Aridella bowleri, Saaristo, Michael I., 2002

Saaristo, Michael I., 2002, New species and interesting new records of spiders from Seychelles (Arachnida, Araneaea), Phelsuma 10, pp. 1-32 : 19-20

Aridella bowleri n. sp. ( Figs. 50-54 )

Types: Holotype male from Aride, Utter sampling, July-November 2000, John Bowler leg. ( MZT AA 2.130 ) and one subadult male paratype with same data ( MZT AA 2.131 ) .

Diagnosis: In addition to the genital organs the male (female unknown) ofA. bowleri can be easily distinguished from all other Seychellian oonopids by its large anterior eyes and the median, oval-shaped depression on sternum.

Description: Medium-sized(TL= 1.61, CL = 0.71), completely chitinized species. Cephalothorax and abdomen light brown, legs pale brown. Carapace dorsally smooth, sides with numerous longitudinal striae. AMEs ca. twice as big as PMEs, which are ca. twice as big as PLMs. Small warts on either side of basal parts of chelicerae. Apical part ofmaxillae with curved, blunt-tipped extension bearing a strong, curved hair. Sternum with shallow, median oval-shaped depression and radial furrows. Operculae small, slit-like. Male palp pitch black. Cymbium and bulbus fused together; cymbial part conspicuously small in relation to long bulbal part. Upper edge of bulbal part with two semicircular “windows”, lower edge with two fairly deep excavations.

Figures

Figs. 50 - 54. Aridella bowleri n. sp. 50: Right male palp laterally. 51: Anterior part of the abdomen ventrally. 52: Carapace and chelicerae frontally. 53: Maxilla and labium ventrally. 54: Sternum and labium ventrally. - Scale = 0.2 mm. Orig.