Pseudopoda titan Zhao & Li

Jiang, Tongyao, Zhao, Qingyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2018, Sixteen new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jaeger, 2000 from China, Myanmar, and Thailand (Sparassidae, Heteropodinae), ZooKeys 791, pp. 107-161 : 132-133

Pseudopoda titan Zhao & Li sp. n. Figs 28, 29, 30, 37

Type material.

Holotype ♂: Myanmar, Kachin State, Putao, Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary, roadside between Camp 2 to Camp 3, 27°36.867'N, 96°58.933'E, 2491 m, 15 XII 2016, J. Wu. Paratype: 1 ♀, same locality as holotype, 12 V 2017, J. Wu & Z. Chen.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the name of giants in Greek myth, referring to the gigantic size of this species; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Large-sized Pseudopoda species. Male resembles P. emei Zhang, Zhang & Zhang, 2013 (see Zhang et al. 2013b: 44, figs 18-33), P. namkhan Jäger, Pathoumthong & Vedel, 2006 (see Jäger et al. 2006: 222, figs 20-28, 35-40) and P. mediana Quan, Zhong & Liu, 2014 (see Quan et al. 2014: 562, figs 6 A–C, 7 A–C, 8 A–D, 9 A–C) by: tip of embolus sharply curved and pointing prolaterally (Figure 29A, B). It can be distinguished from the three congeners by the following combination of characters: 1. dRTA well developed, curved, and finger-like (Figure 28 A–C; straight and significantly shorter in P. emei and P. mediana ; broadened in P. namkhan ); 2. tip of embolus slightly broadened (Figure 29B; filiform in P. emei ); 3. significantly larger in body size.

Female resembles those of P. gemina Jäger, Pathoumthong & Vedel, 2006 (see Jäger et al. 2006: 222, figs 14-19, 33-34) and P. recta Jäger & Ono, 2001 (see Jäger and Ono 2001: 25, figs 17-22) by: 1. median margin of lateral lobe converged (Figure 30A); 2. slender loops of internal duct system running transversally (Figure 30E). It can be distinguished from the two congeners by the following combination of characters: 1. posterior incisions of lateral lobes distinct (Figure 30A, B; absent in P. recta and P. gemina ); 2. converging part of anterior margins of lateral lobes T-shaped (Figure 30A).

Description.

Male (holotype). Body length 19.0, DS length 9.0, DS width 8.0, OS length 10.0, OS width 6.5. Eyes: AME 0.29, ALE 0.38, PME 0.33, PLE 0.38, AME-AME 0.30, AME-ALE 0.13, PME-PME 0.38, PME-PLE 0.60, AME-PME 0.46, ALE-ALE 0.38, CH AME 0.31, CH ALE 0.38. Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Spination: palp 131, 101, 3100; legs: femur I-III 323, IV 321; patella I-II 101, III-IV 100; tibia I-III 2226, IV 2126; metatarsus I-II 1014, III 2025, IV 2424. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 14.4 (5.1, 2.1, 2.8, -, 4.5), leg I 48.2 (11.5, 4.5, 13.5, 14.0, 4.7), leg II 52.1 (13.5, 4.7, 14.0, 15.0, 4.7), leg III 37.6 (11, 3.7, 10.0, 9.5, 3.4), leg IV 40.6 (11.0, 3.6, 11.0, 11.0, 4.0). Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, retromargin with four teeth, cheliceral furrow with ca. 30 denticles.

Palp as in diagnosis. Cymbium slender, with distinct retrolateral bulge beside bulb. RTA arising basally from tibia (Figure 28 A–C). Sperm duct running submarginally retrolaterally in tegulum. Embolus arising from tegulum at 10 o’clock position, broad, almost straight in ventral view. Tip of embolus leaf-like, sharply curved, and pointing prolaterally. Embolic projection present as two additional triangular rims near the tip. Conductor arising from the tegulum at 12 to 1 o’clock position (Figure 29A, B).

Coloration in ethanol: carapace yellowish brown. Radial furrows and fovea dark brown. Dorsal opisthosoma reddish brown, with white dots and yellow patches. Legs orange. Ventral opisthosoma with two pairs of longitudinal lines composed of orange dots (Figure 29C, D).

Female (paratype). Body length 19.0, DS length 9.0, DS width 8.0, OS length 10.0, OS width 6.5. Eyes: AME 0.40, ALE 0.43, PME 0.30, PLE 0.43, AME-AME 0.34, AME-ALE 0.19, PME-PME 0.46, PME-PLE 0.68, AME-PME 0.53, ALE-PLE 0.47, CH AME 0.47, CH ALE 0.47. Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Spination: palp 131, 101, 3110, 2020; legs: femur I-III 323, IV 321; patella I-II 101, III-IV 100; tibia I-II 2226, III-IV 2126; metatarsus I-II 1014, III 2024, IV 2037. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 12.6 (4.0, 2.0, 2.6, -, 4.0), leg I 37.5 (11.5, 4.1, 10.0, 9.0, 2.9), leg II 40.2 (11.5, 4.2, 11.5, 10.0, 3.0), leg III 29.1 (8.5, 3.3, 8.0, 6.5, 2.8), leg IV 30.1 (9.0, 3.0, 8.0, 7.5, 2.6). Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, retromargin with four teeth. Cheliceral furrow with ca. 30 denticles.

Epigyne as in diagnosis. Epigynal field longer in transverse axis, with distinct anterior bands and trilobate anterior margin. Lateral lobes longer in transverse axis, sub-rectangular but narrower laterally. Posterior incision of lateral lobe distinct, near the posterior meeting point of lateral lobes (Figure 30A). Lateral loops of internal duct system running transversally, covered by first winding in dorsal view (Figure 30B, E).

Coloration in ethanol: as in male but generally darker (Figure 30C, D).

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.