Nediphya lehtineni, Marusik & Omelko, 2017

Marusik, Y. M. & Omelko, M. M., 2017, A New Genus Of Tetragnathid Spiders From Papua New Guinea (Aranei, Tetragnathidae), Vestnik Zoologii (Vestn. Zool.) 51 (3), pp. 203-214 : 206-207

Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. ( figs 1–5 , 12–13 , 16–31 , 34–39 , 43, 50–51 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:68810199-5FA4-4779-AEE0-2D4F629438D9

Types. Holotype ♂: Papua New Guinea, Morobe Prov., Mt Kaindi , 2350 m, vegetation, 8– 10.03.1974 (H. Hippa) ( ZMUT). Paratypes: 1 ♀, same locality, in litter, 11.03.1974; 1 ♀, same locality, in hanging moss of cloud forest, 9.03.1974 (P. T. Lehtinen) ( ZMUT) .

Diagnosis. Females of N. lehtineni sp. n. differ from those of N. lyleae sp. n. and N. hippai sp. n. by having lateral dark bands on the carapace vs. sublateral in the other two species. Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. can be distinguished from N. padillai sp. n. (which has a similar carapace pattern) by the shape of the epigyne: the median plate in N. lehtineni sp. n. is almost as long as wide vs. 3 times wider than long in N. padillai sp. n.

D e s c r i p t i o n. Male holotype. Total length 2.52, carapace 1.14 long, 0.95 wide. Carapace yellowish brown with wide dark brown lateral bands on thoracic part and thin light marginal stripe. Chelicerae yellow, with 3 prolateral and 3 retrolateral teeth. Sternum and maxillae yellow. Sternum subtriangular. Labium yellowish gray. Legs yellowish. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi grayish proximally. Abdomen with complicated pattern of spots and stripes dorsally and dark longitudinal stripes laterally.

Length of leg segments in ♂

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total

I 1.91 0.47 1.97 2.04 0.86 7.23

II 1.37 0.45 1.31 1.38 0.63 5.13

III 0.81 0.29 0.60 0.62 0.38 2.69

IV 1.20 0.24 0.93 0.98 0.45 3.80

Leg spination in ♂

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus

I 1d, 3p 1d 2d, 2r 1d –

II 1d 1d 2d, 1p, 1r 1d –

III 1d 2d 1d 1d, 1p –

IV 3d 2d 2d, 1p 1d –

Male palp as in figs 16–31 , 34–39 and as described for genus.

Female. Total length 3.36, carapace 1.23 long, 0.95 wide. Coloration and chelicera as in male.

Length of leg segments in ♀

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total

I 1.58 0.48 1.50 1.46 0.71 5.72

II 1.29 0.45 1.14 1.17 0.57 4.62

III 0.78 0.32 0.56 0.60 0.38 2.63

IV 1.16 0.33 0.90 0.90 0.44 3.72

Leg spination in ♀

Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus I 1(0)p 1d 2p 1r II – 1d 1d 1p 1r III – 1d 1d 1p 1r 1d 1p 1r IV – 1d 2d 1p 1d 1p

Epigyne as in figs 43, 50–51 , with subtriangular median plate slightly wider than long; copulatory ducts almost parallel, separated by less than one diameter; 2 pairs of receptacles visible through integument; vulva with round proper receptacles (Re) and 2 weakly sclertozied pairs of anterior receptacles, one pair rounded (Rr) and the other pair elongated (Er).

Note. In Nanometa sp. , Álvarez-Padilla & Hormiga (2011) interpreted the anterior pairs of receptacles as being part of the copulatory ducts.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality where Nediphya hippai sp. n. is also known to occur.

Etymology. The species name is a patronym in honour of our senior colleague Pekka Lehtinen (Turku, Finland) who collected the holotype as well as specimens of the other three species of Nediphya gen. n.

Figures

Figs 1–8. Habitus of Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. (1–5), N. lyleae sp. n. (6), N. hippai sp. n. (7) and N. padillai sp. n. (8): 1 —male habitus, dorsal; 2, 6–8 — female habitus, dorsal; 3 — female prosoma, ventral; 4 — female prosoma, dorsal; 5 a, b — female leg I, a —dorsal and b —prolateral.

Figs 9–15. Somatic characters of Diphya macrophthalma (9–11), Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. (12–13) and N. hippai sp. n. (14–15).

Figs 16–25. Male somatic characters of Nediphya lehtineni sp. n.: 16–17 — prosoma, frontal, and fronto-dorsal; 18 — metatarsus I showing stiff setae; 19, 21 — prosoma, ventral, both cheliceral claws broken; 20 — coxa IV, ventral; 22 — abdomen, ventral showing unmodified book lung operculae; 23 — spinnerets, caudal-ventral; 24 — tarsus II, showing pseudosegmentation (Ps); 25 — epiandrous fusules.

Figs 26–33. Male palp of Nediphya lehtineni sp. n. (26–31) and Diphya macrophthalma (32–33): 26, 33 — retrolateral; 27 —ventral; 28 — dorsal; 29 —posterio-dorsal; 30, 32 — prolateral; 31 — anterior.

Figs 34–39. Male palp of Nediphya lehtineni sp. n.: 34–35 — whole palp, prolateral and retrolateral; 36 — anterio-ventral; 37 — anterio-dorsal; 38 — anterio-retrolateral; 39 — retrolateral. Abbreviations: Cf cymbial fold, Cl antero-retrolateral lobe of cymbium, Cm median tip of conductor, Co conductor, Cp prolateral tip of conductor, Cr retrolateral tip of conductor, Em embolus, Fc conductor furrow, Pd dorsal branch of paracymbium, Pl lateral branch of paracymbium.

Figs 40–51. Epigynes of Nediphya hippai sp. n. (40–41, 46, 49), N. padillai sp. n. (42), N. lehtineni (43, 50–51), N. lyleae sp. n. (44–45, 48) and Diphya macrophthalma (47). Scale = 0.2 mm. Abbreviations: Cd copulatory ducts, Er elongate anterior receptacles, Mp median plate, Re round proper receptacles, Rr round anterior receptacles.