Orthobula spiniformis new species

(Figs. 4-8)

Types. Male holotype from Keng-Ting National Park, Pingtung County (22°36' N, 120°30' E), Taiwan, January 2001, collected by Y. L. Hsieh (NMNS - THU -Ar -01-0191); 5 male and 1 female paratypes from Keng-Ting National Park, Pingtung County, Taiwan, April 2000, collected by Y. L. Hsieh (NMNS - THU -Ar -01-0187) .

Etymology’. The specific name is from the Latin spiniformis, and refers to the embolus of male palp spinous in ventral view.

Diagnosis. The new species resembles Orthobula yaginumai Platnick 1977 (Platnick 1977, p. 46, figs. 5-6) in the shape of bulb of male palp, but differs from the latter in distal apophysis of palpal femur small; embolus long, unbent and spine like in ventral view (Figs. 5-6). This species is also similar to Orthobula crucifera Bosenberg & Strand 1906 (Platnick 1977, p. 45, figs. 1-4), but can be distinguished from the latter by bulb of male palp longer, embolus longer and not twisted in lateral view (Figs. 5-6); ducts of the epigynum connecting the openings with the bases of membranous sacs oval (Figs. 7-8).

Male: Total length 1.80-1.94. Holotype total length 1.90: cephalothorax 0.95 long, 0.73 wide; abdomen 0.83 long, 0.70 wide. Carapace reddish brown, with lateral blackish brown stripes. Chelicerae yellowish brown, with 3 teeth on promargin and none on retromargin. Labium, endites and sternum reddish brown. Sternum with many punctuations. Legs yellowish brown. Tibiae I and II with 5 pairs of ventral spines, metatarsi I and II with 4 pairs of ventral spines. Abdomen covered with a scutum over the full length dor ­ sally, and ventrally with an epigastric scutum and a partial postgenital scutum; dorsum blackish brown, with a few reddish brown patches, venter grayish brown. Anterior eye row recurved, and posterior eye row almost straight. AME-AME 0.03, AME-ALE 0.01, PME-PME 0.05, PME-PLE 0.04; AME 0.05, ALE 0.07, PME 0.08, PLE 0.08. MOA 0.17 long, front width 0.13, back width 0.17. Labium wider than long (0.18: 0.13). Sternum longer than wide (0.56: 0.47). Measurements of palp and legs: palp 0.90 (0.26, 0.10, 0.10, 0.44); leg I 2.12 (0.65, 0.78, 0.47, 0.22), II 1.91 (0.55, 0.72, 0.42, 0.22), III 1.64 (0.49, 0.59, 0.31, 0.25), IV 2.24 (0.60, 0.77, 0.57, 0.30). Leg formula: 4 12 3. Palpal femur with a small ventral apophysis distally, patella and tibia short; tibia with a small triangular retrolateral apophysis; bulb globose and triangular, with long and unbent embolus (Figs. 5-6).

Female. Total length 2.45: cephalothorax 1.09 long, 0.82 wide; abdomen 1.46 long, 1.04 wide. Dorsum of abdomen grayish brown, lacking dorsal scutum, with 2 pairs of yellowish brown sigilla. Other characters as in male holotype. Measurements of legs: I 2.50 (0.68, 0.95, 0.57, 0.30), II 2.26 (0.68, 0.83, 0.48, 0.27), III 2.00 (0.59, 0.70, 0.44, 0.27), IV 2.70 (0.77, 0.91, 0.69, 0.33). Leg formula: 4, 1, 2, 3. Epigynum almost quadrate; vulva with a pair of oval spermathecae posteriorly and a pair of large membranous sacs attached in the middle with its base large, round and sclerotized (Figs. 7-8).

Distribution. Taiwan ( Pingtung County).