Phrynarachne storozhenkoi, Omelko, 2025

Omelko, Mikhail M., 2025, New species and new records of Phrynarachne crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 1257, pp. 55-70 : 55-70

Phrynarachne storozhenkoi sp. nov.

Figs 8–13 , 28

Type material.

Holotype. Malaysia • ♀; Borneo, Sabah State, environs of Tawau ; 4°24'N, 117°53'E; 300 m a. s. l.; 30.08. – 7.09.1994; A. M. Emelyanov leg.; ZMMU .

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors Sergei Storozhenko (Vladivostok, Russia), the distinguished Russian entomologist known for his studies of pygmy grasshoppers ( Tetrigidae ) and other orthopterans, including fossil Grylloblattodea. This name is bestowed in the year of the 70 th anniversary of his birth.

Diagnosis.

By the pale coloration of the carapace and opisthosoma with small, rounded tubercles, the female of P. storozhenkoi sp. nov. resembles those of the Asian P. decipiens ( Forbes, 1884) , P. lancea Tang & Li, 2010 and P. mammillata , known from southern China. The female of the new species can be distinguished from both similar species by the dark, almost black coloration of the dorsal side of opisthosoma (vs. white; cf. Figs 8 , 20 and Lin et al. 2022: fig. 19 A). From P. decipiens , the new species also differs by the rounded, widened lateral edges of the median plate ( MP) (vs. edges pointed, narrow, directed anteriorly; cf. Figs 11 , 23 ). From P. lancea , it can be distinguished by the broad and slightly curved median plate ( MP) (vs. narrow and strongly curved; cf. Fig. 11 , Lin et al. 2022: fig. 11 A) and the receptacles ( Re) nearly touching each other anteriorly (vs. widely spaced; cf. Fig. 13 , Lin et al. 2022: fig. 11 B). By the structure of the copulatory apparatus, the new species also resembles P. mammillata but can be easily distinguished from it by the smooth receptacles (vs. those covered with numerous deep folds; cf. Fig. 13 , Lin et al. 2022: fig. 13 B).

Description.

Female (Figs 8–10 ). Total length 12.61. Prosoma 5.51 long, 5.36 wide. Opisthosoma 7.62 long, 7.98 wide. Carapace yellowish white, with black head area and four irregular black spots (two anterior, two posterior). Clypeus dark brown. Chelicerae dark brown with tiny yellow spots. Labium yellowish brown, somewhat darker posteriorly. Endites yellowish brown, somewhat darker posteriorly. Sternum black with yellow n-mark anteriorly. Dorsal part of opisthosoma dark brown, with anterior half darker than posterior, bearing a thin yellow longitudinal mark and two large yellowish-white posterolateral spots. Lateral sides of opisthosoma yellowish white with irregular dark brown spots. Ventral part of opisthosoma dark brown with yellow spots. Each side of opisthosoma with 12 triangular tubercles, some with a clavate seta on the top. Spinnerets brown.

Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.13, ALE 0.20, PME 0.16, PLE 0.16; AME – AME 0.44, AME – ALE 0.28, PME – PME 0.49, PME – PLE 0.46, AME – PME 0.37, ALE – PLE 0.40. Clypeus height at AME 0.45, at ALE 0.56.

Leg and palp measurements: Palp: 1.38, 0.85, 0.99, 1.68 (4.90). Leg I: 5.97, 2.64, 4.12, 4.32, 1.71 (18.76). Leg II: 5.89, 2.47, 3.97, 4.09, 1.73 (18.15). Leg III: 3.29, 1.78, 2.37, 1.53, 1.14 (10.11). Leg IV: 3.53, 1.62, 2.39, 1.40, 1.00 (9.94).

Palp coloration: Fe black with thin yellow longitudinal stripe dorsally; Pa – Ti black; Ta yellowish brown with black proximal part. Legs coloration: Fe I – II black with yellow irregular spots; Fe III proximal half brown with yellow spots, distal half black with yellow spots; Fe IV brown with yellow spots. Pa I – IV black with yellow irregular spots. Ti I – II dark brown with yellow irregular spots and black spots proximally; Ti III dark brown with distal half darker than proximal and irregular yellow spots; Ti IV black with irregular yellow spots. Mt I – II light brown with tiny yellow spots; Mt III – IV yellow with light brown lateral sides. Ta I – II light brown with yellow dorsoprolateral sides; Ta III – IV light brown with yellow spots. Femora I and II with tubercles; tibiae I and II with large ventral spines (tibia I – 6; tibia II – 6).

Epigyne as shown in Figs 11–13 , with M-shaped sclerotized margins, width / length ratio 1.5. Median plate ( MP) broad and transversely elongate, dumbbell-shaped with smoothly concave anterior and posterior edges and rounded, widened lateral edges, forming arcuate, smile-shaped structure; hood absent; width / length ratio 3. Copulatory openings ( CO) distinct. Receptacles ( Re) kidney-shaped, close to each other anteriorly, with uneven surface; anterior / posterior edge width ratio c. 1.8. Fertilization ducts ( FD) transverse.

Notes.

Although no species of Phrynarachne from Borneo are listed in the WSC (2025), more than 80 observations of Bornean spiders from this genus have been published on iNaturalist (2025). In addition, photographs showing the external appearance of four species ( P. ceylonica , P. decipiens , P. tuberosa ( Blackwall, 1864) , and one undescribed species) were published by Koh and Bay (2019). The probability that the female of P. storozhenkoi sp. nov. is conspecific with P. bimaculata , known only from the male, is extremely low because of the large geographic gap (about 3000 km) separating the type localities of these species.

Distribution.

Type locality only, Borneo (Fig. 28 ).

Figures

Figure 28. Distribution records of Phrynarachne spp. in Asia and Australasia: P. fatalis (1), P. rothschildi (2), P. ceylonica (3), P. tuberosa (4), P. decipiens (5), P. peeliana (6), P. bimaculata (7), P. papulata (8), P. brevis (9), P. lancea (10), P. aspera (11), P. dreepy (12), P. mammillata (13), P. zhengzhongi (14), P. kannegieteri (15), P. dissimilis (16), P. yunhui (17), P. katoi (18), P. coerulescens (19), P. huangshanensis (20), P. storozhenkoi sp. nov. (21), P. xuxiake (22), P. gorochovi sp. nov. (23), P. cucullata (24), P. jobiensis (25), P. tuberculata (26), P. cheesmanae (27). New species are marked with squares; new records with asterisks; dubious records with question marks.

Figures 8–13. Female habitus (8–10) and epigyne (11–13) of Phrynarachne storozhenkoi sp. nov. 8. Dorsal; 9. Ventral; 10. Anterior; 11. Intact, ventral; 12. Macerated, ventral; 13. Macerated, dorsal. Abbreviations: CO = copulatory opening, FD = fertilization duct, MP = median plate, Re = receptacle. Scale bars: 5 mm (8, 9); 2.5 mm (10); 0.2 mm (11–13).

Figures 20–25. Female habitus (20–22) and epigyne (23–25) of Phrynarachne decipiens. 20. Dorsal; 21. Ventral; 22. Anterior; 23. Intact, ventral; 24. Macerated, ventral; 25. Macerated, dorsal. Abbreviations: CO = copulatory opening, FD = fertilization duct, MP = median plate, Re = receptacle. Scale bars: 5 mm (20, 21); 2.5 mm (22); 0.2 mm (23–25).