Makdiops mahishasura, Crews, Sarah C. & Harvey, Mark S., 2011

Crews, Sarah C. & Harvey, Mark S., 2011, The spider family Selenopidae (Arachnida, Araneae) in Australasia and the Oriental Region, ZooKeys 99, pp. 1-104 : 64-65

Makdiops mahishasura sp. n. Figs 85-86Map 3

Type material.

Holotype female (CAS 9031589): 2 miles northwest of Punjur, Karnataka, India [11°50'N, 77°06'E], 850 m, 13.III.1962, E.S. Ross, D.Q. Cavagnaro.

Other material examined.

INDIA: Karnataka: 8 miles west of Hunsur [12°18'N, 76°10'E], 800 m, 2.II.1962, E.S. Ross, D.Q. Cavagnaro, 4♀ (CAS 9031588).

Etymology.

The specific epithet comes from the Kannada word ಮ ೈಸೂರ = Maisūru referring to Mahishasura, a Hindu asura, for which the city of Mysore, or the region of the type locality, was named. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

This species can be differentiated from all others by a combination of characters including tibiae I and II with three pairs of ventral spines, sperm ducts only coiled a few times, and ducts symmetrical (Fig. 86). Males unknown.

Description.

Holotype.Color: carapace red-brown, darker marks laterally and mediolaterally; sternum yellow brown, darker around border; chelicerae red-brown with darker infuscations medially and laterally; maxillae pale yellow-brown, lightening distally; labium pale brown, lightening distally; abdomen dorsally yellow brown with darker flecks medially and laterally, festoon prominent; ventrally pale yellow-brown; legs orange-brown with annulations on femora, patella and tibia, darkening distally. Cephalothorax:setae short, stout, and rodlike; 0.81 times longer than broad; fovea longitudinal, broad, somewhat shallow. Eyes:AER nearly straight; PER slightly recurved; PME larger than AME, PLE largest, ALE smallest; eye group width 1.72; eye diameters, AME 0.19, ALE 0.13, PME 0.27, PLE 0.31; interdistances AME-ALE 0.46, PME-PLE 0.38, ALE-PLE 0.34, AME-PME 0.1; ocular quadrangle AME-AME 0.17, PME-PME 0.69; clypeus 0.1 high. Mouthparts:chelicerae with a few stout setae medially and anteriorly; lateral boss present, smooth; promargin with 3 teeth, retromargin with 2 teeth; maxillae longer than broad, with tuft of conspicuous setae distally; labium distally rounded. Sternum:0.9 times longer than broad, posteriorly indented. Pedipalp: claw present with c. 6 teeth. Legs:leg I much shorter than legs II, III and IV; leg formula 3421; scopulae absent on all legs; tarsus I–IV with strong claw tufts; pr claw with c.10-15 teeth, rl claw lacking teeth; spination: leg I, Fm pr 1 –1– 0, d 1 –1– 1, rl 0; Ti v 2 –2– 2; Mt 2-2; Ti and Mt I and II with strong spines; leg II, Fm pr 0, d 1 –1– 1, rl 0; Ti 2 –2– 2; Mt 2-2; leg III, Fm pr 0, d 1 –1– 1, rl 0; Ti 1 –0– 0; Mt 2-0; leg IV, Fm pr 0, d 1 –1– 1, rl 0; Ti v 1 –0– 0; Mt 0. Abdomen:terminal setal tufts present. Epigyne:lateral lobes come together posteriorly, slightly sinuous to oblong opening in middle of plate, copulatory openings located posteriorly, epigynal pockets present; internally, ducts are coiled several times leading to long, spermathecae located laterally, posterodorsal fold absent (Figs 85-86). Dimensions: Total length 8.55. Cephalothorax length 3.26, width 4.03. Sternum length 1.89, width 2.10. Abdomen length 5.29, width 4.40. Pedipalp: Fm 1.05, Pt 0.77, Ti 0.84, Ta 0.96, (total) 3.62. Leg I: Fm 3.52, Pt 1.72, Ti 2.86, Mt 2.30, Ta 1.17, (total) 11.61. Leg II: Fm 4.25, Pt 1.76, Ti 3.43, Mt 2.64, Ta 1.30, (total) 13.38. Leg III: Fm 4.96, Pt 1.82, Ti 3.70, Mt 2.52, Ta 1.26, (total) 14.26. Leg IV: Fm 4.68, Pt 1.43, Mt 2.52, Ta 1.26, (total) 13.44.

Natural history.

No data.

Distribution.

Known only from southern India (Map 3).