Atelidea spinosa Simon, 1895

Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2011, Phylogenetic placement and redescription of the spider genus Atelidea Simon, 1895 (Araneae, Tetragnathidae), Zootaxa 2761, pp. 51-63 : 54-62

Atelidea spinosa Simon, 1895

A. spinosa Simon, 1895 (male holotype examined, deposited at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) Atelidea spinosa The genus Atelidea was described in 1894 but the type species A. spinosa was described later in 1895 in a different publication, making the nomenclatural act of 1894 a nomen nudum.

Material examined. SRI LANKA: Kandy, district, Udawattekelle Sanctuary, 19 October 1973, collector/s unknown (1 female); Ampara district, Ekgal-Aru Sanctuary Jungle, 9–11 March 1979, K. V. Krombein, T. Wijesinhe, S. Siriwardana, L. Jayawickrama (1 male 2 female); Ratnapura district, Gilimale, Induruwa Jungle, 13–15 March 1979. K. V. Krombein, T. Wijesinghe, S. Siriwardana, L Jayawickrama (1 male; 2 females); Sabaragamuwa prov. Ratnapura district, Rubber plantation at Gallella Village, 29 January 1995, M. Kuntner & M. Skoberne (2 males). All specimens are deposited at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. This species is known after nine specimens: five males (identical to the holotype of A. spinosa in their morphological characteristics) and three females.

Description. Female: specimen from Udawattakele, Kandy District, Sri Lanka. Total length 4.6. Cephalothorax 1.9 long, 1.3 wide, 0.4 high. Sternum 0.8 long, 0.7 wide. Finding the female of Atelidea spinosa was difficult for us taking into account that only diagnostic characters of male specimens were known. Nonetheless, the unique abdominal pattern, dark coloration of the cephalothorax ( Figs. 1 A, C) and the geographic distribution of the female specimens described in this study were our clues to match both sexes to the same species. Chelicerae with a boss and three teeth on both margins ( Figs. 1 D–E). Abdomen oval 2.9 long, 2.1 wide, 2.2 high, venter with two parallel lines lighter than the surrounding cuticle and with few silver guanine patches. Ocular area lower than the carapace margin ( Fig. 3 A). AME diameter 0.12. ALE 0.13. PME 0.14. PLE 0.11. Clypeus height 0.7 x AME diameters. AME separation 1.0 x AME diameter. AME-ALE separation 0.8 x AME diameter. PME separation 1.0 x PME diameter. PME-PLE separation 0.7 x PME diameter. Spinnerets ( Figs. 6 A–D). ALS with more than 50 piriform spigots and with their bases separated from the column leaving a torus ( Fig. 6 B). PMS with three aciniform spigots between the cylindrical spigot and the minor ampullate, nubbin present ( Fig. 6 C). PLS with a field of ca. 12 aciniform spigots, aggregate spigots apex separated from the flagelliform spigot tip and cylindrical spigots peripheral ( Fig. 6 D). Leg I length 10.4, leg II 7.2, leg III 3.9, leg IV 6.1, pedipalp 1.8. Leg IV with two parallel rows of ramified trichobothria extended more than half the femur length ( Figs. 3 E, G). Epigynum flat with a rectangular atrium longer than wide, anterior edge with a sclerotized arch ( Figs. 2 A–B). Genital openings inside small curved grooves located at the center of the atrium ( Figs. 2 B–C). Copulatory ducts weakly sclerotized and entering the spermatheca near the fertilization ducts origin. Fertilization ducts well sclerotized, coiled and separated from the copulatory ducts path, spermathecae weakly sclerotized ( Figs. 2 B–C). One accessory gland duct per opening, with its base thicker than twice the duct length, and resembling an inverted acorn ( Fig. 4A –B).

Male: from Sabaragamuwa province, Ratnapura district, Rubber plantation at Gallella Village. Habitus as in female ( Fig. 1 B). Total length 3.4. Cephalothorax 1.7 long, 1.2 wide, 0.2 high. Sternum 0.8 long, 0.7 wide. Abdomen oval longer than wide, venter as in female. 1.7 long, 0.9 wide, 1.5 high. Chelicerae anterior margin with three teeth, posterior cheliceral margin with five. Male chelicerae larger than the female and slightly divergent ( Fig. 1 D– E). Epiandrous plate anterior margin swollen, fusules concentrated in one irregular line and immersed in the plate ( Fig. 6 E). PLS and PMS cylindrical and aggregate spigots reduced to nubbins ( Fig. 6 F). AME diameter 0.14. ALE 0.11. PME 0.13. PLE 0.10. Clypeus height 0.7 x AME diameters. AME separation 0.8 x AME diameters. AME- ALE separation 0.7 x AME diameter. PME separation 0.9 x PME diameter. PME-PLE separation 0.8 x PME diameters. Leg I length 11.6, leg II 7.9, leg III 3.7, leg IV 6.2, pedipalp 1.8. Pedipalp tibia 2.2 times longer than wide ( Figs. 5 A, E–F). Cymbium tarsal organ diameter larger than the diameter of the contiguous macrosetae bases ( Fig. 4 E). CDBP at the base of the cymbium, parallel to the longitudinal axes of the cymbium and dorsally projected ( Figs. 5 A–B). Tegulum ventrally swollen, subtegulum mesally displaced ( Figs. 5 E–F). Paracymbium fused to the tegulum and hook-shaped ( Fig. 5 B). Conductor cup-shaped with a terminal apophysis that supports the embolus tip, conductor attachment to the tegulum membranous ( Figs. 2 E; 5C). Embolus base more that twice longer than wide, embolus filiform, embolus attachment to the tegulum membranous ( Figs. 2 E; 4F). Sperm duct coiled, diameter considerably enlarged towards the fundus and fundus same diameter as the sperm duct. Sperm duct entering the embolus base at the opposite end where the flagellum originates ( Fig. 2 D).

Variation. Female total length 4.2–4.3, cephalothorax length 1.8–1.9. Male total length 3.4–3.9, cephalothorax length 1.9–2.2.

Distribution. A. spinosa is only known from Sri Lanka.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ateleidea spinosa, somatic morphology. A, female habitus. B, male habitus. C, female lateral view. D, male cephalothorax frontal view. E, female cephalothorax frontal view. F male femur and metatarsus I. Scale bars 0.5 mm, A – C same scale, D – E same scale.

FIGURE 2. Ateleidea spinosa, genital morphology. A, epigynum ventral view. B, epigynum ventral view cleared. C, epigynum dorsal view cleared. D, male pedipalp ventral view cleared. E male pedipalp expanded. Scale bars 0.2 mm, A – C same scale, D – E same scale.

FIGURE 3. Ateleidea spinosa and Opadometa sp. (B, I). cephalothorax and legs morphology. A, female cephalothorax dorsal view. B, Opadometa sp female cephalothorax tangential view. C, female metatarsus I. D, male metatarsus I. E, female femur IV trichobothria at the base. F, male metatarsus I spine. G, femur IV trichobothria detail. H, male tarsus I. I, Opadometa sp., male tarsus I.

FIGURE 5. Ateleidea spinosa and Leucauge venusta (D), male genitalic morphology. A, A. spinosa pedipalp ectal view. B, A. spinosa paracymbium and CDBP. C, A. spinosa conductor. D, L. venusta pedipalp ectal view. E, A. spinosa pedipalp mesal view. F, A. spinosa pedipalp ventral view.

FIGURE 6. Ateleidea spinosa spinnerets. A, female right spinning field. B, female ALS. C, female PMS. D, female PLS. E, epiandrous fusules. F, male PLS.

FIGURE 4. A. spinosa and Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) (C, D) genitalic morphology. A, A. spinosa epigynum anterior view. B, A. spinosa accessory glands over the copulatory ducts. C, L. venusta epigynum dorsal view. D, L. venusta accessory glands over the copulatory ducts. E, A. spinosa male pedipalp apical view. F, A. spinosa embolus and conductor.