Savarna kaeo, Huber & Petcharad & Bumrungsri, 2015

Huber, Bernhard A., Petcharad, Booppa & Bumrungsri, Sara, 2015, Revision of the enigmatic Southeast Asian spider genus Savarna (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 160, pp. 1-23 : 5-8

Savarna kaeo sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2F4E832E-5406-427A-B67F-C503EBBFB94D

Figs 2–4 , 14–29 , 36–37

Diagnosis

Easily distinguished from known congeners by morphology of male palp (shapes of procursus and bulbal process; Figs 14–15 ), and by female external and internal genitalia (epigynal plate more or less divided medially, without median process as in S. kraburiensis ; Figs 17 , 27–29 ). From S. miser and S. tessellata also distinguished by distinct black marks laterally on carapace ( Figs 2–4 ).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Material examined

Holotype

THAILAND: Ƌ, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park , Tham Kaeo (12°12.2’ N, 99°59.5’ E), 60 m a.s.l., in and around cave , 14 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12983 ) .

Paratypes

THAILAND: 7 ƋƋ, 17 ♀♀, same data as holotype, ZFMK ( Ar 12984, 12985 ) ; 3 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, same data as holotype, PSUZC .

Other material

THAILAND: Prachuap Khiri Khan, Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park , Tham Kaeo , 3 ♀♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data as holotype, ZFMK ( Mal 372 ) ; 4 ƋƋ, 8 ♀♀, Tham Sai (12°10.78’ N, 100°00.44’ E), 80 m a.s.l., in and around cave , 14 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12986, 12987 ) ; 4 ♀♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data as preceding, in cave , ZFMK ( Mal 370 ) ; 1 ♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol, same data as preceding, outside cave , ZFMK ( Mal 371 ) ; 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, near Tham Phraya Nakhon (12°12.0’ N, 100°00.8’ E), 40 m a.s.l., among rocks in forest near cave , 14 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12988 ) ; 4 ƋƋ, 4 ♀♀, Khao Sam Roi Yot , among rocks and stones , 8 Dec. 1990, C.L. Deeleman-Reinhold leg., RMNH. – 4 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, Reclining Buddha Cave (11°51.84’ N, 99°49.40’ E), 70 m a.s.l., in cave , 13 Mar. 2015, B.A. Huber & B. Petcharad leg., ZFMK ( Ar 12989, 12990 ) ; 2 ♀♀, in pure ethanol, same data as preceding, ZFMK ( Mal 366 ) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.7, carapace width 1.1. Leg 1: 24.1 (6.2 + 0.4 + 5.9 + 9.4 + 2.2), tibia 2: 3.7, tibia 3: 2.6, tibia 4: 3.6; tibia 1 L/d: 56. Distance PME-PME 200 µm, diameter PME 95 µm, distance PME-ALE 35 µm; AME absent.

COLOR. Carapace pale ochre, with wide dark lateral margins; ocular area and clypeus also dark brown; sternum black; legs light ochre, with darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally); abdomen gray, with dark subcuticular marks lying above deeper white marks, with distinct ventral pattern consisting of three interconnected black marks.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 2 ; ocular area elevated, each triad on short hump directed toward lateral; carapace with deep median furrow ( Fig. 19 ); clypeus with pair of rounded processes at rim provided with strong and long hairs ( Figs 19–20 ); sternum wider than long (0.72/0.48), unmodiFed. Chelicerae as in Fig. 16 , with pair of lateral processes directed slightly toward posterior; without stridulatory ridges. ALS as in female (cf. Fig. 24 ). Gonopore without epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 26 ).

PALPS. As in Figs 14–15 ; coxa unmodiFed; trochanter with small dorsal process and distinctive ventral apophysis proximally attached to femur ( Fig. 21 ); ventral side of femur apparently largely membranous; tarsal organ capsulate ( Fig. 25 ); procursus distally complex ( Figs 22–23 ), with distinctive membranous and sclerotized elements; bulb with large proximal sclerite, with single complex process apparently containing sperm duct ( Figs 14 , 22 ).

LEGS. With short spines in single ventral rows on femora 1–3 and tibiae 1–2 (femur 1: ~40 on distal half; femur 2: ~20 on distal half; femur 3: ~10 distally; tibia 1: ~80 over entire length; tibia 2: ~50 over entire length); with vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all tibiae (especially tibiae 2–4); without curved hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 8%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments indistinct, only about 10 visible distally on tarsus 1.

Male (variation)

Numbers of spines on legs variable, femur 3 spines absent in most males; small males with fewer and thinner spines. Tibia 1 in 16 other males: 4.9–6.4 (mean 5.6).

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 3 ); eye triads closer together (PME-PME distance: 140 µm); clypeus unmodiFed; legs without spines and with usual low number of vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in 24 females: 4.0–5.5 (mean 4.8). Epigynum slightly protruding toward posterior ( Fig. 29 ), with wide transversal sclerotized plate with rounded humps laterally ( Figs 17 , 27–28 ), plate more or less divided medially ( Figs 28 , 36 ; variable even within localities); internal genitalia as in Figs 18 and 37 . ALS with only two spigots each ( Fig. 24 ).

Natural history

Spiders were found both inside caves (twilight zone) and outside caves if large rocks provided sufFcient shade (Tham Kaeo ; Tham Phraya Nakhon). When disturbed, the spiders Frst vibrated, and then dropped to the ground, remaining motionless.

Distribution

Known from several localities in southern Thailand ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig 1. Known distribution of the genus Savarna; but see Addendum.

Figs 2 – 7. Live specimens. — 2 – 4. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. ƋƋ from Reclining Buddha Cave and from Tham Sai (2, 4); ♀ with eggsac from Tham Sai (3). — 5 – 7. S. kraburiensis Wongprom & Wiwatwitaya, 2015. Ƌ, ♀ with eggsac, and ♀ with eggsac after dropping to the ground; all from Tham Phra Kayang.

Figs 14 – 18. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. 14 – 15. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views (b = genital bulb; bp = bulbal process; pr = procursus; tr = trochanter). 16. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 17 – 18. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars: 16 = 0.3 mm; 14 – 15, 17 – 18 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 19 – 27. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. 19 – 20. Male prosoma, frontal and oblique frontal views. 21. Right male palpal trochanter (tr) and femur, retrolateral view. 22. Left procursus (pr) and bulbal process (bp), prolatero-distal view (b = bulb). 23. Right procursus (pr) and bulbal process (bp), retrolatero-distal view (b = bulb). 24. Female ALS. 25. Male palpal tarsal organ. 26. Male gonopore. 27. Epigynum, ventrolateral view. Scale bars: 24 – 25 = 10 µm; 26 = 80 µm; 21 – 23 = 100 µm; 19 – 20, 27 = 200 µm.

Figs 28 – 35. Epigyna, ventral and lateral views. — 28 – 29. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. — 30 – 31. S. thaleban Huber, 2005. — 32 – 33. S. tessellata (Simon, 1901). — 34 – 35. S. miser (Bristowe, 1952). At varying scales.

Figs 36 – 43. Cleared and stained female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. — 36 – 37. Savarna kaeo sp. nov. — 38 – 39. S. miser (Bristowe, 1952). — 40 – 41. S. tessellata (Simon, 1901). — 42 – 43. S. thaleban Huber, 2005. At varying scales.