Plynnon jaegeri, Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa, 2001

Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa, 2001, Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Liocranidae, Gnaphosidae, Prodidomidae and Trochanteriidae)., Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders- Family Liocranidae, Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Leiden; Boston; Köln, pp. 400-505 : 444-445

Plynnon jaegeri sp. n. ( figs 730-733 , map 37 )

Type locality.— Indonesia, W Sumatra, Mt. Singalang. Bukittinggi (on older maps Fort de Kock ).

Type material.— Holotype ♂ from the type locality, Anai , 480 m, secondary forest, leaf litter, 17.vi.1994, Suharto Djojosudharmo; paratype: 1 ♀, W Sumatra, Rimba Panti Reserve , lowland rainforest, thin litter on crumbly clay, 3+ 4.viii. 1982, P.R. and C.L. Deeleman.

Other material.— Mentawai Islands, Siberut , Muarasiberut , 2 ♀, 1 jv, rain forest, 0-150 m, 15- 20.08.1995, P. Beron and T. Ivanova ( NMNHS); N Sumatra: Gn. Leuser National Park near Bohorok ( Bukit Lawang ), 1 ♀ in leaf litter on slope above orangutan rehabilitation centre, 7.viii. 1982, P.R. and C.L. Deeleman ; Deli Serdang, Nature Reserve Tinggi Raja near Negridolok , 1 ♂ ( MHNG), primary forest, 400-440 m, 15.xi. 1985, C. Lienhard.

Diagnosis.— Plynnon jaegeri differs from the other species by the transformation in the male palpal femur and the differently shaped tegulum and embolus.

Description. — MALE, holotype. Total length 2.50 mm. Carapace length 1.20 mm, width 0.70 mm, height at coxae II 0.35 mm, head width 0.50 mm, eye group width 0.35 mm; abdomen 1.20 mm long, 0.75 mm wide. Leg lengths: leg I 3.20 mm (0.90-1.15-0.65-0.50), leg II 2.85 mm (0.75-1.00-0.60-0.50), leg III 2.65 mm (0.70-0.85-0.60-0.50), leg IV 4.10 mm (1.15-1.25-1.00-0.70), palp 0.40-0.25- 0.15-0.70 mm. Carapace, mouthparts and sternum dark chestnut brown, legs paler with pale coxae except for dark coxa I, dark femur I with light tip, tibia I with white band as is characteristic of the genus, metatarsus and tarsus pale brown, femur II-IV pale brown, prolateral and retrolateral surface dark, tibia, metatarsus and tarsus II-IV pale brown. Abdomen all dark with dorsally a pair of white spots in front, rest dark, in the specimens from Siberut and Tinggi Raja a second light transverse band; venter dark with white area just behind the epigastric fold. Eyes as in longitarse , PME 2 d apart. Clypeus protruding, 11/2 x d ALE. Leg spination: tibiae I with 2- 2-2-2v, tibia II with 2-2-2v; metatarsi I and II with 1 pair of long strong spines ventrally. Abdomen with small leathery scutum dorsally ( fig. 730 ), ventrally an epigastric scutum only. Palp ( figs 731-732 ) with retro-apically on the femur a small transparent cup-shaped disc, tegulum and embolus elongate, with protrusions.

FEMALE, paratype. Total length 2.70 mm. Carapace length 1.20 mm, width 0.80 mm, head width 0.50 mm, eye group width 0.32 mm; abdomen 1.40 mm long, 0.80 mm wide, epigyne 0.30 mm wide. Leg lengths: leg I lost, leg II 2.65 mm (0.75-0.90-0.50-0.50), leg III 2.50 mm (0.70-0.75-0.55-0.50), leg IV 3.90 mm (1.05-1.25-0.90-0.70), palp 0.25-0.15- 0.25- 0.40 mm. Carapace orange with darker areas, legs as in male (leg I lost); abdomen dark with dorsally two white transverse bands, venter dark with white area just behind the epigastric fold. Leg spination: tibia II with 2-2-2- 2v. Epigyne colourless (freshly moulted), openings marked with a black V-shaped funnel directed probably in opposite direction relative to that in zborowskii and longitarse . Epigyne fig. 733 .

Variability. — The specimen from Bohorok is larger (3.5 mm) with bright orange carapace and more spines on anterior tibiae, the epigyne is identical; the dark-light pattern on leg I resembles that of the male, there are also two broad transverse bands on the abdomen.

Distribution. — W Sumatra, Mt. Singalang near Bukittinggi and Rimba Panti near Lebuksikaping, also Siberut island off the westcoast near Padang; the specimen from N Sumatra, Gunung Leuser National Park at Bohorok may or may not be conspecific.

Etymology. — In honour of my dear colleague Peter Jaeger.

The genera Sphingius , Sesieutes and Teutamus have in the past been placed in a variety of families. Teutamus Thorell and Sphingius Thorell were originally described in the “Drassoidae”, a group which then accommodated genera which were intermediate between Clubionidae and Gnaphosidae . This classification was more logical than that of Simon (HNA), who placed Teutamus and Sesieutes alongside with Castianeira in the Gnaphosidae , Micariinae . In Roewer’s and Brignoli’s Catalogues, Sesieutes and Teutamus persisted in the Gnaphosidae , Micariinae . Platnick (1989) moved both to the Liocranidae . Sphingius for some obsure reason was moved to the Molycriae by Simon, where it remained until Brignoli (1983) put it in the Micariinae . Lehtinen (1967: 292) considered both Sphingius and Orthobula as corinnids. The approach of Sphingius towards Gnasphosidae is understandable because of the often somewhat angular or slightly oval PME, the absence of strong spines on the anterior legs and the epigyne with well delimited window in front of the spermathecae. In present spider taxonomy, the spinneret configuration is considered a synapomorphy for Phrurolithinae, which leads to the new delimitation and rearrangement presented here of this difficult spider taxon.

Figures

Map 37: ■ Plynnon zborowskii ▲ P longitarse ◙ P. jaegeri Ө Unidentified specim en 1 - 6

Figs 730 - 733. Plynnon jaegeri. 730. Male holotype, habitus. 731. Palp, ventral. 732. Retrolateral. 733. Epigyne.