma grey, with dark brown marks. Ocular area slightly elevated. Thoracic furrow shallow but distinct. Clypeus with pair of pointed apophyses ( Fig. 4E ) and median hump (arrow in Fig. 4F ). Chelicerae as in Fig. 4D , with pair of small proximo-lateral apophyses and pair of long, curved distal apophyses directed forwards, tips of apophyses distally directed downwards (distance between tips: 0.74). Pedipalps as in Figs 3 A–B; coxa unmodified; trochanter with distinct apophyses; femur with small dorsal apophysis proximally (arrow in Fig. 3B ); tibia very long (0.74); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with three transparent processes and four sclerites ( Figs 3 C–D); bulb with large proximal sclerite ( Fig. 4C ), simple membranous embolus, and short hooked apophysis. Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 10% proximally; legs with short vertical setae on metatarsi, without spines or curved setae; tarsus I with 24 distinct pseudosegments.

Female (IZCAS-Ar 39839): Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 4 G–H. Total length 2.04 (2.16 with clypeus), carapace 0.67 long, 0.89 wide, opisthosoma 1.37 long, 0.78 wide; leg I missing. Distance PME-PME 0.10, diameter PME 0.08, distance PME-ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum wider than long (0.78/0.68). Clypeus unmodified. Epigynum ( Fig. 4A ) strongly protruding, with rounded median process (arrow in Fig. 4A ); posterior plate apparently reduced to two lateral sclerites mostly hidden behind epigynal plate and barely visible in ventral view. Vulva with sclerotized anterior ‘valve’, pair of large sclerites (arrow in Fig. 4B ), and pair of nearly n-shaped pore plates ( Fig. 4B ).

Natural history. The species was found at the entrance (twilight) zone of the cave.

Distribution. Sri Lanka (Sabaragamuwa Province, type locality; Fig. 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Wanniyala batatota Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male. A–B. Flipped right pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view, arrow points at dorsal apophysis on pedipalpal femur); C–D. Distal part of flipped right procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Retrolateral view, arrow 1 points at rounded apophysis, arrow 2 points at blunt apophysis, arrow 3 points at medially slightly protruding rs2). Scale bars: 0.20 (A–B), 0.10 (C–D).

FIGURE 4. Wanniyala batatota Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male (C–F) and paratype female (A–B, G–H). A. Epigynum (ventral view, arrow points at rounded median process); B. Vulva, dorsal view, arrow points at large sclerite; C. Bulb, prolateral view; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E–H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view, arrow points at hump; H. Ventral view). Scale bars: 0.10 (A–D), 0.30 (E–H).

FIGURE 5. Distribution records of the species of Wanniyala from Sri Lanka. 1 Wanniyala agrabopath Huber & Benjamin, 2005, 2 W. badulla Yao & Li sp. nov., 3 W. batatota Yao & Li sp. nov., 4 W. hakgala Huber & Benjamin, 2005, 5 W. labugama Huber, 2019, 6 W. mapalena Huber, 2019, 7 W. mudita Huber, 2019, 8 W. ohiya Huber, 2019, 9 W. orientalis Huber, 2019, 10 W. upekkha Huber, 2019, 11 W. viharekele Huber, 2019. Locality coordinates for all known species are copied from the original publications (see Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3312, 3317 and Huber 2019: 34–48).