Nyctimus rendang Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, 2025

Benjamin, Suresh P., Dhiya’ulhaq, Naufal Urfi, Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa, Buchori, Damayanti, Hidayat, Purnama, Scheu, Stefan & Drescher, Jochen, 2025, Taxonomic notes on the crab-spider genera Nyctimus Thorell, 1877 and Zametopina Simon, 1909 (Araneae, Thomisidae) with descriptions of six new species from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 1255, pp. 95-125 : 95-125

Nyctimus rendang Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin sp. nov.

Figs 13 , 14 , 15

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to a meat dish associated with the cuisine of the Minangkabau people from West Sumatra. The meat is slow-cooked in a plethora of spices, giving it a dark colouration. The dark colour of N. rendang , sp. nov., is reminiscent of the colour of this dish.

Type material.

Holotype. Indonesia – Sumatra, Jambi Province • ♂; Sarolangun, Air Hitam, Desa Baru ; 02°01'49.5"S, 102°46'14.8"E; elev. 57 m; 12 Jul. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in jungle rubber plantation; GOET 2013_BJ 6.1_AraThom 010 N_001 (to be transferred to MZB) . Paratypes. Indonesia – Sumatra, Jambi Province • 1 ♂ 1 ♀; same data as holotype; GOET 2013_BJ 6.1_AraThom 010 N_002, 003 (to be transferred to MZB) . • 2 ♂♂; Batang Hari, Bajubang, Singkawang ; 01°47'07.9"S, 103°16'37.4"E; elev. 56 m; 18 Jun. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in jungle rubber plantation; GOET 2013_HJ 4.2_AraThom 010 N_001, 002 (to be transferred to ZMH) .

Other material examined.

Indonesia – Sumatra, Jambi Province • 1 ♀; Batang Hari, Hutan Harapan Conservation Area ; 02°11'15.3"S, 103°20'36.0"E; elev. 69 m; 7 Aug. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in rainforest; GOET 2013_HF 4.1_AraThom 036 N_001 .

Diagnosis.

Males are similar to N. quadripunctatus , sp. nov., in having a sickle-shaped embolus and in the general shape of the bulb, but the VTA is digitiform and free (Fig. 15 A, B ; vs hook-shaped, attached to RTA in N. quadripunctatus , Fig. 11 A, B ) and the RTA possesses a pillar-shaped ventral lobe and paired, thick spines (vs both absent). Females are distinct in having the spermathecae with a posterior extension and a short, barely noticeable CD (Fig. 11 D ).

Description.

Male ( holotype 2013 _ BJ 6.1 _ AraThom 010 N _ 001; Figs 13 , 15 A, B ). Total length 2.41. Prosoma length 1.16; width 1.03. Opisthosoma length 1.25; width 1.21. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.07; ALE 0.15; PLE 0.14; PME 0.05. Interdistances between eyes: AME – AME 0.35; AME – ALE 0.08; ALE – ALE 0.62; PME – PME 0.32; PME – PLE 0.24; ALE – PLE 0.17; AME – PME 0.19; PLE – PLE 0.77. Leg measurements: leg I 3.36 (0.90, 0.29, 0.92, 0.75, 0.50); leg II 3.46 (1.04, 0.32, 0.84, 0.75, 0.51); leg III 2.11 (0.67, 0.20, 0.54, 0.38, 0.32); leg IV 2.25 (0.75, 0.18, 0.59, 0.42, 0.31). Prosoma cuboid, almost as long as wide, dark reddish brown; surface weakly granulated; laterally adorned with long macrosetae, each arising from a small tubercle. Chelicerae, and sternum coloured as prosoma. Endites brown with white tip. Front legs brown; back legs brown except for the white femora. Opisthosoma round, dark brown with paired white bars in the middle; dorsally covered with scutum; five large sigillae present, arranged in a triangular formation.

Palp (Figs 13 C, D , 15 A, B ): cymbium oval. Embolus sickle-shaped. Tegulum with a small triangular projection next to the embolus; tegular hood small. RTA bilobed; ventral lobe finger-shaped; dorsal lobe wide trapezoid, apically with a pair of short, thick spines. VTA long, finger-shaped, apically flexed.

Female ( paratype AraThom 010 N _ 2013 _ BJ 6.1 _ 003; Figs 14 , 15 C, D ). Total length 3.86. Prosoma length 1.67; width 1.43. Opisthosoma length 2.19; width 2.21. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.08; ALE 0.18; PLE 0.19; PME 0.07. Interdistances between eyes: AME – AME 0.55; AME – ALE 0.12; ALE – ALE 0.90; PME – PME 0.45; PME – PLE 0.34; ALE – PLE 0.23; AME – PME 0.23; PLE – PLE 1.11. Leg measurements: leg I 4.85 (0.71, 1.01, 1.18, 0.49, 1.46); leg II -; leg III 3.05 (1.00, 0.30, 0.75, 0.54, 0.46); leg IV 3.41 (1.14, 0.32, 0.83, 0.65, 0.47). Habitus as in male, except opisthosoma not covered in scutum.

Epigynum (Fig. 14 C, D , 15 C, D ): exterior plate with irregular border. Atrium inconspicuous. CO semicircular, posteriorly facing. CD very short. Spermatheca oval, anteriorly with a large bump, posteriorly extended.

Distribution.

Indonesia ( Sumatra: Jambi) (Fig. 19 ).

Remarks.

One specimen shows rounded rather than oval spermathecae (Fig. 14 E ) and is, thus, tentatively placed here, as no males from the same locality were found.

Figures

Figure 11. Nyctimus quadripunctatus Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov. A. Male holotype (AraThom 001 N _ 2013 _ HF 3.2 _ 001), right palp, mirrored, ventral view; B. ibid., RTA, ventro-retrolateral view; C. Female paratype (AraThom 001 N _ 2013 _ HF 3.2 _ 001), epigynum, ventral view; D. ibid., dorsal view. Abbreviations: CD = copulatory duct; CO = copulatory opening; E = embolus; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; S = spermatheca; TH = tegular hood; VH = ventral hook. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 13. Nyctimus rendang Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov., male holotype (AraThom 010 N _ 2013 _ BJ 6.1 _ 001). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Left palp, ventral view; D. Left palp, retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C, D).

Figure 14. Nyctimus rendang Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov., female paratype (AraThom 010 N 2013 BJ 6.1 003). A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Epigynum, ventral view; D. Epigynum, dorsal view; E. Epigynum, dorsal view, cleared. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C – E).

Figure 15. Nyctimus rendang Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov. A. Male holotype (AraThom 010 N 2013 BJ 6.1 001), left palp, ventral view; B. ibid., left palp, retrolateral view; C. Female paratype (AraThom 010 N _ 2013 _ BJ 6.1 _ 003), epigynum, dorsal view; D. ibid., epigynum, ventral view. Abbreviations: CO = copulatory opening; E = embolus; PE = posterior extension of spermatheca; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; SP = spine; S = spermatheca; TH = tegular hood; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 19. Distribution of all described Nyctimus and Zametopina (Araneae: Thomisidae) species. Grey circles surrounding white dots indicate species collected from the same or very closely located sampling points in Brunei, Sabah (Malaysia), and Jambi (Indonesia).