Sphaerobelum sp. L10

Material examined: 1 F (SMF) from Laos, Vientiane Province, Vang Vieng, W. of Nam Song (N18°55'46.86", 102°20'56.82"E), 324 m, Tham Nam Or Khem, in front of cave; leg. by hand, 28.VII.2014, P. Jäger & S. Münnich.

Unique characters: Brown species, tergites covered by pits. Anal shield without locking carinae. Legs unmodified with surprisingly few ventral spines (Fig. 25B). Operculum of vulva on protruding up to basal 1/5 of prefemur, mesally extended (Fig. 25C). Coxa 2 with a weakly developed process (Fig. 26C).

Description: Measurements: Body length ca 24.7 mm. Width, of thoracic shield = 14.6 mm. Height, of thoracic shield = 8.2 mm. Coloration: in preserved specimen light brown. Head and collum slightly darker brown. Antennae and legs light brown.

Head: Eyes with ca. 55 ocelli. Last antennomere thickened. Apical disc with 38/39 apical cones. All antennomeres covered by long setae. Organ of Tömösváry located inside antennal groove. Gnathochilarium: structure typical of the order. Palpi sensory cones in several clusters. Mandibles: not dissected.

Stigmatic plates: first stigmatic plate widely rounded, apex well-rounded, slightly curved towards coxa 1 (Fig. 26A). Laterotergites: laterotergite 1 and 2 slightly elongated into a short, broad process. Collum: with glabrous surface, margins with few isolated setae. Thoracic shield: surface glabrous, but covered with small pits like tergites, setae only in grooves. Shallow grooves beset with numerous long setae, slope towards groove without keels. Tergites: glabrous, but entirely covered by tiny pits. Tips of paratergites of midbody tergites projecting posteriorly. Anal shield: slightly flattened. Underside without locking carinae. Legs: leg-pair 1 with 2 ventral spines, leg-pair 2 with 3 or 4, leg-pair 3 with 5. First two leg-pairs without an apical spine. Leg-pairs 4–21 with 6 ventral spines and one dorso-apical spine. In leg 9 femur 1.8 times, tarsus 4.6 times longer than wide (Fig. 26B). All podomeres densely setose. Coxa with a well rounded process. Coxa process absent at first leg (Fig. 26A) and weakly developed at second (Fig. 26C).

Female sexual characters: Vulva small, covering mesal half of coxa, extending mesally to anterior fifth of prefemur (Fig. 26C). Operculum rounded, mesal margin strongly projecting into a well-rounded lobe twice as high as remaining operculum. Subanal plate: large and wide, undivided, central margin slightly recessed. Densely setose (Fig. 26D).