Wanniyala mudita, Huber, 2019

Huber, Bernhard A., 2019, The pholcid spiders of Sri Lanka (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 1-57 : 34-35

Wanniyala mudita sp. n.

Figures 129–131 , 156–164 , 213

Wanniyala sp. (from Rattota): Huber & Benjamin 2005: 3311 , fig. 9.

Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from congeners by details of palp (retrolateral sclerite of procursus with large rounded dorsal process; distinctive processes of palpal trochanter, and short and weakly curved bulbal apophysis; Figs 158–161 ) and by modification of clypeus (pair of processes connected by protruding arc; Figs 156–157 ; similar only in W. orientalis ). Females are easily distinguished from most known congeners (except W. hakgala , W. orientalis ) by shape of epigynum (strongly projecting and pointed in lateral view; Fig. 163 ); they differ from W. hakgala and W. orientalis by details of internal genitalia (wide anterior ‘valve’; oval pore plates; Figs 164 , 213 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Pāli word muditā , one of the four Buddhist virtues or brahmavihāras (the feeling of joy because others are happy); noun in apposition.

Type material. SRI LANKA: ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 20076), Central Province, Kandy, Dunumadallawa Forest (7.282°N, 80.643°E), 600–680 m a.s.l., 8.iii.2017 (B.A. Huber) .

Other material examined. SRI LANKA: 4♂ 3♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 20077), and 3♀ 4 juvs in pure ethanol, ZFMK (SL109), same data as holotype. 4♀, RMNH, Kandy (7°18’N, 80°38’E; unprecise coordinates!), 600 m a.s.l. (not 1600 m as on label and in Huber & Benjamin 2005), “forest and waterworks, in umbrella web under large tangle”, 7–11.viii.1981 (collector not given) (misidentified as W. hakgala in Huber & Benjamin 2005 ); 1♂ 1♀, RMNH, same data. 1♂ 4 juvs, ZMUT (AA 3634), Matale District, Rattota [7.515°N, 80.673°E], “in litter of djungle”, 2.ii.1969 (P. Lehtinen).

Description. Male (holotype). MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.9, carapace width 0.80. Distance PME- PME 125 µm, diameter PME 100 µm, distance PME-ALE 30 µm; AME absent. Sternum width/length: 0.62/0.46. Leg 1: 13.8 (3.4 + 0.3 + 3.4 + 5.1 + 1.6), tibia 2: 2.0, tibia 3: 1.5, tibia 4: 2.1; tibia 1 L/d: 49.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre yellow with median and lateral dark bands; ocular area posteriorly dark; clypeus with pair of dark bands below eye triads; sternum mostly black, with indistinct small triangular light mark anteriorly; legs ochre-yellow, with dark rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); abdomen ochre-gray with dark marks dorsally and laterally, ventrally also with dark pattern.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 129 ; ocular area slightly raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus with pair of processes connected by protruding arc ( Figs 156–157 ); sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 156–157 , with pair of small apophyses proximally laterally and pair of long apophyses directed forwards, tips of apophyses distally directed downwards, distance between tips of apophyses: 0.64.

PALPS. In general very similar to known congeners (cf. Figs 150–155 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with several distinctive processes ( Fig. 158 ); femur with indistinct small dorsal apophysis proximally; tibia very long (0.86); procursus with several distinctive elements ( Figs 160–161 ); bulb with simple membranous embolus and short, weakly curved and pointed apophysis ( Fig. 159 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with short vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all metatarsi (especially proximally); retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 12%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~25 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in four other males from type locality: 3.1, 3.2, 3.2, 3.4; in male from Rattota 3.7.

Female. In general similar to male ( Figs 130–131 ) but clypeus unmodified and legs with usual low number of short vertical hairs; two females with entirely black sternum. Tibia 1 in 3 females: 2.6, 2.7, 2.8. Epigynum as in Figs 162–163 , strongly protruding and pointed in lateral view; posterior plate apparently reduced(?) to two lateral sclerites mostly hidden behind epigynal plate and poorly visible in ventral view; internal genitalia as in Figs 164 , 213 , with wide anterior ‘valve’ and pair of oval pore plates.

Natural history. The spiders were found in the leaf litter, with their small webs slightly projecting from under the leaves.

Distribution. Known from two localities in central Sri Lanka ( Fig. 226 )

Figures

FIGURES 126–137. Wanniyala, live specimens, part 1. 126–128. W. agrabopath Huber & Benjamin, 2005, male and females with egg-sacs from Hakgala. 129–131. W. mudita sp. n., male and females with egg-sacs from Kandy. 132–134. W. orientalis sp. n., males and female with egg-sac from Inginiyagala. 135–137. W. upekkha sp. n., male from Dematagala and females with and without egg-sac from Ella.

FIGURES 156–164. Wanniyala mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 156–157. Male chelicerae, clypeus and ocular area, frontal and lateral views. 158. Left male palpal trochanter and femur, retrolateral view. 159. Left genital bulb (proximal sclerite, bulbal apophysis and embolus), prolateral view. 160–161. Left procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views. 162–163. Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 164. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points at anterior ‘valve’). Abbreviations: ba, bulbal apophysis; e, embolus; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ps1, ps2, prolateral sclerites 1 and 2; ptp, prolateral transparent process; rs, retrolateral sclerite; vtp, ventral transparent process. Scale lines: 0.3 mm (158–161), 0.5 mm (156–157, 162–164).

FIGURES 213–219. Wanniyala spp., cleared female genitalia in dorsal views. 213. W. mudita sp. n., from Kandy (ZFMK Ar 20077). 214. W. orientalis sp. n., from Dimbulagala (ZFMK Ar 20079). 215. W. upekkha sp. n., from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 216. W. ohiya sp. n., from Ohiya (ZFMK Ar 20089). 217. W. viharekele sp. n., from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20092). 218. W. mapalena sp. n., from between Ratnapura and Mapalena Ella (ZFMK Ar 20095). 219. W. labugama sp. n., from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). At various scales.

FIGURES 150–155. Wanniyala left male palps in prolateral and retrolateral views. 150–151. W. upekkha sp. n. from Dematagala (ZFMK Ar 20086). 152–153. W. viharekele sp. n. from Viharekele (ZFMK Ar 20091). 154–155. W. labugama sp. n. from Labugama (ZFMK Ar 20097). Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; ba, bulbal apophysis; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; pbs, proximal bulbal sclerite; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 226–227. Known distribution of Wanniyala.