Habrocestum imilchang Kadam & Tripathi 2023

Kadam, Gautam, Tripathi, Rishikesh & Sudhikumar, Ambalaparambil Vasu, 2023, Three new jumping spiders from northeastern India (Araneae: Salticidae: Hasariini: Habrocestum), Peckhamia 295 (1), pp. 1-10 : 4

Habrocestum imilchang Kadam & Tripathi 2023 , sp. nov.

Figure 2 , 4F , 5 (Ƌ only)

Etymology. The species group name is a noun and refers to the name of a waterfall from near the collection site of the type.

Type material. Holotype: Ƌ (NRC-AA-7688) from INDIA: Meghalaya: South Garo Hills: Eman-Asakgre (25° 19.517'N, 90° 30.985'E; 120 m alt.), 12 April 2022, Gautam K. leg., from ground, by hand. Deposited in the National Centre for Biological Sciences Research Collections ( NRC), Bengaluru, India.

Diagnosis. Males of Habrocestum imilchang are most similar to the males of H. albopunctatum Wesolowska & van Harten 2002 , as both share a thin, long and slightly bent embolus, but can be distinguished from the latter species by the smooth and rounded anterior lobe of the tegulum (vs. cone shaped in H. albopuctatum ), and a cheliceral retromargin with a serrated tooth (vs. bifurcated tooth in H. albopunctatum ) (compare Figure 2E–F with Wesołowska & van Harten 2002, figs. 5–10).

Description. Male (holotype, Figure 2A–C, G , colouration in alcohol): carapace, clypeus and chelicerae brown; labium, endites, sternum, legs dark brown; eye field black; opisthosoma pale, with numerous brown transverse stripes. Carapace with scattered fine black hairs. Fovea narrow, longitudinal, straight, black. Cheliceral promargin with two tiny teeth, a bit spaced; retromargin with a serrated tooth ( Figure 2G ). Opisthosoma oval, hirsute. Body length. 4.13. Carapace 2.28 long, 1.75 wide. Abdomen 1.86 long, 1.27 wide. Ocular area 1.01 long, 1.58 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.50, ALE 0.30, PME 0.09, PLE 0.27; AME–AME 0.02, AME–ALE 0.01, PME–PME 1.46, ALE–ALE 1.07, PME–PLE 0.23, PLE–PLE 1.24, ALE–PME 0.34, ALE-PLE 0.64. Length of chelicerae 0.71. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.06. Sternum 0.80 long, 0.55 wide. Length of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 1.87 [0.86, 0.15, 0.22, 0.64], I 4.05 [1.29, 0.62, 0.98, 0.73, 0.43], II 3.27 [1.12, 0.45, 0.73, 0.59, 0.38], III 3.65 [1.16, 0.55, 0.78, 0.76, 0.40], IV 3.93 [1.26, 0.44, 0.80, 0.96, 0.47]. Leg formula: 1432. Spination of pedipalp: femur pld 2 do 2, patella pl 2 do 1, tibia pld 1 do 2 rl 1, tarsus/cymbium pl 2 do 2 rl 1 rld 1; legs: femur I pld 1 do 3, II–IV pld 1 do 3 rld 1; patellae I–II 0, III–IV pld 1 rld 1; tibia I plv 3 rlv 3, II plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 2 pld 1 plv 2 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 1, IV pl 2 pld 1 plv 2 rld 1 rlv 1; metatarsus I–II plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 2 pld 2 plv 2 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 2, IV pl 2 pld 1 plv 1 rl 2 rld 1 rlv 2; tarsi I–IV 0. Pedipalp ( Figure 2D–F ): Palpal femur proximally with a small femoral apophysis ( Figure 2D ). RTA short, narrow, tube-like, slightly bent at middle, tip directed toward a 10 o’clock position retrolateral view ( Figure 2F ). Tegulum with a slightly long proximal lobe, protruding posterolaterally ( Figure 2E ). Embolus broad at base, long, with narrow apex, arising from under tegular ledge, directed at 12-o’ clock ventrally ( Figure 2E ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya ( Figure 4F , 5 ).

Figures

Figure 2. Habrocestum imilchang, holotype male (NRC-AA-7688). A, Habitus, dorsal. B, Same, lateral. C, Same, frontal. D, Pedipalp femur showing femoral apophysis, ventral view. E- F, Ventral (E) and retrolateral (F) views of left pedipalp. G, Left chelicera, retrolateral view.

Figure 4. A-D, Living holotype male Habrocestum togansangmai. E, Collection site for H. togansangmai (Meghalaya: South West Khasi Hills). F, Collection site for H. emanasakgrensis and H. imilchang (Meghalaya: South Garo Hills District). Photo credit: G. Kadam.

Figure 5. Map showing the collecting localities of the three new Habrocestum species from Meghalaya, India. Blue circle, H. emanasakgrensis. White circle, H. imilchang. Red circle, H. togansangmai, holotype. Red diamond, H. togansangmai, photographic record.