Tissahamia ethagala ( Huber, 2011 )

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 25-26

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4550.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F7D1EC4-D4ED-4FAE-B227-CF7B79EAE833

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4581660

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CA3B104C-FF8D-FF82-FF3D-FD51FCF1E02A

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Tissahamia ethagala ( Huber, 2011 )
status

 

Tissahamia ethagala ( Huber, 2011) View in CoL

Figs 93–96 View FIGURES 93–102 , 103–106 View FIGURES 103–109

Pholcus ethagala Huber 2011: 174 View in CoL , figs 741–744, 775–776, 793–804 (♂ ♀, Sri Lanka).

Tissahamia ethagala View in CoL — Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). Huber et al. 2018: fig. 10.

Diagnosis (amendments; see Huber 2011). Males are easily distinguished from Sri Lankan congeners by details of procursus: wider and shorter, without retrolateral membrane, with two separate dorsal processes instead of single bifid process (cf. Huber 2011: fig. 794). Females are easily distinguished from Sri Lankan congeners by V-shaped brown mark anteriorly on epigynum and by round pore plates (cf. Huber 2011: figs 775, 797).

Description (amendments; see Huber 2011). Males consistently with large dark mark on carapace ( Fig. 93 View FIGURES 93–102 ), either undivided or posteriorly divided. Females polymorphic in color ( Figs 103–106 View FIGURES 103–109 ): carapace either with distinctive pattern of radial lines ( Fig. 103 View FIGURES 103–109 ; 31 View FIGURES 31–35 newly examined females) or with large dark mark similar to males ( Fig. 104 View FIGURES 103–109 ; 6 View FIGURES 1–9 females); sternum color varies independently of carapace color: either light with posterior dark margin and some slightly darker smudges posteriorly ( Fig. 105 View FIGURES 103–109 ; 23 View FIGURES 17–24 females) or entirely dark ( Fig. 106 View FIGURES 103–109 ; 14 View FIGURES 10–16 females). Female carapace pattern variable within localities (both patterns seen in Ethagala, Dimbulagala, Gowindahela); female sternum coloration apparently consistent within localities (all 10 females from Ethagala and all 3 females from Dematagala with dark sternum; all 6 females from Kandalama and all 12 females from Dimbulagala with light sternum).

New records. SRI LANKA: 1♂ 9♀, ZFMK (Ar 20056) and 3♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL114 About ZFMK ), North Western Province, Kurunegala, at base of Ethagala ( Athugala ) Mtn (7.490°N, 80.369°E), 170 m a.s.l., 9.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 3♂ 6♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 20057) and 2♀ 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL118 About ZFMK ), Central Province, Kandalama Forest (7.859°N, 80.711°E), 220 m a.s.l., 10.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 1♂ 1♀, NMSL , 8♂ 11♀, ZFMK (Ar 20058–59) and 5♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL125 About ZFMK ), North Central Province, Dimbulagala (7.860°N, 81.118°E), 140 m a.s.l., 11.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20060) and 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL133 About ZFMK ), Uva Province, near Gowindahela (7.041°N, 81.538°E), 130–180 m a.s.l., 12.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 1♂ 2♀, ZFMK (Ar 20061) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL138 About ZFMK ), Uva Province, near Okkampitiya (6.728°N, 81.336°E), 190 m a.s.l., 13.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 1♂, ZFMK (Ar 20062) , Central Province, Kandy, Dunumadallawa Forest (7.282°N, 80.643°E), 600–680 m a.s.l., 8.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 3♀, ZFMK (Ar 20063) and 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( SL151 About ZFMK ), Sabaragamuwa Province, above Dematagala (6.451°N, 80.751°E), 160 m a.s.l., 16.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 20064) , Western Province, above Pelawatta-Tinniyawala road (6.404°N, 80.283°E), 150 m a.s.l., 18.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) GoogleMaps . 1♂ 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Benj 40) , Uva Province, Badulla District, between Diyaluma Falls and Wellawaya (6.725°N, 81.029°E), 480 m a.s.l., hand collecting, 4.viii.2011 (S.P. Benjamin, S. Batuwita) GoogleMaps .

Natural history. This species consistently had a domed web with the apex connected to the underside of a leaf. Webs were often shared by males and females; in that case, they were larger than usual (i.e. ~ 30 cm diameter) and contacted several leaves (e.g. at Dimbulagala, where most available leaves were rather small, about 6x 3 cm). Some webs were strongly curved, almost globular. Egg-sacs were consistently carried under the prosoma ( Fig. 94 View FIGURES 93–102 ; similar to the Southeast Asian genus Cantikus Huber, 2018 , previously the Pholcus halabala species group; Huber et al. 2016b) rather than in front of the prosoma as usual in Pholcidae and in close relatives (cf. Figs 98, 100, 102 View FIGURES 93–102 ).

Distribution. Widely distributed in Sri Lanka ( Fig. 224 View FIGURES 224–225 ).

ZFMK

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig

NMSL

National Museum of Sri Lanka

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

Genus

Tissahamia

Loc

Tissahamia ethagala ( Huber, 2011 )

Huber, Bernhard A. 2019
2019
Loc

Pholcus ethagala

Huber, B. A. 2011: 174
2011
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