Merizocera galle Li, 2020

Chang, Wan-Jin, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2020, Twenty-eight new species of the spider genus Merizocera Fage, 1912 (Araneae, Psilodercidae) from South and Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 961, pp. 41-118 : 41

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.961.53058
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B5627BFE-56A2-42B3-B3A5-96BAE07724F4
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/17373A33-AC34-4331-A192-2F6C85188E39
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:17373A33-AC34-4331-A192-2F6C85188E39
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Merizocera galle Li
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Merizocera galle Li sp. nov. Figures 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8 , 52 View Figure 52

Type material.

Holotype: male (IZCAS), Rumassala Mountain (6°1.48'N, 80°14.55'E, elevation 51 m), Unawatuna Village, Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, 12-13 October 2014, S. Kosala leg. Paratype: 1 female (IZCAS), same data as holotype.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Males can be distinguished from congeners by the distinctly longer (longer than tegular) and bent embolus (Fig. 7B View Figure 7 ); from M. ratnapura sp. nov. (Fig. 33B View Figure 33 ), M. phuket sp. nov. (Fig. 27B View Figure 27 ), and M. hponkanrazi sp. nov. (Fig. 9B View Figure 9 ) by the absence of conductor (vs. presence of distinct conductor projected from the base of embolus). The females can be distinguished by a pair of horizontally twisted spermathecae (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ).

Description.

Male (holotype). Total length 1.00; carapace 0.48 long, 0.42 wide; abdomen 0.51 long, 0.36 wide. Carapace circular, brownish, with dark brown marks laterally and brown median stripe on anterior half (Fig. 8C View Figure 8 ). Fovea shallow. Thoracic region distinctly elevated medially. Clypeus brownish, with dark brown marks medially. Labium and sternum dark brown. Abdomen slightly elongated, dark grey, with dark marks posteriorly and ventrally. Legs brown; measurements: I 3.73 (1.00, 0.17, 1.13, 0.90, 0.53), II 2.98 (0.79, 0.16, 0.85, 0.72, 0.46), III 2.49 (0.70, 0.13, 0.67, 0.63, 0.36), IV 3.74 (0.98, 0.16, 1.13, 0.96, 0.51). Palp (Fig. 7A-D View Figure 7 ): femur slender, thrice longer than patella; patella not swollen; tibia similar length as femur; cymbium with distal protrusion, half length of femur, length ratio of dorsal protrusion and cymbium 0.54; bulb pale yellow, pyriform with embolus arising distally, conductor absent; embolus distinctly elongated and bent, 1.5 times longer than the tegular.

Female (paratype). General features and colouration similar to those of male (Fig. 8D, E View Figure 8 ). Measurements: total length 1.24; carapace 0.53 long, 0.45 wide; abdomen 0.70 long, 0.48 wide. Leg measurements: I 3.62 (0.94, 0.17, 1.08, 0.89, 0.54), II 3.03 (0.78, 0.17, 0.87, 0.73, 0.48), III missing, IV 3.70 (0.95, 0.16, 1.13, 0.92, 0.54). Epigastric area (Fig. 8B View Figure 8 ): brown, lanceolate patch. Endogyne (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ) with pair of horizontally twisted spermathecae, ratio of the width of twisted spermatheca and the interdistance of spermathecae 1:4.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality (Sri Lanka; Fig. 52 View Figure 52 ).