Systaria bifidops, Jäger, 2018

Jäger, Peter, 2018, On the genus Systaria (Araneae: Clubionidae) in Southeast Asia: new species from caves and forests, Zootaxa 4504 (4), pp. 524-544 : 535-537

Systaria bifidops spec. nov.

Figs 29–30 , 45–46

Type material: MALAYSIA: Malay Peninsula: Holotype: male, Pahang State, Fraser’s Hill , Telekom Loop , close to: 3°43'6.3''N, 101°45'9.86''E, 1300 m elevation, secondary forest, embankments along road, P. Jäger & T. Laufs leg. by hand, by night, 16.2.2015 ( SMF).

Etymology. The species name is a combined name from the species Systaria bifida Dankittipakul & Singtripop 2011 and the Greek nomen “ops”, meaning “appearance” and referring to the similarity of the copulatory organs of the two species; term in apposition.

Diagnosis. Small spiders with body length of males: 9.0. The new species is similar to Systaria bifida in having a strongly developed proximal tegulum, a similar conformation of the embolus and the RTA ( Figs 29–30 ), but may be distinguished by the much smaller bifid process (larger and more pronounced in S. bifida ), the shorter embolus with its tip resting close to the conductor (embolus distinctly longer and extending retrolaterally beyond the cymbial margin and conductor in S. bifida ) and the proximal tegulum stronger projecting proximo-prolaterally (projecting mainly proximally in S. bifida ).

Description. Male (holotype): prosoma length 4.5, prosoma width 3.2, anterior width of prosoma 1.7, opisthosoma length 4.5, opisthosoma width 2.3. Eyes: AME 0.35, ALE 0.22, PME 0.23, PLE 0.25, AME–AME 0.06, AME–ALE 0.02, PME–PME 0.29, PME–PLE 0.20, AME–PME 0.16, ALE–PLE 0.01. Cheliceral furrow with 3 promarginal and 2 retromarginal teeth. Spination: Palp: femur p001, d012, patella–tarsus with bristles, not counted in spination; femur I p0011, d111, r110, II p0101, d111, r111, III p111, d111, r111, IV p111(1111), d111(1111), r111(0122); patella I–IV 000; tibia I–II v220, III p11, d010, r11, v222, IV p11, r1(2)1, v2122 (2212); metatarsus I v200, II v220, III p122, r112, v212, IV p122, r122, v222. Leg formula: 4123. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 4.8 (2.0, 0.7, 0.6, -, 1.5), I 16.9 (4.6, 1.8, 4.6, 3.8, 2.1), II 14.1 (3.9, 1.6, 3.7, 3.0, 1.9), III 12.1 (3.3, 1.4, 2.7, 3.1, 1.6), IV 17.5 (4.8, 1.7, 4.0, 4.9, 2.1). Palp as in diagnosis ( Figs 29–30 ). Cymbium distinctly longer than tibia, tip pointed. RTA arising distally from tibia with its disto-dorsal margin humped. Embolus arising in 8- o’clock-position from tegulum, slightly bent, with broad base, its tip situated in 1-o’clock-position. Broad part of spermophor visible mainly at retrolateral tegulum. Colouration. Light reddish-brown without pattern. Fovea, eye region, chelicerae, labium gnathocoxae and margins of sternum darker. Opisthosoma greyish with light longitudinal stripe in anterior half.

Female: unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Figs 45–46 ).

Natural history. Specimens were found in a secondary forest in the leaf litter at an elevation of 1300 m.

Figures

FIGURE 45. Records of Systaria spp. in SE Asia described in this paper. Triangles—species recorded from caves, circlesspecies recorded from forest.

FIGURE 46. All known records of the genus Systaria (World Spider Catalog 2018) including undescribed species mentioned in Deeleman-Reinhold (2001) according to habitats. Triangles—species recorded from caves, circles—species recorded from forest. See discussion.

FIGURES 27–32. Systaria spp., copulatory organs. 27–28 Systaria bregibec spec. nov., holotype male from Cambodia, Rabbit Island. 29–30 Systaria bifidops spec. nov., holotype male from Malaysia, Bukit Fraser. 31–32 Systaria panay spec. nov., holotype female from Philippines, Panay Island. 27–30 Left palp (27, 29 ventral, 28, 30 retrolateral). 31 Epigyne, ventral. 32 Vulva, dorsal. Abbreviations: BP—bifid process of RTA, CO—copulatory opening, LO—loop of copulatory ducts, TPproximal projection of tegulum, VH—ventral hump of palpal tibia.