Spariolenus bakasura, Moradmand & Wesal & Kulkarni, 2023

Moradmand, Majid, Wesal, Mohammad Wasil & Kulkarni, Siddharth, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the troglophile Spariolenus spiders (Araneae: Sparassidae) in South and West Asia, Zootaxa 5380 (1), pp. 77-95 : 81-84

Spariolenus bakasura sp. n.

Figs 3A–C , 4A–C , 9D–F , 10A–C , 12A–D

Spariolenus tigris Simon. Pocock 1900: 264 (in part, misidentification, record of one female from India: Pune, used as paratype here, see below); Sethi and Tikader 1988: 8 (in part, misidentification of the noted female).

Type material: Holotype: female, India: Karnataka: Uttanur , 16.18 N, 77.10 E, 391 m, 2010, Neha, Manju & Susaj leg. ( SMF) . Paratypes: 1♀, India: Maharashtra: Pune [label: Spariolenus tigris Simon ; India: Poona Distr. R.C. Wroughton, Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. ( NHM 1899.9.21.511)] ; 1♂, 1♀, India: Maharashtra: Western Ghats, Satara, Morghal cave , 17.63 N, 73.86 E, 800 m, Nov 2015, Kulkarni leg. ( BNHS) .

Etymology. In the cultural history of Bharat ( India), Bakasura is the name of a voracious feeding demon who lived in caves, noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. The male resembles S. omidvarbrothers sp. n., S. zagros , S. fathpouri , and S. mansourii by bifurcated ET ( Figs 3A, C ) but differ from them by stout and robust PET and RET (vs. slender and elongated ones in the other species). The remaining species with known males embody simple or not bifurcated ET [e.g., S. iranomaximus Moradmand & Jäger, 2011 ; S. tigris and S. buxa ( Saha et al. 1995) ]; Female is similar to S. tigris by having widened CO occupying majority of the EP (vs. not so in the rest of species) but it is distinguished from S. tigris by MEP extending beyond CO laterally (vice versa in S. tigris ) ( Fig. 4A ).

Male (Paratype): Measurements. TL 13.5, 8.8, 7.9, 4.0, 9.5, PL 7.2, PW 6.3, AW 3.6, OL 6.3, OW 4.5. Eyes. AME 0.25, ALE 0.52, PME 0.3, PLE 0.50, eye inter distances: AME-AME 0.23, AME-ALE 0.13, PME-PME 0.28, PME-PLE 0.48, AME-PME 0. 38, ALE-PLE 0.47. clypeus-AME 1.02, clypeus-ALE 0.7. Spination. Palp 131, 101, 2121; Legs: Femur I–III 323(2), IV 321; Patella I–IV 000; Tibia I–II 111(10), III 1118, IV 2226; Metatarsus I–III 1014, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs. Palp 13.08 [4.2, 1.6, 2.56, 4.72], I 50.4 [12.8, 4.27, 14.4, 14.67, 4.27]; II 57.07 [14.67, 3.47, 16.53, 17.6, 4.8]; III 46.4 [12.27, 3.47, 13.33, 13.07, 4.27]; IV 42.4 [12,2.13, 12.27, 13.6, 2.4]. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 5 retromarginal teeth, cheliceral furrow with around 20 denticles.

Palp. As in diagnosis, with cymbium subequal to tibia in length, RTA short, BRB present, embolus longer than conductor, PET much shorter than RET ( Figs 3A–C ).

Colouration. Same as for female ( Fig. 12A ).

Female (holotype): Measurements. TL 18.3, PL 8.8, PW 7.9, AW 4.0, OL 9.5, OW 7.2. Eyes. AME 0.33, ALE 0.63, PME 0.46, PLE 0.61, AME-AME 0.23, AME-ALE 0.03, PME-PME 0.21, PME-PLE 0.51, AME-PME 0.41, ALE-PLE 0.58, clypeus-AME 0.65, clypeus-ALE 0.96. Chelicerae with 3 promarginal and 5 retromarginal teeth, and 20 intermarginal denticles. Measurements of palp and legs. Palp 14.1 [4.2, 2.1, 3.0, 4.8], I 48.4 [13.0, 4.3, 14.1, 13.3, 3.7], II 53.4 [15.2, 4.8, 14.7, 14.6, 4.1], III 45.7 [12.2, 4.1, 12.7, 13.1, 3.6], IV not available. Spination. Palp 131, 101, 2121, 1014; Legs (leg IV missing): Femur I 423, II–III 323; Patella I–III 101; Tibia I 405(10), II 404(10), III 3148; Metatarsus I–II 1014, III 2014.

Female copulatory organ. As in diagnosis, EF longer than wide, AB present and continuous to EF, CO widened longitudinally, MEP extended beyond EP laterally, MS not widened ( Fig. 4A ); SC of vulva extending laterally beyond FC and TC in ventral view ( Fig. 4B ).

Colouration. Generally beige in body with contrasting darker bands and spots on legs and stripes on carapace ( Figs 9D , 12B ).

Distribution and habitat preferences. This species seems to be widespread in the south and western Indian Peninsula ( Fig. 13 ). Subadult male and female specimens were collected within the Morghal cave entrance corridor ( Fig. 12A–C ) in the Western Ghats and then reared in captivity to get mature. Attached to the cave wall, a plastered old egg sac with exuviae of spiderlings instars was observed ( Fig. 12D ) similar to the egg sac of Spariolenus arata documented by Moradmand & Jäger (2011: fig. 40), from Iran.

Figures

FIGURES 3A–C. Spariolenus bakasura sp. n., male paratype, India (BNHS).A–B left palp (A prolateral, B ventral); C embolus tip, ventral.

FIGURES 4A–C. Spariolenus bakasura sp. n., female holotype, India (SMF). A epigyne, ventral; B vulva, dorsal; C right vulva, lateral. Abbreviations: AB—anterior band of epigynal field; SS—slit sensillum.

FIGURES 9A–G. Spariolenus spp. A–D, G frontal view of prosoma; E chelicerae and labium, ventral; F cheliceral dentition, ventral. A Spariolenus omidvarbrothers sp. n., male holotype; B Spariolenus lindbergi (Roewer, 1962) comb. nov., male; C Spariolenus baluchistanicus sp. n., female holotype; D–F Spariolenus bakasura sp. n., female paratype; G Spariolenus kabandha sp. n.

FIGURES 10A–C. Spariolenus bakasura sp. n., paratypes (BNHS). A male palp, ventral; B epigyne, ventral; C vulva, dorsal.

FIGURE 12A–D. Spariolenus bakasura sp. n. A habitus of male; B female; C Morghal cave entrance corridor, the type locality and habitat, India: Western Ghats; D the egg sac on the cave wall.

FIGURE 13. The distribution records map of all known Spariolenus species (studied here and revised to date) in South and West Asia. Localities for all new species described in this study are marked with a star.