Argistes velox, Simon

Deeleman-Reinhold, Christa, 2001, Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Liocranidae, Gnaphosidae, Prodidomidae and Trochanteriidae)., Forest Spiders of South East Asia With a revision of the sac and ground spiders- Family Liocranidae, Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Leiden; Boston; Köln, pp. 400-505 : 403-406

Argistes velox Simon ( figs 633-641 )

Argistes velox Simon, 1897 HNA: 144, no figures, ♂, Sri Lanka, Galle.

Old material studied. — The type, no 18329 in the Simon collection, labelled “ Argistes velox, Galle !” was studied and drawn by myself in 1976.

Fresh material studied. — E Sri Lanka, 2 ♂, 2sub? ♀, Katagarama Peak , dry bush, leaf litter 1S. viii. 1981, P.R. and C.L. Deeleman; 2 ♂, Ratnapura, bufferzone of Sinharadja forest , 20.viii. 1981.

Diagnosis. — A slender spider with creamy carapace with dark bands and lines and long thin legs with broad dark rings. The anterior median eyes are much larger then the other eyes. The abdomen is dark brown dorsally, set off sharply from the creamy underside. The legs are long and slender, fourth legs much the longest, the first legs are virtually spineless, spines on other legs small and inconspicuous. The palpal bulb is simple, with the embolus, the conductor and median apohysis all situated distally. The genus is probably endemic to Sri Lanka.

Description. — MALE (Katagarama). Total length 3.00 mm. Carapace length 1.30 mm, width 0.95 mm, height 0.50 mm at the level of coxa III, head width 0.55 mm, eye group width 0.45 mm; abdomen 1.70 mm long, 1.05 mm wide. Leg lengths: leg I 6.05 mm (1.60- 2.00-1.45-1.00), leg II 4.45 mm (1.25-1.35-1.15-0.70), leg III 4.05 mm (1.15-1.25-1.10- 0.55), leg IV 6.75 mm (1.90-2.15-2.00-0.70), palp 0.50-0.30-0.35- 0.35 mm. Pale yellow spider with a dark pattern on the carapace ( fig. 633 ) and two broad dark rings on femora; tibiae pale with prolateral and retrolateral surface predominantly dark, metatarsi and tarsi predominantly pale, parts of lateral surfaces dark. Abdomen uniform dark dorsally, with light specks in some individuals, anterior part with one or more vague slightly lighter transverse bands, sharp borderline with creamy white underside. Small thoracic groove present. Anterior eyes recurved, posterior eyes strongly procurved, AME twice as large as other eyes; AME half their d apart, ALE and PLE connivent, PME 2 1/2 d apart. Clypeus less than AME diameter. Chilum obsolete. Chelicerae with two teeth on promargin, two smaller, closer together and placed more distally on the retromargin. Mouthparts and sternum as in fig. 634 . Femora I-IV with 0-1-0d; patellae spineless; tibia and metatarsus I spineless. Tibia II 0-1-0rv, tibia III 0-1 rd, 0-2v, tibia IV 0-1-0pd, 0-1-0pv, 1-1-0rl; metatarsus II spineless, metatarsus III 2-2v, 1-1-0rl, metatarsus IV 2-2v, 0-1-1 pi, 1-1-1rl. All spines small and inconspicuous. Tarsal claws fig. 639 . Abdomen elongate, without scutum, distal segment of lateral spinnerets small and conical, median spinnerets narrow cylindrical ( fig. 640 , right PLS and PMS fig. 641 ). Spinnerets in the subadult females as in male. No colulus, anal tubercle wide, rounded, with long fringe. Palp ( figs 636-638 ) with tibial apophysis, sperm duct with one large loop and a small, colourless one before entering the embolus; embolus distal, conductor small and transparent, median apophysis large.

FEMALE unknown.

Distribution. — A common species in the lowlands of southern Sri Lanka. Recorded from Galle, Ratnapura and Tissamaharama: Katagarama Peak.

Variability. — No differences were observed between the specimens from Ratnapura and Katagarama.

Figures

Figs 633 - 639. Argistes velox. 633. M ale Sri Lanka, habitus. 634. Ventral. 635. Lateral. 636. Palp, retrolateral. 637. Prolateral. 638. Ventral. 639. Tarsus IV, retrolateral.

Figs 640 - 641. Argistes velox. 640. Male, spinnerets, ventral. 641. Right PLS and PMS, ventral.