Habrocestum togansangmai 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 : 6

Habrocestum togansangmai Kadam & Tripathi 2023 , sp. nov.

Figures 3 , 4 A-E, 5 (Ƌ only)

Etymology. The species group name is a patronym honouring Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma, a brave freedom fighter from the State of Meghalaya, who fought against the British army.

Type material. Holotype: Ƌ (NRC-AA-7689) from INDIA: Meghalaya: South West Khasi Hills: Nongnah village (25°16'03''N, 91°19'12''E; 992 m alt.), 07 April 2022, Gautam K. leg., from ground, by hand. Deposited in the National Centre for Biological Sciences Research Collections ( NRC), Bengaluru, India. Ƌ, same data as holotype, except South Garo Hills , Siju Bird Sanctuary (25° 20.501'N, 90°40.997'E; 162 m alt.), photographic record by Arpita D., specimen not collected (data used with permission).

Diagnosis. Males of Habrocestum togansangmai are closely related to the males of H. ohiyaensis Kanesharatnam & Benjamin 2016 as both share an almost straight, thin embolus emerging from below the tegular layer, but can be distinguished from the latter species by a tegulum without a proximal lobe (vs. present in H. ohiyaensis ), a short, triangular protrusion at distal end of the tegulum (vs. absent in H. ohiyaensis ), a short and straight RTA (vs. medium sized and hooked-shaped in H. ohiyaensis ) (compare Figures 3D–E with Kanesharatnam & Benjamin 2016, fig. 9A–F).

Description. Male (holotype, Figure 3A–C, F , colouration in alcohol): carapace, eye field orangish red, clypeus and chelicerae brown; labium, endites, sternum, legs and spinnerets pale yellow, opisthosoma dark orange, distinctly marked with irregular shaped blotches having black hairs. Carapace covered with scattered fine black hairs; ocular region covered with orangish red hairs. Cheliceral promargin with two closely spaced, tiny teeth; retromargin with single bifurcated tooth ( Figure 3F ). Opisthosoma oval, hirsute. Leg I longest, with distinct black patches at the posterior end of segments. Body length. 2.95. Carapace 1.69 long, 1.26 wide. Opisthosoma 1.22 long, 0.96 wide. Ocular area 0.88 long, 1.06 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.36, ALE 0.23, PME 0.06, PLE 0.20; AME–AME 0.01, AME–ALE contiguous, PME–PME 0.98, ALE–ALE 0.75, PME–PLE 0.12, PLE–PLE 0.84, ALE–PME 0.23, ALE-PLE 0.40. Length of chelicerae 0.58. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.07. Sternum 0.64 long, 0.51 wide. Length of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 1.39 [0.47, 0.24, 0.13, 0.55], I 3.77 [1.14, 0.59, 0.96, 0.71, 0.37], II 2.52 [0.82, 0.38, 0.54, 0.49, 0.29], III 2.91 [0.91, 0.34, 0.58, 0.73, 0.35], IV 3.08 [1.08, 0.45, 0.54, 0.70, 0.31]. Leg formula: 1432. Spination of pedipalp: femur pld 1 do 2, patella pl 1 do 1, tibia pld 1 do 2 rld 1, tarsus/cymbium pl 1 do 2 rl 1 rld 1; legs: femur I & IV do 3, II pl 1 do 3, III do 3 rld 2; patellae I–II 0, III pl 1 rl 1, IV pl 1; tibia I plv 3 rlv 3, II pl 1 plv 3 rlv 3, III pl 1 pld 1 plv 1 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 1, IV pl 1 pld 1 plv 1 rl 1 rld 1 rlv 2; metatarsus I plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 1 pld 2 plv 1 rl 2 rld 2 rlv 2, IV pl 1 pld 2 plv 1 rl 1 rld 2 rlv 2; tarsi I–IV 0. Pedipalp ( Figure 3D–E ): cymbium hirsute, RTA short, thumb-like, with rounded apex directed at 11-o’ clock retrolaterally ( Figure 3E ). Tegulum moderately swollen, with short, triangular protrusion at distoretrolateral end ( Figure 3D ). Embolus thin, moderately long, originating distoprolaterally, with pointed apex directed at 1-o’ clock ventrally ( Figure 3D ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known from the South West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills District of Meghalaya ( Figures 4E , 5 ).

Figures

Figure 3. Habrocestum togansangmai, holotype male (NRC-AA-7689). A, Habitus, dorsal. B, Same, lateral. C, Same, frontal. D-E, Ventral (D) and retrolateral (E) views of left pedipalp. F, 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.