Phintella handersoni Sen, Sudhin & Caleb, 2024

Sudhin, Puthoor Pattammal, Caleb, John T. D. & Sen, Souvik, 2024, Additions to the knowledge on the genus Phintella Strand, 1906 (Araneae, Salticidae, Chrysillini) from India, Zoosystematics and Evolution 100 (1), pp. 31-48 : 31

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.113049
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:486B29D0-88E9-465B-B70F-96FF3CBEDD26
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CE3DD031-4FE5-4E09-BEDA-E34E7E24C038
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE3DD031-4FE5-4E09-BEDA-E34E7E24C038
treatment provided by	Zoosystematics and Evolution by Pensoft
scientific name	Phintella handersoni Sen, Sudhin & Caleb
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Phintella handersoni Sen, Sudhin & Caleb sp. nov.

Figs 2E-H View Figure 2 , 3A-H View Figure 3 , 4E-H View Figure 4 , 14 View Figure 14

Phintella accentifera : Żabka 1985: 428, figs 430-434, 452 (♀); Xie, 1993: 358, figs 6-7 (♀); Peng et al. 1993: 150, figs 515-517 (♀); Song et al. 1999: 537, figs 307H, 327R (♀); Tyagi et al. 2019: supplement, figs S2.53 (♀); Peng 2020: 294, figs 209a-c (♀); Sudhin et al. 2023: 87, figs 24-27 (♀) (all misidentified).

Phintella suavis : Żabka 1985: 427, figs 426-429, 451 (♂); Peng et al. 1993: 160, figs 560-564; Song et al. 1999: 539, figs 308M-N (♂); Peng 2020: 307, figs 220a-e (♂) (all misidentified).

Type material.

Holotype ♂. INDIA: Meghalaya, Ri Bhoi District, Anderson Tea Estate, 25°47'42"N, 91°53'03"E, 810 m elev., 13.iii.2023, S. Sen & P.P. Sudhin coll. (NZC-ZSI-8313/18). Paratype: 1♀, same data as holotype (NZC-ZSI-8371/18).

Diagnosis.

P. handersoni sp. nov. is most similar to Phintella accentifera (Simon, 1901) in having the similar palpal and epigynal morphology, but it can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: abdominal pattern with dark brown and pale yellow transverse bands (without transverse bands, but with mid-dorsal chevron markings in P. accentifera ); RTA conical and directed apically in retrolateral view (curved and directed ventrad in P. accentifera ); tegulum with large lobe-like lamellar process (almost triangular in P. accentifera ); embolus directed at 2 o’clock position in ventral view (3 o’clock position in P. accentifera ); epigyne with distinct postero-medial protrusion (without any posterior projection in P. accentifera ); copulatory ducts relatively narrow (broad in P. accentifera ) (cf. Figs 2E-H View Figure 2 , 3A, D View Figure 3 , 4E-H View Figure 4 with fig. 156 in Prószyński (1984) and figs 4.28A, D, E, G, I and J in Luong (2017)).

Description.

Male (Holotype, NZC-ZSI-8313/18) (Figs 2E-F View Figure 2 , 3A-C, G View Figure 3 , 4E, F View Figure 4 ): Measurements: body length 3.72; carapace length 1.73, width 1.43; abdomen length 1.72, width 1.12. Ocular area length 1.05, width 1.21. Eye diameters: AME 0.41, ALE 0.22, PME 0.08, PLE 0.21. Eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.02, ALE-AME 0.03, ALE-ALE 0.83, ALE-PLE 0.53, PLE-PLE 0.89, PME-PME 0.98, PME-PLE 0.21. Clypeus height 0.22. Length of chelicera 0.78. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 1.69 [0.65, 0.21, 0.17, 0.66], leg I 3.67 [1.07, 0.59, 0.87, 0.78, 0.36], II 3.44 [1.13, 0.46, 0.78, 0.64, 0.43], III 4.01 [1.28, 0.47, 0.86, 0.91, 0.49], IV 4.41 [1.40, 0.46, 1.03, 1.05, 0.47]. Leg formula: 4312. Leg setation: femur I-II pl 1 rl 1 do 3, III pl 1 rl 3 do 3, IV pl 1 rl 2 do 3; patella III-IV rl 1; tibia I pl 2 plv 4 rlv 4, II pl 2 rl 2 plv 4 rlv 4, III-IV pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2; metatarsus I pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, II-III pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2, IV pl 3 rl 3 plv 1 rlv 1. Carapace oval, high, sloping posteriorly, dark brown, anterior of thorax with a transverse diamond-shaped yellowish area behind eye field, margin of carapace with narrow black lines (Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ); eye field dark brown, anterior row of eyes encircled with pale yellow setae (Fig. 3G View Figure 3 ). Clypeus low, covered with silvery white setae (Fig. 3G View Figure 3 ). Chelicerae long, subvertical, diverging, yellowish-brown (Fig. 3G View Figure 3 ), promargin with two teeth and retromargin with a single tooth. Endites brown, scopulate, margins with narrow black lines (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ). Labium brown, with paler tip, distally with dark brown setae (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ). Sternum oval, anteriorly flat, dark brown with yellow dots, covered with white setae, lateral sides with more setae (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ). Abdomen oval, dark brown, medially and posteriorly with transverse yellow bands (Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ); abdomen posteriorly with recurved yellow dotted lines and laterally with yellow and dark brown brick line patterns (Figs 3A, C View Figure 3 ); venter pale yellow medially with a light brown longitudinal band (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ). Spinnerets pale yellow, covered with black setae. Legs brown, proximal region of metatarsus I, femora III and IV, metatarsi and tarsi II-IV pale yellow; all femora, patellae and tibiae covered with metallic lustrous setae, I-II with more lustrous setae. Palp brown (Fig. 2E, F View Figure 2 ); patella and tibia distal region with long black dorsal setae (Fig. 2E, F View Figure 2 ); tibia and patella covered with black setae (Fig. 2E, F View Figure 2 ); RTA short, stout, anteriorly directed, wide at base, slightly narrowing distally, tip slightly bent ventrally (Figs 2F View Figure 2 , 4F View Figure 4 ); cymbium elongate oval, covered with long brown setae (Figs 2E, F View Figure 2 , 4E, F View Figure 4 ); tegulum with well-developed posterior lobe (Figs 2E View Figure 2 , 4E View Figure 4 ); lamellar process large, almost cone-shaped (Figs 2E View Figure 2 , 4E View Figure 4 ); tegulum with conspicuous retrolateral shoulder, sperm duct visible at this shoulder (Figs 2E View Figure 2 , 4E View Figure 4 ); embolus short, situated anterior to bulbus, narrowing tip directed at 2 o’clock position in ventral view (Figs 2E View Figure 2 , 4E View Figure 4 ).

Female (Paratype) (Figs 2G, H View Figure 2 , 3D-F, H View Figure 3 , 4G, H View Figure 4 ): Measurements: body length 4.24; carapace length 1.68, width 1.32; abdomen length 2.15, width 1.67. Ocular area length 1.01, width 1.22. Eye diameters: AME 0.46, ALE 0.23, PME 0.04, PLE 0.23. Eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.03, ALE-AME 0.05, ALE-ALE 0.88, ALE-PLE 0.57, PLE-PLE 1.06, PME-PME 1.13, PME-PLE 0.27. Clypeus height 0.08. Length of chelicera 0.56. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 1.31 [0.47, 0.16, 0.25, 0.43], leg I 2.77 [0.87, 0.36, 0.68, 0.54, 0.32], II 2.65 [0.88, 0.38, 0.57, 0.50, 0.32], III 3.21 [1.02, 0.39, 0.65, 0.73, 0.42], IV 3.73 [1.17, 0.40, 0.85, 0.87, 0.44]. Leg formula: 4312. Leg setation: femur I-III pl 2 rl 1 do 3, IV pl 1 rl 1 do 3; patella III-IV rl 1; tibia I pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 2 rl 1 plv 3 rlv 3, III-IV pl 2 rl 3 plv 2 rlv 1; metatarsus I pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 2 rl 2 plv 3 rlv 3, III pl 2 rl 2 plv 3 rlv 3, IV pl 3 rl 3 plv 1 rlv 1. In all details as male, except the following: eye field black (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ); chelicerae small, vertical, yellowish-brown with darker dorsal side (Fig. 3H View Figure 3 ); endites dark brown with pale yellow inner tips (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); labium dark brown (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); abdomen light brown with faint medial transverse band (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ); venter with prominent, lens-shaped longitudinal median brown band (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ). Epigyne wider than long, sclerotised, with wide, curved posterior margin (Figs 2G View Figure 2 , 4G View Figure 4 ); copulatory openings round, separated from each other, situated anterior region of epigyne (Figs 2G View Figure 2 , 4G View Figure 4 ); copulatory ducts highly sclerotised, slightly curved, extending posteriorly and entering at posterior part of spermathecae (Figs 2G View Figure 2 , 4G View Figure 4 ); spermathecae nearly pear-shaped, separated from each other (Figs 2H View Figure 2 , 4H View Figure 4 ); fertilisation ducts long, orientated anterolaterally, located at anterior region of spermathecae (Figs 2H View Figure 2 , 4H View Figure 4 ).

Etymology.

The species is named after the late Handerson Syiemlieh, the owner of the tea estate from where the type series was collected.

Distribution.

India (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya) (Fig. 14 View Figure 14 ), China and Vietnam.

Remarks.

Since both sexes were collected together in this study, it was possible for us to determine the identity as we compared them with previous illustrations and with those of the type images ( Luong 2017) of both P. accentifera and P. suavis . The general colour pattern of the female which was earlier identified as P. accentifera did not match with the type, thus leading us to re-verify all previous illustrations. On the other hand, it was concluded that P. suavis was a synonym of P. vittata ( Luong 2017: 104). We agree with Luong’s conclusion on the synonymy, based on the images of the type specimens; however, that decision has not been made formally yet. Based on these observations, we concluded that this species was misidentified earlier and each sex was assigned to different names by previous scientists. Żabka (1985) illustrated the male as P. suavis and the female as P. accentifera from Vietnam. This was followed by Chinese ( Peng et al. 1993; Xie 1993; Song et al. 1999; Peng 2020) and Indian authors ( Tyagi et al. 2019; Sudhin et al. 2023). Two females from Assam ( Tyagi et al. 2019: GenBank accession numbers MK392820 and MK392821) and two females from Manipur ( Sudhin et al. 2023) were misidentified as P. accentifera .

Simon (1901) does not provide the exact locality for P. accentifera (Simon, 1901); however, mentions, "et dans les espèces des montagnes de l’Inde, T. accentifera E. Sim.," ("and in the species of the mountains of India, T. accentifera E. Sim.," - Simon, (1901: 548)). Luong (2017) examined the syntypes of P. accentifera deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris and precisely designated the lectotype, based on a specimen from Kodaikanal (a hill station in South India) from the vial No. 10254. Nevertheless, the designation of lectotype and paralectotypes has not yet been formally published. Nevertheless, based on the information from the original description of Simon (1901) and the type label ( Luong 2017: fig. 4.28K), the type locality of P. accentifera is, thus, Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, India. P. accentifera (Simon, 1901) is presently confined to its type locality in South India.