Brignolia shyami, Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2016

Ranasinghe, U. G. S. L. & Benjamin, Suresh P., 2016, A review of Sri Lankan Brignolia including the description of four new species (Araneae: Oonopidae), Zootaxa 4144 (4), pp. 451-476 : 469-471

Brignolia shyami sp. n.

( Figs.16 A–H; 17A–F; 18A–D)

Type material. Holotype 1♂ (IFS_Oon_244): Sri Lanka, Kegalle District , Kurulukele FR, 0 7°14’12” E 80°20’33” E, 250m, 12 November 2014, leg. N. Athukorala. Deposited in NMSL.

Paratype: 2♀ (IFS_Oon_245, 252): from same locality and data as holotype. Deposited in NMSL.

Etymology. Named for Shyam Selvadurai, a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist best known for the novels “ Funny Boy” and “ Cinnamon Gardens ”.

Diagnosis. Males can be easily recognized by the palp which has a triangular dorsally directed projection and a beak-like palpal tip ( Figs. 18 A, B). Females can be recognized by the lip-like ridge in between epigastric furrow and posterior spiracular groove ( Fig. 17 F, 18C, D).

Description. Description based on the types.

MALE: Body length 1.42. Coloration: carapace, sternum and mouthparts pale yellow, abdominal scuta pale yellowish-white, abdominal inter scutal region not visible, fully covered with dorsal and ventral scuta; legs pale yellow; palps yellow; palpal tip dark yellow-brown. Carapace: broadly oval in dorsal view ( Fig. 16 A), sides slightly striated, pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view ( Fig. 16 B), anteriorly slightly narrowed, posterolateral edge without angular posterolateral corners, spikes and pits, lateral margin straight, chelicerae with enlarged setae, posterior margin rounded ( Fig. 16 D). Clypeus: straight in front view ( Fig. 16 C). Eyes: six, well developed, ALE largest, oval, PME and PLE equal in size and oval. Labium: triangular shaped, fused to sternum, same as sternum sclerotization. Endite: distally not excavated, anteromedian part with stout projection, base with a triangular projection ( Fig. 16 E, 17 A,B), heavily sclerotized than sternum. Sternum: broad, decorated with round pits, radial furrows present between coxa I–II, II–III and III–IV and appear as light brown markings ( Fig. 16 E). Abdomen: ovoid, dorsal scutum strongly sclerotized, covers full length of abdomen ( Fig. 16 G), no soft tissue visible from above, epigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, extend to pedicel region, scuto-pedicel region with scarcely detectable, straight scutal ridge without small dorsolateral triangular extensions ( Fig. 16 H), book lung covers small without elevation, postepigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, long, semicircular, covering most part of the area and fused to the epigastric scutum, two dark brown patches present near the posterior part just above spinnerets ( Fig. 16 F). Spinnerets scutum not detectable, short setae present. Legs: spineless. Sperm pore: small, situated at level of anterior spiracular groove. Genitalia: palpal bulb narrow, with a dorsally directed triangular projection and a beak-like tip. Base of the palpal bulb without a triangular projection ( Figs. 18 A–B). Palpal tibia rounded.

FEMALE: Body length: 1.52. Coloration and somatic morphology same as male, pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view, rounded posterior margin, endite projection absent ( Figs. 17 C–D). Genitalia: postepigastric region with large lip-like ridge ( Fig. 17 F) situated between epigastric furrow and posterior spiracular groove ( Figs. 18 C–D). Postepigastric region with posterior genitalic tube and without any triangular projections, posterior tube extends close to the ridge.

Distribution. Sri Lanka: Kegalle District: Kurulukele FR (L 28).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Brignolia shyami sp. nov., male from Kegalle, Kurulukele FR. A. carapace, dorsal view; B. same, lateral view; C. same, anterior view; D. same, posterior view; E. sternum, ventral view; F. abdomen, ventral view; G. same lateral view; H. same, anterior view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 17. Brignolia shyami sp. nov., male from Kegalle, Kurulukele FR. A, B. projection; Female. C. carapace, dorsal view; D. sternum, ventral view; E. abdomen, dorsal view; F. same, ventral view. epr, endite projection. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 18. Brignolia shyami sp. nov., from Kegalle, Kurulukele FR. Male. A, B. left palp, retrolateral view; Female. C. epigastric region, ventral view; D. same, dorsal view. lap, lateral apodemes; pgt, posterior genitalic tube; tr, transverse ridge. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.