Wanniyala badulla Yao & Li, 2020

Xin, Yafei, Yao, Zhiyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2020, Two new species of the spider genus Wanniyala Huber & Benjamin, 2005 (Araneae Pholcidae) from Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 4759 (4), pp. 566-574 : 567-570

Wanniyala badulla Yao & Li sp. nov.

Figs 1–2

Type material. Holotype: male (IZCAS-Ar 39831), Udakirinda Cave 2 (very shallow) (6°51’7.2’’N, 81°3’30.7’’E, elevation 763 m), Koradogolla Village , Ella, Badulla District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka, 3 October 2014, S. Kosala leg. Paratypes: 2 males (IZCAS-Ar 39832, Ar 39833) and 4 females (IZCAS-Ar 39834–Ar 39837), same data as holotype .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from all known congeners by combination of following characters: retrolateral sclerite 1 of procursus nearly angular (Fig. 1D), retrolateral sclerite 2 of procursus bifurcated into angular apophysis (arrow 1 in Fig. 1D) and rounded apophysis provided with small pointed tip (arrow 2 in Fig. 1D), epigynum slightly protruding, vulva with pair of large sclerites (arrow in Fig. 2B ), and vulval pore plates nearly triangular ( Fig. 2B ).

Description. Male (holotype, IZCAS-Ar 39831): Total length 2.87 (3.00 with clypeus), carapace 1.06 long, 1.17 wide, opisthosoma 1.81 long, 1.15 wide. Legs I and III missing (see variation), leg II: 15.03 (3.97 + 0.45 + 3.85 + 5.45 + 1.31), leg IV: 14.71 (4.00 + 0.42 + 3.77 + 5.57 + 0.95). Distance PME-PME 0.14, diameter PME 0.08, distance PME-ALE 0.02, AME absent. Sternum wider than long (0.84/0.67). Habitus as in Figs 2 E–F. Carapace slightly yellow, with brown lateral margins and brown median line; ocular area slightly brown, with V-shaped marks posteriorly; clypeus slightly brown, with pair of brown bands; sternum dark brown. Legs slightly brown, but slightly grey on proximal parts of femora and distal parts of tibiae, without darker rings. Opisthosoma slightly yellow, with brown marks. Ocular area slightly elevated. Thoracic furrow shallow but distinct. Clypeus with pair of small apophyses, with median distinct hump. Chelicerae as in Fig. 2D , with pair of small proximo-lateral apophyses and pair of long, curved distal apophyses directed forwards, tips of apophyses distally directed downwards (distance between tips: 0.69). Pedipalps as in Figs 1A–B; coxa unmodified; trochanter with distinct apophyses; femur with small dorsal apophysis proximally (arrow in Fig. 1B); tibia very long (0.77); procursus simple proximally but complex distally, with three transparent processes and four sclerites (Figs 1C–D); bulb with large proximal sclerite ( Fig. 2C ), simple membranous embolus, and short hooked apophysis. Legs with short vertical setae on metatarsi, without spines or curved setae.

FIGURE 1. Wanniyala badulla Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male. A–B. Pedipalp (A. Prolateral view; B. Retrolateral view, arrow points at dorsal apophysis on pedipalpal femur); C–D. Distal part of procursus (C. Prolateral view; D. Retrolateral view, arrow 1 points at angular apophysis, arrow 2 points at rounded apophysis). Scale bars: 0.20 (A–B), 0.10 (C–D).

Female (IZCAS-Ar 39834): Similar to male, habitus as in Figs 2 G–H. Total length 2.87 (3.07 with clypeus), carapace 1.10 long, 1.17 wide, opisthosoma 1.77 long, 1.44 wide; leg I missing (see variation). Distance PME-PME 0.13, diameter PME 0.09, distance PME-ALE 0.01, AME absent. Sternum wider than long (0.78/0.68). Clypeus unmodified. Epigynum ( Fig. 2A ) slightly protruding and rounded in lateral view; posterior plate apparently reduced to two lateral sclerites mostly hidden behind epigynal plate and poorly visible in ventral view. Vulva with sclerotized anterior ‘valve’, pair of large sclerites (arrow in Fig. 2B ), and pair of nearly triangular pore plates ( Fig. 2B ).

Variation: Leg I missing in two male paratypes (IZCAS-Ar 39832, Ar 39833). Total length 2.12 (2.22 with clypeus) in one male paratype (IZCAS-Ar 39832). Total length 2.86 (3.02 with clypeus) in another male paratype (IZCAS-Ar 39833). In one female paratype (IZCAS-Ar 39835): tibia I: 4.86 (leg I missing in the other two female paratypes IZCAS-Ar 39836, Ar 39837), tibia I L/d: 54; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia I at 11% proximally; tarsus I with 33 distinct pseudosegments.

Natural history. The species was found at the entrance (twilight) zone of the cave.

Distribution. Sri Lanka (Uva Province, type locality; Fig. 5 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Wanniyala badulla Yao & Li sp. nov., holotype male (C–F) and paratype female (A–B, G–H).A. Epigynum, ventral view; B. Vulva, dorsal view, arrow points at large sclerite; C. Bulb, prolateral view; D. Chelicerae, frontal view; E–H. Habitus (E, G. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view; H. Ventral view). Scale bars: 0.10 (A–D), 0.50 (E–H).

FIGURE 5. Distribution records of the species of Wanniyala from Sri Lanka. 1 Wanniyala agrabopath Huber & Benjamin, 2005, 2 W. badulla Yao & Li sp. nov., 3 W. batatota Yao & Li sp. nov., 4 W. hakgala Huber & Benjamin, 2005, 5 W. labugama Huber, 2019, 6 W. mapalena Huber, 2019, 7 W. mudita Huber, 2019, 8 W. ohiya Huber, 2019, 9 W. orientalis Huber, 2019, 10 W. upekkha Huber, 2019, 11 W. viharekele Huber, 2019. Locality coordinates for all known species are copied from the original publications (see Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3312, 3317 and Huber 2019: 34–48).