Aetana indah Huber, sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 12E0B867-3A77-4B63-92FF-97DB7302137C

Figs 109–110, 150–162, 175–177

Diagnosis

Distinguished from closest known relative ( A. poring Huber, sp. nov.) by shape of prolatero-ventral apophysis of male palpal femur (Fig. 150; pointed tip much longer), by distal cheliceral apophyses (Fig. 152; wide and distally rounded), and by female genitalia (Figs 153, 175; without pair of dark lines; posterior rim curved toward anterior); from all other congeners also by long apophysis on male palpal trochanter (in A. poring Huber, sp. nov. present but more slender and shorter).

Etymology

The species name is the Malay word for ‘beautiful’; used here as noun in apposition.

Material examined

Holotype

MALAYSIA-BORNEO: ♂, Sabah, Crocker Range between Kota Kinabalu and Tambuan, S-slope, forest along river (5.783° N, 116.338– 116.340° E), 1430–1480 m a.s.l., near ground, 3 Aug. 2014 (B.A. Huber, S.B. Huber), ZFMK (Ar 13982).

Other material

MALAYSIA-BORNEO, Sabah: 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, 3 juvs, same data as holotype, ZFMK (Ar 13983-84); 1 ♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data, ZFMK (Bor 170). – 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, Crocker Range between Kota Kinabalu and Tambuan, N-slope, forest along river (5.834° N, 116.336° E), 1600 m a.s.l., near ground, 3 Aug. 2014 (B.A. Huber, S.B. Huber), ZFMK (Ar 13985); 2 ♀♀, in pure ethanol, same data, ZFMK (Bor 168).

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.8, carapace width 1.2. Leg 1: 36.8 (8.8 + 0.4 + 8.8 + 15.3 + 3.5), tibia 2: 5.2, tibia 3: 3.5, tibia 4: 5.3; tibia 1 L/d: 84. Distance PME-PME 500 µm, diameter PME 115 µm, distance PME-ALE 35 µm; AME absent.

COLOR. Carapace pale ochre with black lateral bands and wide brown median band including ocular area. Clypeus pale ochre with indistinct pair of brown marks at rim. Sternum medially ochre, laterally slightly darker. Legs ochre to light brown, indistinct darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); tips of femora and tibiae whitish. Abdomen grey with dorsal and lateral pattern of black and indistinct white marks; ventrally with small brown mark near spinnerets and in genital area.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 109; ocular area slightly raised, each triad on short stalk directed toward lateral; carapace without thoracic furrow (only dark line in anterior part); clypeus slightly more protruding than usual; sternum wider than long (0.65/0.50), unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 152 and 161, with pair of proximal lateral apophyses and distinctive pair of wide distal apophyses in very lateral position, with additional pair of small processes on frontal side of distal apophyses (Fig. 160); without modified hairs; without stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 150–151, coxa unmodified; trochanter with long ventral apophysis with small teeth prolaterally (Fig. 158); femur with rounded retrolatero-ventral apophysis, very long prolatero-ventral apophysis with two side branches, with small prolateral apophysis proximally close to trochanter. Procursus complex (Figs 155–158); retrolatero-ventral process with bifid tip. Bulb simple, with short and wide embolus (Fig. 159), weakly sclerotized.

LEGS. Without spines, with curved hairs dorsally on metatarsi 1 and 2 only (mostly on proximal half), with few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae. Tarsus 1 with ~35 pseudosegments, fairly distinct.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 4 other males: 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9.0. Female

In general similar to male; triads closer together (distance PME-PME 210 µm), not on stalks; clypeus less protruding; no curved hairs on metatarsi; abdomen with continuous ventral dark band between epigynum and spinnerets. Tibia 1 in 8 females: 6.3–7.2 (mean 6.7). Epigynum large brown plate, slightly protruding, with internal pockets and other sclerites visible through cuticle (Figs 153, 175). Internal genitalia as in Figs 154 and 177, with pair of membranous pockets near posterior margin.

Natural history

The spiders were found very close to the ground in small holes and cavities and barely reacted to disturbance (similar only to A. poring Huber, sp. nov.; see above). They share the locality with A. kinabalu which lives higher among the vegetation.

Distribution

Known from Crocker Range only (Fig. 5).