Alaria bicornis, Lin, Yucheng, Li, Shuqiang & Jaeger, Peter, 2014

Lin, Yucheng, Li, Shuqiang & Jaeger, Peter, 2014, Four new spider species of the family Theridiosomatidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from caves in Laos, ZooKeys 391, pp. 75-102 : 83-85

Alaria bicornis sp. n. Figs 11-16, 19

Material examined.

Laos: Vientiane Province: Vang Vieng: Holotype: ♂ (SMF), North of Ban Phoxay, 19°00.880'N, 102°25.902'E, altitude 280 m, Tham Kieo, in cave, leg. 2 December 2012. Paratypes: 2 ♂, 5 ♀ (SMF), with same data as for holotype; 2 ♂, 2 ♀ (SMF, IZCAS), cross Nam Song, 18°54.550'N, 102°26.527'E, altitude 270 m, Tham Xiang, in cave, leg. 3 December 2012; 5 ♀ (SMF), N of Ban Phoxay, 19°02.350'N, 102°25.423'E, altitude 256 m, Tham Hoi, in cave, leg., 3 December 2012; 3 ♀ (SMF), N of Ban Phoxay, 19°01.749'N, 102°25.954'E, altitude 290 m, Tham Phathao, in cave, leg. 3 December 2012.

Etymology.

This specific name is derived from the Latin word “bicornis” = "with two horns", referring to the median apophysis with a fingerlike and a hooked process in the male palp; used as an adjective.

Diagnosis.

This new species and Alaria chengguanensis ( Zhao and Li 2012: figs 1 A–D, 2 A–B, 3 A–D, 4 A–B, 5 A–B) share the combination of the following features: tufted setae of cymbium (Figs 12E, 15E), especially large median apophysis (Figs 11B, 12D, 14A, 15D), and long embolus mostly enveloped by conductor in male, an utterly exposed scape protruding from beneath epigynal posterior margin and similar configurations of vulva in female, but the new species can be distinguished from the latter by the developed, strongly rugose tegulum (Figs 11C, 12C, 15C), the large median apophysis with 2 distal processes (Figs 12D, 14A, 15D) and the absence of a hooked process in paracymbium in male (Figs 12E, 15E), the oval median spermathecae (Figs 13C, E, 16B), the strongly sclerotized, long oval, lateral coils of copulatory duct (Figs 13E, 16B) and the narrow scape with two hoods in female (Figs 13 C–E, 16 A–C).

Description.

Habitus see in Figs 11A, 13A. DS pear-shaped, brownish yellow, thoracic fovea black, with symmetric dark veins. Eyes with black bases. Cervical groove distinct. Sternum brown. Legs proximally yellow, distally dark yellow. Opisthosoma oval, dark, dorsum with a long, longitudinal white stripe and 3 pairs of white spots minishing in sequence.

Male palp (Figs 11 B–D, 14 A–C): patella with 1 strong macroseta (Figs 12F, 15F). Tibia with 3 trichobothria (Figs 12F, 15F). Paracymbium horn-shaped, proximally large, distally pointed (Figs 12E, 15E). Tegulum broad, strongly rugose and sclerotized (Figs 12A, 12C, 15A, 15C). Median apophysis very large, surface with tiny aculei, with one fingerlike and one hooked process (Figs 12D, 15D). Conductor chisel-shaped, distinctly sclerotized, distally horn-shaped (Figs 11B, 11D, 12A, 14A, 14C, 15A). Embolus long, needle-shaped, sclerotized, most part embedded in conductor, embolic tip just on distal end of conductor (Figs 12 A–B, 14A, 14C, 15 A–B).

Female copulatory organ (Figs 13 B–E, 16 A–C): epigynal area covered with setae (Figs 13D, 16C). Scape long, fingerlike, rugose and membranous, distally weakly sclerotized, with 2 small hoods, extending from epigynal posterior margin (Figs 13 B–C, 16 A–C). Spermathecae oval, juxtaposed; lateral copulatory ducts strongly sclerotized, overlapping with dorsally posterolateral part of medial spermathecae (Figs 13C, 13E, 16B). Copulatory ducts wide, leading to posterolateral part of spermathecae (Figs 13E, 16B). Fertilization ducts short, arising posterolaterally from spermathecae (Figs 13E, 16B).

Male: Total length 2.01, DS 0.99 long, 0.78 wide, clypeus 0.15, sternum 0.60 long, 0.46 wide, coxae IV separated by their width, opisthosoma 1.09 long, 1.00 wide. PME separated by less than half their diameter. Macrosetae: Leg I: femur d2, p1, r1, patella d2, tibia d2, p2, r1, v2, metatarsus d1, r1, v1; leg II: femur d2, r1, patella d2, tibia d1, r1, v1, metatarsus d1, r1, v1; leg III: femur d2, patella d2, tibia p1, r1, v1, metatarsus d1, p1, r1; leg IV: femur d2, p1, patella d2, tibia d1, p1, r1, v1, metatarsus d1, p1, r1. Metatarsal trichobothria: Tm I: 0.24; Tm II: 0.24; Tm III: 0.09. Leg measurements: I 3.02 (0.97, 0.40, 0.66, 0.62, 0.37); II 2.44 (0.80, 0.35, 0.50, 0.46, 0.33); III 1.82 (0.56, 0.24, 0.34, 0.38, 0.30); IV 2.31 (0.73, 0.31, 0.48, 0.49, 0.30).

Female (collected together with holotype): total length 2.95, DS 1.10 long, 0.90 wide, clypeus 0.11, sternum 0.61 long, 0.47 wide, coxae IV separated by their width, opisthosoma 1.93 long, 1.75 wide. PME separated by about half their diameter. Macrosetae: Leg I: femur p1, r1, patella d2, tibia d2, p2, r1, v2, metatarsus p1, r2; leg II: femur d1, r1, patella d2, tibia d2, p1, r1, v1, metatarsus p1, r1, v1; leg III: femur d1, patella d2, tibia d1, r1, v1, metatarsus d1, p1, r1, v1; leg IV: patella d2, tibia d1, p1, r1, metatarsus p1, r1. Metatarsal trichobothria: Tm I: 0.26; Tm II: 0.23; Tm III: 0.12. Leg measurements: I 3.65 (1.20, 0.44, 0.80, 0.76, 0.45); II 2.99 (0.94, 0.40, 0.63, 0.60, 0.42); III 2.05 (0.61, 0.28, 0.39, 0.42, 0.35); IV 2.88 (0.90, 0.33, 0.65, 0.60, 0.40).

Variation.

The total length ranges from 1.88 to 2.15 in males (n = 5) and from 2.73 to 3.20 in females (n = 15).

Distribution.

See in Fig. 19.