Liphistius sp.

Schwendinger, Peter J., Huber, Siegfried, Lehmann-Graber, Christina, Ono, Hirotsugu, Aung, Mu Mu & Hongpadharakiree, Komsan, 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Liphistius birmanicus-group (Araneae: Liphistiidae) with the description of five new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 129 (2), pp. 375-424 : 406

Liphistius sp.

Figs 1 , 16 K-L

Material: MHNG (sample MT-14/29); 1 female; Myanmar, Shan State, 3 km SW of Kalaw, along road to water reservoir, 20°36’16”N, 96°32’06”E, 1400 m; 14.VI.2014; leg. P. Schwendinger & S. Huber.

Taxonomic remarks: Body size and colouration and the shape of the vulval plate of this female is quite similar to that of L. pinlaung females ( Fig. 16 K-L cf. Fig. 16 A-J). The vulval plate differs by larger and more deeply separated anterior lobes, by a longer receptacular cluster (reaching anterior margin of poreplate), and by a relatively shorter posterior stalk. This female (CL 7.34, CW 6.15 and thus within the size range of L. pinlaung females) either belongs to a different species, or it is a specimen at the far end of intraspecific variability in females of L. pinlaung .

Distribution and biology: The locality of this female lies about 50 km north of the known localities of L. pinlaung ( Fig. 1 ), at roughly the same altitude. This form or species appears to be locally rare. Despite intensive search in the area around Kalaw for two full days, only a single spider was found. It was extracted from a simple burrow, closed by a 2.8 cm wide and 2.12 cm long trapdoor, with an old (filled with mould), 2.2 cm wide, 2.1 cm long and 1.3 cm high egg case at its end. In captivity the spider moulted two months after capture.

Figures

Fig. 1. Localities of species in the Liphistius birmanicus-group in northern Thailand, eastern Myanmar and southern China. Blue lines indicate major rivers, black lines national borders, grey lines major roads.

Fig. 16. Liphistius pinlaung (A-J) and Liphistius sp. (specimen from Kalaw; K-L), vulval plates of seven females (all taken from exuviae), dorsal view (A, D, G, I, K) and ventral view (B-C, E-F, H, J, L). (A-B) Moult of 10.II.2019. (C) Moult of 7.XII.2018. (D-E) Moult of 10.IV.2021. (F) Moult of 21.X.2018. (G-H) Moult of 16.V.2020. (I-J) Moult of 8.III.2020. (K-L) Moult of 15.VIII.2017. Scale lines 1.0 mm.