Cosmophasis bandaneira, Hurni-Cranston & Hill, 2021

Hurni-Cranston, Tiziano & Hill, David E., 2021, Three new jumping spiders of the genus Cosmophasis from Wallacea (Araneae: Salticidae: Chrysillini), Peckhamia 228 (1), pp. 1-84 : 19-24

3. Cosmophasis bandaneira , new species

Figures 7 :7, 18-20, Map ( Figures 1-2 ) #6

Type material. The holotype ♂ ( HC-BN 1m) was collected by the senior author on a small potted Codiaeum variegatum plant ln Banda Neira in the Banda Islands (collected 7 FEB 2016, specimen preserved in alcohol 20 FEB 2016). This specimen will be deposited in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods ( FSCA), Gainesville .

Etymology. The species name, bandaneira , noun in apposition, is a reference to the fact that this species was found on Banda Neira.

Diagnosis. The 380° rotation of the embolus is unusual for the genus (see Figure 6 and Appendix 1). The pattern of scales on the carapace and dorsal opisthosoma can also distinguish this species from related species with similar scale patterns ( Figure 7 ). This general appearance, including the crests of black setae at the front of the eye region, most closely resembles that of the well-known C. thalassina . However in that species the rotation of the embolus is only ~160°, and the pedipalps are white with a black distal cymbium. The pedipalp of C. bandaneira is yellow with a brown cymbium. In addition, the black area to the rear of the carapace, and the anterior marginal band of C. bandaneira are more rectangular in outline.

Description of male (holotype HC-BN 1m; Figures 7 :7, 18-20). Body length including spinnerets close to 6.5 mm. Chelicerae typical of males for this genus, about as long as distance from top of paturon to top of carapace, dark red-brown in colour. The front of each paturon is flat, covered with transverse grooves or striae. One very large, unidentate, anterolateral (prolateral, near base of fang) tooth that projects anteroventrally, two smaller, unidentate anteromedial teeth, and one large, unidentate, posteromedial (retrolateral, medial) tooth are present on each chelicera ( Figure 20 :7). The flexible articulation of the chelicerae is about as high as the clypeus, and the height of each is about 1/2 the diameter of an AME. Near the median, white setae extend medioventrally from the clypeus, discontinuous with a thin marginal band of white setae that extends from the front around the sides of the carapace, and, above the marginal band, a second thin band of white setae on either side of the face.

Each anterior eye is surrounded by a line of bordering white scales. A low crest of thick black setae crosses the front of the eye region. Just behind this is a band of bright blue iridescent scales between the small PME, extending to the sides of the carapace on either side where it merges with a cover of goldgreen to violet iridescent scales. At the rear of the eye region is a black band between the PLE, extending down to the margin of the carapace on either side. Just behind this is a second transverse band of bright blue iridescent scales extending down to the margin on either side. Behind this is a third, median black area with a rectangular outline toward the front and sides, and at the rear of this is a median, triangular tract of bright blue iridescent scales at the rear of the carapace.

The opisthosoma is mostly shiny black, with a broad anterior marginal band comprised of light yellow scales, rectangular in outline at the front, and extending more than 2/3 of the length of the opisthosoma toward the rear on either side. An interrupted dorsomedial tract of bright blue iridescent scales runs along the length of the opisthosoma behind the anterior marginal band, and separate from it. Below two large white spots, and one smaller white spot at the rear, are present on either side of the opisthosoma. The spinnerets are black, with some iridescent green-gold to violet scales on the dorsal surface of each posterior lateral spinneret. The legs are light to dark brown and banded, mostly dorsally, with white scales. The femora tend to have violet iridescence, and the dorsal surfaces of each coxa and patella have bright, light-blue iridescence.

The proximal segments of each pedipalp are light yellow, the proximal cymbium brown, and the distal cymbium dark brown. The dorsal surface of the femur of each pedipalp has an iridescent blue sheen. The tibia of each pedipalp has three marginal lobes, one rounded and ventral, one more acute and dorsal, and one retrolateral (lateral) between these, bearing the small, black RTA. Each RTA is curved ventrally at the end ( Figure 20 :13). The tegulum is circular from a ventral perspective, and the distal cymbium is long, almost as long as the tegulum, typical for this genus. However the ~380° rotation of the embolus is unusual (see Figure 6 and Appendix 1). The detailed structure of the pedipalp is remarkably similar to that of C. ambonensis sp.nov., despite the fact that these spiders are quite different in general appearance.

The female is unknown. Since this male resembles males of the more sexually dimorphic Cosmophasis species (e.g., C. thalassina , C. umbratica , C. valerieae ), we would expect the females to be quite different in appearance. It is also possible that this represents the male of a known species, such as the C. squamata that have been found in the Banda Islands, but that remains to be determined.

Figures

Figure 1. Known occurrence of Cosmophasis species in Sunda, Sahul and adjacent oceanic islands. Better-known species are identified in the key at upper right. See Appendix 1 for identification of the other species, most know from a single locality, by number. The new species described here are from Ambon and the Banda Islands within the Wallacean region (small yellow rectangle near the center), shown in more detail in Figure 2. Localities are based on references cited in Appendix 1, as well as reliable photographs posted in iNaturalist and FLICKR. Note that some records of C. thalassina (52, generally found to the south) and C. umbratica (57, generally found to the north) are most likely confused, as separation of these species may not be possible. Background image courtesy of NASA/USGS/Landsat.

Figure 2. Records of Cosmophasis in Ambon and the Banda Islands. Ambon is the type locality for C. viridifasciata. The other records are all new. 2, Detail of Banda Islands corresponding to inset rectangle in (1). See Hurni-Cranston Hill (2020) for more views of the Banda Islands. Background images courtesy of NASA/USGS/Landsat.

Figure 6. Diagrammatic ventral views of left pedipalp of male Cosmophasis, showing the convention used here to estimate the rotation of the embolus (in red) from its tegular origin to its apex in the cymbial furrow. See Appendix 1 for estimates of this rotation by species, based on published drawings or photographs.

Figure 7. Comparative dorsal views of representative male Cosmophasis (drawings not to scale). 1, C. ambonensis, sp.nov., Ambon. 2, Cosmophasis sp. A, found at Warimak, Waigeo Island, West Papua (Baum 2019) and at Pulau Penem, Fam Islands, Indonesia (Smutný 2020). 3, Cosmophasis sp. B, found on Leilei Island (Sustainable Strategies Network 2018), Halmahera Island (Harris 2019), and Ternate Island (Knowles 2021a) in the Bacan Islands, Indonesia. 4, Cosmophasis sp. C, found at Manokwari, West Papua (Knowles 2021b). 5, C. bitaeniata, Queensland. 6, C. valerieae, Bali. 7, C. bandaneira, sp.nov., Banda Neira.

Figure 20. Holotype male C. bandaneira (HC-BN1m) in ethanol. 6, Ventral/rear view of protracted chelicerae, endites, labium, sternum and coxae. 7, Detailed posterior view of right chelicera from showing one large and two smaller teeth of the promargin (blue line), and one large medial tooth of the retromargin (green line). At left the green line follows the curved projection of the retromargin where it articulates with the base of the fang. 8-13, Medial or prolateral to ventral and lateral or retrolateral views of right pedipalp (mirror images to support comparison according to the left pedipalp standard).