Heteropoda maxima, Jaeger, 2001

Jaeger, Peter, 2001, A new species of Heteropoda (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Laos, the largest huntsman spider?, Zoosystema 23 (3), pp. 461-465 : 463-465

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5399098
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0387C56C-5501-071B-032E-A285FE6AB527
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Heteropoda maxima
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Heteropoda maxima View in CoL n. sp.

( Figs 1 View FIG ; 2 View FIG )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype 1 (PJ 1476), paratypes 2 (PJ 1477, 1478), with label: LIV-no. 2, province du Cammon ( Laos), village de Tham, altitude 140 m, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933; 1 paratype (PJ 1479), 2 immature paratypes (PJ 1480, 1481), with label: LV-no. 1, province du Cammon ( Laos), village de Tham, altitude 140 m, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933; 1 paratype (PJ 1482), with label: XLII no. 1, province du Cammon ( Laos), grottes près du village de Kouan Pha Vang, altitude 140 m, 19-11-30, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933; 2 paratypes (PJ 1483, 1484), with label: XL no. 1, 3, province du Cammon ( Laos), Grotte de Kouan Pha Vang , altitude 140 m, entrée SE, 18-11-30, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5- 1933; 3 immature paratypes (PJ 1485-1487), with label: LXIV no. 1, province du Cammon ( Laos), village de Na Kay Khia, altitude 140 m, 17-12-30, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933; 1 paratype (PJ 1488), with label: LXI no. 1, province du Cammon ( Laos), village de Na Kay Khia, altitude 140 m, 17-12- 30, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933; 2 paratypes (PJ 1489, 1490), with label: LXI no. 1, province du Cammon ( Laos), village de Na Kay Khia, altitude 140 m, 17-12-30, don de Mademoiselle Colani, entrée no. 5-1933. All types deposited in MNHN, Paris. ETYMOLOGY. — From Latin maximus: the largest. The specific epithet refers to the large size of the species. This is the largest known sparassid spider.

DISTRIBUTION. — Laos, province of Cammon (villages Tham, Kouan Pha Vang, Na Kay Khia ).

DIAGNOSIS. — The new species can generally be recognized by its impressive size. Males can be recognized by their elongated cymbium, which is at least three times as long as the tegulum ( Fig. 1A, B View FIG ). Females by the combination of the shape of the epigyneal field with its characteristic anterior-directed bands ( Fig. 2B, E View FIG ) and the course of the internal ducts ( Fig. 2D View FIG ).

DESCRIPTION

Male

Holotype first, with measurements of male paratype in parentheses: prosoma length 14.6 (15.1), prosoma width 13.8 (13.2), anterior width of prosoma 6.2 (6.2), opisthosoma length 12.6 (14.6), opisthosoma width 7.4 (7.7). Eyes as in Fig. 2A View FIG . Leg formula: 2143, spination: palp 131,101,2121, femur I 323, II-III 333, IV 331, patella 101, tibia I-II 2226, II-IV 2126, metatarsus I-III 1014, IV 3035. Leg measurements as in Table 1. Leg II at metatarsus with long, spread hairs, these eight times long as metatarsus width ( Fig. 1E View FIG ). Cymbium and tibia elongated ( Fig. 1A, B View FIG ). Embolus arising at 6 o’clock-position from tegulum, sperm-duct only slightly ‘s’- shaped ( Fig. 1C View FIG ).

Color. Yellowish-brown with annulate legs (especially femora distally with dark patch). Prosoma with dark fovea, several irregular dark spots on anterior half and dark transverse band at posteri- or end of fovea, behind this bright transverse band (as typical for Heteropoda spp. ). Chelicerae, labium and gnathocoxae dark red-brown. Opisthosoma yellowish-brown, slightly darker than prosoma, without distinct pattern. Two pairs of sigilla on dorsal opisthosoma darkened.

Female

Paratype (PJ 1477) first, with measurements of other adult paratypes in parentheses: prosoma length 17.1 (14.6-19.1), prosoma width 14.9 (12.9-16.3), anterior width of prosoma 8.3 (7.0- 9.3), opisthosoma length 25.0 (18.0-29.3), opisthosoma width 18.5 (11.7-22.0). Leg formula: 2413, spination: palp 131,101, 2121, 1014, femur I-II 323, III 333, IV 331, patella 101, tibia I 2126, II-III 2226, IV 2126, metatarsus I-II 1014, III 2014, IV 3036. Leg measurements as in Table 2. Palpal claw with nine long teeth. Epigyneal field with two long, distinct anterior-directed bands, lateral lobes not covering median septum ( Fig. 2B, E View FIG ). Course of internal duct-system as in Fig. 2C, D View FIG .

Color. As in male.

BIOLOGY

At least one label indicates, that the specimens were caught in a grot. The elongated legs (and especially the male cymbium), the special hairs on the second metatarsus of the male, and the pale color suggest that this species may be cavernicolous. All three characters were found by the author also in other cave-dwelling sparassids. The eyes, however, are not reduced. A distinct reduction of the eyes has been found within the Sparassidae so far only in one species of another genus: Sinopoda microphthalma (Fage, 1929) . Some large Heteropoda species occur not only deep in the caves, but also in their entrance areas (Deeleman pers. comm.).

RELATIONSHIPS / SYSTEMATIC POSITION

From male and female genitalia Heteropoda maxima n. sp. is considered a primitive Heteropoda species. Indications are the embolus, which originates at a 6 o’clock-position from the tegulum and runs a 180° course, and the retrolateral apophysis, which seems to represent a plesiomorphic character state in the genus Heteropoda . The female genitalia also support the basal position of the new species within Heteropoda : median septum is visible (i.e. not covered by lateral lobes), first winding of copulatory ducts is directed laterally, and duct system contains only a low number of windings.

Other large cave-dwelling Heteropoda species , such as H. robusta Fage, 1924 and an undescribed species from Sulawesi, represent different phylogenetic lineages and are not closely related to H. maxima n. sp. Characters mentioned above, occurring in these species, are considered independently evolved structures.