Bowie musang, Omelko & Fomichev, 2024

Omelko, Mikhail M. & Fomichev, Alexander A., 2024, New and poorly known species of Bowie Jäger, 2022 (Araneae: Ctenidae) from Southeast Asia, Zootaxa 5543 (3), pp. 383-403 : 388-393

Bowie musang sp. nov.

( Figs 13–30 , 68–69 )

Type material. PHILIPPINES: Bukidnon Province: Holotype: ♂ ( ZMMU), Mindanao Island, Kitanglad Range. [8°11’N, 124°51’E], 1430 m, 4–9 February 1995, A.M. Emelyanov leg. Paratypes: 10♂ 6♀ ( ZMMU), together with the holotype . Cotabato Province: 5♂ 6♀ ( ZMMU) Apo Mt. , [7° 1’N, 125°13’E], 1350 m, 26–30 January 1995, same collector .

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the local name of the Asian palm civet [ Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (Pallas) ], a small predatory beast native to Southeast Asia; name in apposition.

Diagnosis. Males of Bowie musang sp. nov. resemble those of B. bluejean Jäger, 2022 , by the shape of the retro-proximal cymbial outgrowth (RPO) in ventral view. They are also similar to B. sarawakensis (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) in having a large, diagonally oriented tegular apophysis (TA). Males of the new species can be easily distinguished from both species by the tip of the embolus (Em) divided into long apical (AA) and short basal (BA) arms (vs. single tip; cf. Figs 22, 25 and Jäger 2022: figs 754, 766). By the shape of the median plate (MP), females of Bowie musang sp. nov. resemble those of B. criminalworld Jäger, 2022 by the shape of epigyne median plate, but may be distinguished by 1) significantly shorter carapace and body length (6.11 and 11.97 mm vs. 8 and 16.9 mm), 2) the median plate’s width/length ratio 1.6 (vs. 1.2; cf. Fig. 27 and Jäger 2022: fig. 772), 3) spermathecae (Sp) separated by a distance 2.7 times less than a the length of a spermatheca (vs. 4 times less; cf. Fig. 29 and Jäger 2022: fig. 774).

Description. Male ( Figs 13–14 ). Total length 10.70. Prosoma 6.06 long, 4.59 wide. Opisthosoma 4.82 long, 2.99 wide. Prosoma dark brown, with light brown median band. Median band near ocular area widened, with projections and covered with short white setae, bearing couple of gray spots. Lateral bands narrow, light brown. Fovea thin, black. Clypeus light brown. Chelicerae brown proximally, dark brown distally, with 3 promarginal and 4 retromarginal teeth, denticles absent. Sternum brown, somewhat lighter in the middle. Labium brown. Endites brown with yellowish distal edge. Dorsal part of opisthosoma black with distinct yellowish cardiac mark and series of transverse stripes posterior of it. Lateral sides of opisthosoma gray with yellowish spots. Ventral part of opisthosoma black with yellow spots forming two V-marks (inner mark poorly visible). Spinnerets yellow ventrally, dark brown laterally.

Eye diameters: AME 0.25, ALE 0.15, PME 0.39, PLE 0.32; interdistances: AME–AME 0.11, AME–ALE 0.35, PME–PME 0.22, PME–PLE 0.35, AME–PME 0.06, ALE–PLE 0.19. Clypeus height at AME 0.19, at ALE 0.44.

For palp and legs measurements see Table 5 . Palp coloration: femora and patellae light brown with blurry spots; tibiae and cymbium brown. Legs coloration: femora I–IV light brown with blurry semi-rings; patellae I–IV light brown; tibiae I–II light brown, III–IV light brown with blurry semi-rings; metatarsi I–II light brown, III–IV light brown with blurry semi-rings; tarsi I–IV light brown. For palp and legs spination see Table 6 .

Palp as shown in Figs 17–26 . RTA arising from middle of tibia, curved, with pointed tip. Cymbium with pointed retro-proximal cymbial outgrowth (RPO). Tegulum (Te) with rounded hump (TH) in retrolateral half. Tegular apophysis (TA) large, elongated, originating in a 5 o’clock position. Conductor (C) large, membranous. Embolus (Em) originating from tegulum in 7-o’clock-position, its tip divided in long apical (AA) and short basal (BA) arms. Embolus with large embolic hook (EH).

Female. ( Figs 15–16 ). Total length 11.97. Prosoma 6.11 long, 4.72 wide. Opisthosoma 5.87 long, 4.01 wide. Prosoma dark brown (darker than in males), with brown median band. Median band near ocular area widened, bearing couple of gray spots. Lateral bands narrow, light brown, poorly visible. Fovea thin, black. Clypeus brown. Chelicerae dark brown, with 3 promarginal and 4 retromarginal teeth, denticles absent. Sternum dark brown with short longitudinal strap anteriorly. Labium dark brown, almost black. Endites dark brown with yellowish distal edge. Dorsal part of opisthosoma black with poorly visible yellowish cardiac mark and almost invisible series of transverse stripes posterior of it. Lateral sides of opisthosoma gray with yellowish spots. Ventral part of opisthosoma dark gray with yellow spots forming two V-marks. Spinnerets yellow ventrally, dark brown laterally.

Eye diameters: AME 0.23, ALE 0.18, PME 0.36, PLE 0.33; interdistances: AME–AME 0.20, AME–ALE 0.47, PME–PME 0.23, PME–PLE 0.49, AME–PME 0.10, ALE–PLE 0.25. Clypeus height at AME 0.17, at ALE 0.54.

For palp and legs measurements see Table 7 . Palp coloration. Femora light brown; other joints brown. Legs coloration. Femora I brown with light brown longitudinal stripes laterally; II–IV brown with dark brown blurry spots. Patellae I–IV brown. Tibiae I–II brown; III–IV brown with dark brown semi-rings. Metatarsi I–II brown; III–IV brown with dark brown semi-rings. Tarsi I–IV light brown. For palp and legs spination see Table 8 .

Female genitalia as shown in Figs 27–30 . Epigyne slightly wider than long. Median plate (MP) widest posteriorly. Lateral teeth (LT) large, located posterior of median plate, with rounded tips. Spermathecae (Sp) small, more or less kidney-shaped.

Notes. According to the structure of the male copulatory organs, such as the hook-like RTA arising medially as well as diagonally oriented tegular apophysis covering part of the embolus, B. musan g sp. n ov. belongs to the shakeit species-group sensu Jäger (2022). Thus, with the description of the new species, this group now consists of seven species: Bowie ashestoashes Jäger, 2022 , B. bluejean , B. criminalworld , B. musang sp. nov., Bowie sarawakensis , Bowie shakeit Jäger, 2022 , and Bowie tangalunga sp. nov. All previous records of species from this group were restricted to Borneo only.

Distribution. Mindanao Isl., Philippines ( Figs 68–69 ).

Figures

FIGURES 13–16. Habitus of male (13–14) and female (15–16) of Bowie musang sp. nov. 13, 15—dorsal; 14, 16—ventral. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 17–26. Palp (17–20), bulb (21–24), embolus (25) and palpal tibia (26) of male of Bowie musang sp. nov. 17, 21—prolateral; 18, 22, 25—ventral; 19, 23, 26—retrolateral; 20—dorsal, 24—apical. Scale bars: 17–20 = 0.5 mm; 21–24, 26 = 0.2 mm; 25 = 0.1 mm. Abbreviations: AA—apical arm of embolus, BA—basal arm of embolus, C—conductor, EH—embolic hook, Em—embolus, RPO—retro-proximal cymbial outgrowth, RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis, TA—tegular apophysis, Te—tegulum, TH—tegular hump.

FIGURES 27–30. Epigyne of Bowie musang sp. nov. 27—intact, ventral; 28—macerated, ventral; 29—internal genitalia, dorsal; 30—ditto, posterior. Scale bar: 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: FD—fertilization duct, LT—lateral tooth, MP—median plate of epigyne, Sp—spermatheca.

FIGURES 68–69. Collection localities of the studied Bowie species. Circle—Bowie catopuma sp. nov.; star—Bowie musang sp. nov.; diamond—Bowie neukoeln Jäger; triangle—Bowie tangalunga sp. nov.; inverted triangle—Bowie shakeit Jäger; square—Bowie hosei (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge). The frame on Fig. 69 refers to the content of Fig. 68.