Tarrocanus jaffnaensis, Ileperuma Arachchi & Benjamin, 2019

Ileperuma Arachchi, Ilesha S. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2019, The crab spider genus Tarrocanus Simon, 1895 with notes on the genera Alcimochthes Simon, 1895 and Domatha Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae), Zootaxa 4613 (3), pp. 587-593 : 589-590

Tarrocanus jaffnaensis sp. nov.

( Figs 2, 5, 8, 9 , 12, 13 )

Type material: Holotype: SRI LANKA: Northern Province: 1♂ ,, Jaffna District, Mundaitivu , 09° 36’ 26” N, 79° 59’ 05” E, 3 m, beating vegetation, 20–22 September 2016, leg. S.P Benjamin et al. (IFS_Tho_581).

Other material examined: SRI LANKA: Uva Province: 1 ♂ ,, Monaragala District, Katharagama Peak , 0 6 0 23’ 20” N, 81° 19’ 52” E, 106 m, beating, 22–23 November 2017, S.P Benjamin et al. (IFS_Tho_660).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Jaffna. Adjective.

Diagnosis. Males of T. jaffnaensis sp. nov. can be unambiguously separated from T. capra by the shape of embolus (prominent constriction, prominent bulge right after the constriction, ending with a hook shaped, upwardly curved tip).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length 2.7; Prosoma length 1.3, width 1.2; Opisthosoma length 1.4, width 1.1. Prosoma dark brown with brownish yellow irregular markings with sparsely distributed setae. Opisthosoma tapered posteriorly with curved anterior margin, mottled with grey, pale yellow, dark brown and maroon markings, covered with setae. Lateral eye tubercles large, continuous, coloured whitish grey mottled with brown and dull red patches. Eye measurements: AME 0.11; ALE 0.19; PME 0.11; PLE 0.16; AME-AME 0.22; AME-ALE 0.19; PME- PME 0.29; PME-PLE 0.43. MOA length 0.46, with front width 0.38 and back width 0.49. Legs pale yellowish white with scattered light reddish-brown markings. Leg measurements: I: 4.2 (1.2, 0.6, 1.0, 0.9, 0.5); II: 4.4 (1.3, 0.6, 1.1, 0.9, 0.5); III 3.0 (0.9, 0.5, 0.7, 0.6, 0.3); IV: 3.1 (1.0, 0.5, 0.7, 0.6, 0.3). Palp as in Figs (8, 9, 12, 13), VTA long stemmed with a blunt hook-shaped apex, RTA broad based, bifid proximally. Tegulum round, dark and sclerotized. Embolus long, running almost a circle around the tegulum, tip with a prominent constriction, prominent bulge right after the constriction, ending with a hook shaped, upwardly curved tip.

Female: Unknown.

Intraspecific variation. The specimen collected from Kataragama is brownish green while the one collected from Jaffna peninsula is reddish brown.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from Sri Lanka. This species occurs in dry shrublands close to the beach in Mundaitivu and in a low land forest patch in Kataragama.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. 1 Tarrocanus capra (male), Bowatenna Forest Reserve, dorsal view; 2 Tarrocanus jaffnaensis sp. nov (male), Mundathivu, Jaffna, dorsal view; 3 Domatha vivida (male), type specimen (MNHN 11376), dorsal view; 4 Tarrocanus capra (male), lateral view; 5 Tarrocanus jaffnaensis sp. nov (male), lateral view; 6–7 T.capra, left male palp (6 ventral, 7 retrolateral). 8–9 T. jaffnaensis sp. nov., left male palp (8 ventral, 9 retrolateral).Arrows point to the lateral eye tubercles. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (6–9), 1 mm (1–5).

FIGURES 10–17. 10–11 Tarrocanus capra, left male palp (10 ventral, 11 retrolateral); 12–13 Tarrocanus jaffnaensis sp. nov., left male palp (12 ventral, 13 retrolateral); 14–15 Alcimochthes limbatus (14 right male palp, ventral, 15 epigynum, ventral); 16–17 Domatha vivida (MNHN 11376), right male palp (16 ventral, 17 retrolateral). Scale bars: 0.2 mm (10–11, 15–17), 0.3 mm (14), 0.4 mm (12–13).