Sinopoda suang, Jäger, Peter, 2012

Jäger, Peter, 2012, Revision of the genus Sinopoda Jäger, 1999 in Laos with discovery of the first eyeless huntsman spider species (Sparassidae: Heteropodinae), Zootaxa 3415, pp. 37-57 : 47-48

Sinopoda suang spec. nov.

Figs 30-32, 43-45, 81

Type material: Holotype: female, LAOS: Huaphan Province: Vieng Thong, Tham Ho Neung , N 20°27'5.5", E 103°20'59.0" [750 m altitude], cave in limestone, by hand, 19 January 2010, H. Steiner leg., field number 015/10, Northern Lao-European Cave Project ( SMF, PJ 3387 ) .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized Heteropodinae , body length of female: 11.8. Females (Figs 30-32) similar to those of S. tham spec. nov. in having a similar internal duct system with parallel part long, glandular appendages long, narrow and only slightly diverging posteriorly, posterior part wider than anterior part with glandular appendages, but are distinguished from this and other Sinopoda spp . by 1. Epigynal pockets almost semicircular, running parallel to posterior margin of lateral lobes, 2. Lateral furrows absent.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Lao word “suang” meaning “hidden” and referring to the hidden lifestyle in caves of Sinopoda species; term in apposition. Pronunciation note: the vowel “ua” of the Lao alphabet is pronounced as the “ür” in the German “Tür”

Description. Female (holotype): Prosoma length 5.0, prosoma width 4.5, anterior width of prosoma 2.7, opisthosoma length 5.3, opisthosoma width 2.8. AME 0.22, ALE 0.40, PME 0.29, PLE 0.40, AME-AME 0.23, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.29, PME-PLE 0.41, AME-PME 0.39, ALE-PLE 0.39, clypeus AME 0.42, clypeus ALE 0.33. Spination: Palp: 131, 101, 2121, 1014; legs: femur I-III 323, IV 331; patella I-IV 000; tibia I-III 2026, IV 2126; metatarsus I-II 0004, III 2016, IV 3036. Ventral metatarsus I with few stiff bristles proximally, II with some setae (most of them in one row) restricted to proximal half, III with sparse double row of bristles along entire length, IV with the same as in III but with additional dense distal patch of bristles. Leg formula: 2413. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 7.4 (2.2, 1.2, 1.7, -, 2.3), leg I 19.0 (5.2, 2.2, 5.3, 4.6, 1.7), leg II 21.9 (6.2, 2.5, 6.2, 5.2, 1.8), leg III 17.9 (5.2, 2.2, 4.7, 4.3, 1.5), leg IV 19.5 (5.7, 2.0, 5.4, 5.5, 1.9). Cheliceral furrow with 3 anterior and 4 posterior teeth, and with ca. 55 denticles in patch close to anterior teeth. Margin of chelicerae close to fang base with one bristle. Palpal claw with 7 teeth. Sternum, ventral coxae and ventral femora covered sparsely with long setae, chelicerae with dense cover of long setae, otherwise with shorter setae.

Copulatory organ as in diagnosis (Figs 30-32). Epigynal field wider than long, without anterior bands and slit sensilla. Lateral lobes fused and with indistinct broad median incision. Epigynal pockets running from anteriolateral to medio-anterior, where copulatory openings are situated. Lobal septum moderately wide to narrow. Glandular appendages extending in anterior half of internal duct system. Posterior spermathecae bulging laterally and slightly anteriorly, fertilisation ducts arising anterio-medially from the posterior part.

Colouration in ethanol (Figs 43-45): Yellowish-brown with dark pattern. Dorsal prosoma yellowish-brown with fovea and cuticular radial pattern reddish-brown, posterior part with characteristic transversal dark band at posterior end of fovea, lateral margins dark especially in posterior half. Sternum, gnathocoxae and ventral coxae pale yellowish-brown, labium reddish- to yellowish-brown. Chelicerae reddish-brown with slightly marked longitudinal bands. Legs uniformly yellowish-brown. Dorsal opisthosoma dark-brown with 4-6 pairs of dark patches, lateral opisthosoma mottled, ventral opisthosoma without pattern. Spinnerets reddish-brown.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality (Fig. 81).