Pseudopoda colubrina Zhao & Li

Jiang, Tongyao, Zhao, Qingyuan & Li, Shuqiang, 2018, Sixteen new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jaeger, 2000 from China, Myanmar, and Thailand (Sparassidae, Heteropodinae), ZooKeys 791, pp. 107-161 : 110-113

Pseudopoda colubrina Zhao & Li sp. n. Figs 3, 4, 5, 37

Type material.

Holotype ♂: Myanmar, Kachin State, Putao, road to Ziradum Village, 27°33.617'N, 97°06.567'E, 1003 m, 8 V 2017, J. Wu & Z. Chen. Paratype: 1 ♀, same locality as holotype, 13 XII 2016, J. Wu.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the Latin word colubrinus, -a, -um, meaning 'serpentine, winding’, and referring to the shape of embolus in this species, which coils at the basal part and erects distally and looks like an alarmed snake; adjective.

Diagnosis.

Small to median-sized Pseudopoda species. Male resembles P. wu Jäger, Li & Krehenwinkel, 2015 (see Jäger et al. 2015: 384, figs 115-129) and P. tji Jäger, 2015 (see Jäger 2015: 333, figs 1-15, 91) by: 1. embolus robust but twisted, forming loops (Figure 4A, B; rarely seem in other Pseudopoda spp.); 2. conductor absent (Figure 4A, B). It can be easily distinguished from the two congeners by the following combination of characters: 1. only basal part of embolus twisted, distal part elongated and mildly bent (Figure 4A, B; distal part coiled in P. tji and P. wu ); 2. tegulum occupying two third of alveolus (Figure 3B; covering whole or most of alveolus in P. tji and P. wu ).

Female resembles P. hyatti Jäger, 2001 (see Jäger 2001: 72, figs 41 j–m, 84) by: 1. posterior part of lateral lobes surpassing the epigastric furrow; 2. loops of internal duct system mainly winding near the central axis, running transversally (Figure 5A, B, E). It can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of characters: 1. copulatory opening located at the middle to posterior part of epigyne (Figure 5A; located near the anterior margin of lateral lobe in P. hyatti ); 2. anterior margin of epigynal field truncated, anterior bands absent (Figure 5A; anterior margin of epigynal field trilobate with short anterior bands in P. hyatti ).

Description.

Male (holotype). Body length 8.8, DS length 4.3, DS width 4.1, OS length 4.5, OS width 4.0. Eyes: AME 0.17, ALE 0.34, PME 0.29, PLE 0.28, AME-AME 0.23, AME-ALE 0.09, PME-PME 0.16, PME-PLE 0.33, AME-PME 0.37, ALE-PLE 0.32, CH AME 0.60, CH ALE 0.39. Leg formula: II-I-IV-III. Spination: palp 131, 101, 2101; legs: femur I-II 323, III 322, IV 321; patella I-IV 101; tibia I-II 2026, III 2126, IV 2026; metatarsus I-II 1014, III 2025, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 6.3 (2.0, 0.9, 1.1, -, 2.3), leg I 20.4 (5.8, 2.0, 5.9, 4.9, 1.8), leg II 22.1 (6.1, 2.3, 6.4, 5.4, 1.9), leg III 16.7 (5.0, 1.8, 4.5, 4.0, 1.4), leg IV 19.6 (5.6, 1.7, 5.0, 5.5, 1.8). Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, retromargin with four teeth. Cheliceral furrow with ca. 21 denticles.

Palp as in diagnosis. Cymbium slender, tip slightly bent prolaterally, with a distinct retrobasal bulge. RTA arising basally from tibia, simple but elongated, blunt in retrolateral view (Figure 3 A–C). Sperm duct bending near the top of tegulum, then running submarginally retrolaterally in tegulum. Basal part of embolus with distinct double rims. Tip of embolus pointing distally prolaterally. Conductor completely absent, like a few other species (e.g. P. ashcharya Jäger & Kulkarni, 2016) (Figure 4A, B).

Coloration in ethanol: carapace yellowish. Radial furrows and fovea darker brown. Dorsal opisthosoma reddish brown. Legs yellowish, with randomly distributed brown dots (Figure 4C, D).

Female (paratype). Body length 10.0, DS length 4.9, DS width 4.3, OS length 5.1, OS width 3.2. Eyes: AME 0.22, ALE 0.33, PME 0.25, PLE 0.31, AME-AME 0.20, AME-ALE 0.04, PME-PME 0.20, PME-PLE 0.41, AME-PME 0.40, ALE-PLE 0.37, CH AME 0.51, CH ALE 0.41. Leg formula: II-IV-I-III. Spination: palp 131, 101, 2121, 1014; legs: femur I-II 323, III 322, IV 321; patella I-IV 101; tibia I-IV 2026; metatarsus I 1014, II-III 2024, IV 3036. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 5.3 (1.6, 0.7, 1.0, -, 2.0), leg I 17.6 (4.9, 2.0, 5.0, 4.2, 1.5), leg II 19.2 (5.5, 2.2, 5.5, 4.4, 1.6), leg III 14.9 (4.4, 1.8, 3.9, 3.4, 1.4), leg IV 18.1 (5.5, 1.8, 4.5, 4.6, 1.7). Promargin of chelicerae with three teeth, retromargin with four teeth. Cheliceral furrow with ca. 20 denticles.

Epigyne as in diagnosis. Epigynal field with nearly equal length in transverse and longitudinal axis. Lateral lobes longer in longitudinal axis. Median margin of lateral lobes touching each other medially. Internal duct system with loops looming through the lateral lobes in ventral view (Figure 5A). A pair of small appendages present (Figure 5E).

Coloration in ethanol: As in male, but generally darker with more dots and patches (Figure 5C, D).

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality.