Panjange niah Huber

Bernhard A. Huber & Charles Leh Moi Ung, 2016, The Panjange nigrifrons group in Borneo (Araneae: Pholcidae): high diversity in Sarawak, apparent absence in Sabah, European Journal of Taxonomy 184 (184), pp. 1-32 : 11-16

Panjange niah Huber , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BBDABF75-A656-4B28-AA6A-88D20F1CC113

Figs 3 , 15 , 29–32 , 38–41 , 55–57

Panjange Bor 11: Huber & Nuñeza 2015: 5, 43–44.

Diagnosis

Distinguished from similar species (with pair of straight pointed processes arising from near PME and ventral apophysis on male palpal femur: Pa. bako ; Pa. kapit sp. nov.; Pa. pueh sp. nov.; Pa. sedgwicki ; Pa. tahai comb. nov.) by shapes of procursus and appendix ( Figs 29–30 ; procursus tip distinctively bifid, similar only in Pa. bako ; appendix short and curved, similar only to Pa. pueh sp. nov.). Females are difficult to distinguish from Pa. bako and Pa. pueh sp. nov. (internal transversal folds much more complex in Pa. bako , very similar in Pa. pueh sp. nov.; unknown in Pa. sedgwicki ).

Etymology

Named for the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

MALAYSIA-BORNEO: holotype, Ƌ, Sarawak, Niah Cave National Park, forest near headquarters (3.820° N, 113.763° E), 40 m a.s.l., night collecting, 28 Jul. 2014 (B.A. Huber, S.B. Huber), ZFMK ( Ar 14578 ) .

Other material examined

MALAYSIA-BORNEO, Sarawak: 1 Ƌ, 8 ♀♀, 1 juv., same data as holotype, ZFMK ( Ar 14579-80 ) ; 2 ♀♀, same locality, forest along main trail (3.814– 3.821° N, 113.763– 113.771° E), 20–40 m a.s.l., 27 Jul. 2014 (B.A. Huber, S.B. Huber), ZFMK ( Ar 14581 ) ; 3 ♀♀, 1 juv., same data, in absolute ethanol, ZFMK ( Bor 179 ) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 4.5, carapace width 1.1. Leg 1: 41.2 (9.4 + 0.5 + 9.5 + 19.3 + 2.5), tibia 2: 5.7, tibia 3: 3.3, tibia 4: 5.3; tibia 1 L/d: 108. Distance PME–PME 445 µm, diameter PME 105 µm, distance PME–ALE ~45 µm; AME absent.

COLOR. Carapace pale ochre yellow to whitish, without posterior mark, ocular area and clypeus dark brown, with single black mark in AME area; sternum whitish; legs ochre-orange with dark brown patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints; abdomen ochre-gray, with black marks dorsally, monochromous ventrally.

BODY. Habitus as in Pa. pueh sp. nov. (cf. Fig. 8 ); ocular area raised, each triad on long stalk, with pointed straight process arising from near PME ( Fig. 3 ); carapace without median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum wider than long (0.70/0.55), unmodified.

CHELICERAE. Similar to Pa. pueh sp. nov. and other close relatives (cf. Fig. 18 ), with distinctively bipartite distal apophyses; proximal pair of processes slightly directed towards distal; without modified hairs; without stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 29–30 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with straight pointed retrolatero-ventral apophysis; femur with curved finger-shaped ventral apophysis; procursus with row of about 12 ventral ridges, with distinctive bifid tip; bulb with strong proximal sclerite, strongly curved short appendix, and long partly sclerotized embolus with distinct distal fringes.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2.5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other tibiae; tarsus 1 with> 20 indistinct pseudosegments.

Variation

Tibia 1 in other male: 9.0.

Female

In general similar to male but eye triads on low humps, much closer together (distance PME–PME 220 µm), without pointed processes. Tibia 1 in 9 females: 6.9–7.5 (mean 7.2). Tarsus 4 comb-hairs as in Figs 39–40 . Epigynum weakly sclerotized plate with large posterior ‘knob’ ( Figs 31 , 41 , 55 ), internal anterior arch and transversal folds visible through cuticle; internal genitalia as in Figs 32 , 56–57 .

Natural history

The webs were found among the vegetation at 0.5–1 m above the ground, with the apex of the domed sheet connected to the underside of a leaf.

Distribution

Known from type locality in Sarawak only ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Known distribution of the Panjange nigrifrons group.

Figs 2 – 7. Male prosomata, oblique frontal views. 2. Panjange pueh Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14576). 3. Pa. niah Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14579). 4. Pa. kapit Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14583). 5. Pa. nigrifrons Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman, 1983 (RMNH, Sepaku). 6. Pa. kubah Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14587). 7. Pa. seowi Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14590).

Figs 8 – 15. Live specimens. 8 – 9. Panjange pueh Huber, sp. nov., Ƌ and ♀ from Pueh. 10 – 14. Pa. kapit Huber, sp. nov. from Kapit. 10 – 11. Adult Ƌ, 12. Penultimate instar Ƌ, 13 – 14. ♀ with egg-sac. 15. Pa. niah Huber, sp. nov., ♀ with egg-sac from Niah.

Figs 29 – 32. Panjange niah Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14579 – 80). 29 – 30. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow points at ventral femur apophysis). 31 – 32. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Abbreviations: a = appendix; b = genital bulb; e = embolus; f = femur; p = procursus; ps = proximal bulbal sclerite; tr = trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

Figs 38 – 45. — 38 – 41. Panjange niah Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14580). 38. Female prosoma, frontal view. 39 – 40. Comb-hairs on female tarsus 4. 41. Epigynum, ventral view. — 42 – 45. Panjange kapit Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14583). 42. Tip of left procursus, retrolatero-distal view. 43. Base of palpal trichobothrium. 44. Male ALS. 45. Comb-hairs on male tarsus 4. Scale lines: 10 µm (40, 43 – 44); 20 µm (45); 40 µm (39); 60 µm (42); 200 µm (38, 41).

Figs 52 – 60. Female genitalia, untreated in ventral view, cleared in ventral and dorsal views. 52 – 54. Panjange pueh Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14577). 55 – 57. Pa. niah Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14580). 58 – 60. Pa. kapit Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14584).

Figs 16 – 20. Panjange pueh Huber, sp. nov. (ZFMK Ar 14576 – 77). 16 – 17. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 18. Male ocular area, clypeus, and chelicerae, oblique frontal view (arrow points at distal cheliceral apophysis). 19 – 20. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Abbreviations: a = appendix; b = genital bulb; e = embolus; f = femur; p = procursus; ps = proximal bulbal sclerite; tr = trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.