Heteropoda cuspidata, Korai & Jäger, 2024

Korai, Shakal Khan & Jäger, Peter, 2024, Five new species of Heteropoda Latreille, 1804 spiders (Araneae: Sparassidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 5481 (2), pp. 241-259 : 247-250

Heteropoda cuspidata spec. nov.

Figs 5A–E , 6A–C , 11

Type material. Holotype male: MALAYSIA: Sabah State: Interior Division, Mount Trusmadi , 5°15′55″N, 116°16′23″E, 528 m, 7 October 2015, L.Y. Wang & G.Q. Huang leg. ( CBEE).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin adjective, cuspidatus, -a, -um, meaning pointed, referring to the tip of tegular process in ventral view.

Diagnosis. This new species can be distinguished from all other Heteropoda species by the unique combination of a tegular process, conductor arising from 9:30-o’clock-position from tegulum, vRTA broad and flattened, and dRTA narrow medially and widened distally ( Jäger 2008: figs 383–384). The male of this new species is most similar to H. boiei Doleschall, 1859 but can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters: 1. Spermophor slightly S-shaped (straight in H. boiei ); 2. Tegular process shorter than tegulum width (longer than tegular width in H. boiei ); 3. dRTA three times longer than vRTA (slightly longer than vRTA in H. boiei ) ( Figs 5A–C , 6A–C ).

Description. Male (holotype): Measurement: BL 21.7; PL 11.0, PW 10.5; AW 4.1; OL 10.7, OW 6.0. Eyes: AME 0.48, ALE 0.58, PME 0.44, PLE 0.57, AME–AME 0.26, AME–ALE 0.14, PME–PME 0.38, PME–PLE 0.68, AME–PME 0.56, ALE–PLE 0.64, CH AME 0.30, CH ALE 0.44. Spination: Palp 131, 101, 2121, -; Fe I–III 333, IV 331; Pa I–IV 101; Ti I–II 2126, III 2426; Mt I–III 1014, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 15.3 (5.0, 2.7, 3.1, -, 4.5); I 62.3 (16.6, 5.3, 17.4, 17.8, 5.0); II 65.4 (17.8, 5.5, 18.7, 19.0, 4.3); III 46.2 (13.4, 4.4, 12.7, 12.5, 3.0); IV 54.9 (15.7, 4.4, 14.2, 16.6, 3.9). Leg formula: II–I–IV–III. Cheliceral furrow with 3 promarginal, 4 retromarginal teeth and ca. 35 denticles.

Palp as in diagnosis. RTA arising subdistally from tibia. Cymbium more than two times longer than tegulum. Tegulum elongated. Conductor arising in a 9:30-o’clock-position from tegulum, in ventral view reaching retrolateral cymbial margin with acuminate tip. Embolus base covered by tegular process in ventral view, embolus arising from tegulum at a 6-o’clock-position, running a flat semi-circle. Tegular process arising from a 7.30- o’clock-position ( Figs 5A–C , 6A–C ).

Colouration in ethanol. Dorsal shield of prosoma reddish-brown, with fovea marked with distinct longitudinal dark band; striae distinct and broadly marked; eye region and margins darker. Chelicerae dark-reddish brown with light setae. Labium, sternum and gnathocoxae light yellowish- to reddish-brown, with small dark patches. Coxae ventrally with proximal triangular light patches. Opisthosoma dorsally brown, with dark longitudinal patch above heart, and some light lines in posterior half; ventrally reddish-brown, irregularly spotted ( Figs 5D–E ).

Female: Unknown.

Distribution. Malaysia (Sabah State) ( Fig. 11 ).

Figures

FIGURES 5A–E. Heteropoda cuspidata spec. nov., holotype male from Malaysia, Sabah, Mount Trusmadi. A–C Left male palp (A prolateral, B ventral, C retrolateral); D–E Habitus (D dorsal, E ventral). Abbreviations: C—conductor; dRTA—dorsal branch of RTA; E—embolus; SP—spermophor; T—tegulum; TP—tegular process; vRTA—ventral branch of RTA. Scale bars: A–C 1 mm; D–E 4 mm.

FIGURES 6A–C. Heteropoda cuspidata spec. nov., holotype male from Malaysia, Sabah, Mount Trusmadi. A–C Left male palp (A prolateral, B ventral, C retrolateral). Scale bars: A–C 1 mm.

FIGURE 11. Locality records of the examined Heteropoda material.