Coenoptychus pulcher Simon 1885
Creators: name: Paul, Jimmy
name: Sankaran, Pradeep M.
name: Sebastian, Pothalil A.
name: Joseph, Mathew M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Corinnidae
Coenoptychus
Coenoptychus pulcher

description: Coenoptychus pulcher Simon, 1885
Figs 1A‒D, 2A‒H, 3A‒F, 4A‒C, F‒K
Coenoptychus pulcher Simon, 1885: 37 (Holotype ♀: INDIA: Ramnad/Ramanathapuram [09°22'14.12''N, 78°50'00.44''E], no date, MNHN—not examined); Gravely, 1931: 276, fig. 20G; Majumder & Tikader 1991: 145, figs 306‒310; Deeleman- Reinhold, 2001: 329, figs 486‒488.
Onychocryptus mutillaris Karsch, 1892: 295, pl. 11, fig. 17.
Coenoptychus pulchellus Simon, 1897: 174 (lapsus); Green, 1912: 92, figs 5‒6; Petrunkevitch, 1928: 179; Berland, 1932: 149.
Diagnosis. Coenoptychus pulcher seems closely related to C. tropicalis comb. nov., but can be easily separated from it by the following combination of features: abdominal scutum of both sexes with four white spots (Figs 1A‒ D, 2A, C) vs with a broad white anterior band and two small lateral triangular markings, fused to a median stripe in front of spinnerets in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: fig. 29); globose spermathecae II (Figs 2H, 3F) vs subtriangular in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: figs 30‒31); postero-laterally placed copulatory ducts (Fig. 3F) vs laterally placed in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: fig. 31); spermathecae II with basoprolateral projection (Fig. 3F) vs without projection in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: fig. 31); embolus with 1.5 coils (Fig. 3A‒D) vs. with 2 coils in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: figs 32‒33); and inverted comma-shaped epigynal ridges (Fig. 3E) vs with semi-circular-shaped epigynal ridges in C. tropicalis comb. nov. (Haddad 2004: figs 30‒31).
Male (ADSH19131B). Measurements: Body length 4.93. Carapace 2.54 long, 1.55 wide. Abdomen length 2.39, width 1.82. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.06, AME 0.08, PLE 0.07, PME 0.07, ALE‒PLE 0.37, AME‒ ALE 0.05, AME‒AME 0.10, AME‒PME 0.15, PLE‒PLE 0.67, PME‒PLE 0.17, PME‒PME 0.21. Clypeus height at AME 0.30, at ALE 0.22. Chelicerae 0.65 long. Measurements of palp and legs (right): palp 2.25 [0.69, 0.20, 0.28, 1.08], I 4.05 [1.10, 0.51, 0.87, 0.86, 0.71], II 3.92 [1.10, 0.51, 0.79, 0.83, 0.69], III 3.62 [1.01, 0.50, 0.70, 0.83, 0.58], IV 6.46 [1.41, 0.61, 1.07, 1.37, 2.00]. Spination: palp: femur do 2, cymbium pl 3; legs: femora I‒II pl 1 do 3 III pl 1 do 3 rl 1, IV pl 2 do 3 rl 1; patellae I‒IV do 2 fine setae; tibiae I plv 1 rlv 2, II rlv 2, III plv 2, IV pl 1 rl 1 plv 1 vt 1; metatarsus I plv 2 rlv 1, II plv 2 rlv 2, III plv 4 rlv 2 vt 1, IV pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 1 vt 2; tarsi I‒IV spineless.
Carapace dark reddish with dark grey boarders, papillate, with serrated margins, slightly elevated towards rear, highest at two-thirds its length, ornamented with short golden and long white hairs (Fig. 4I), white feathery setae lying adjacent to the lateral margins (Fig. 4B, vertical arrow). Eye field blackish, with long, curved setae, eyes subequal, PER strongly recurved (Fig. 4A). Fovea short and narrow. Clypeus black, with long, curved setae. Chelicerae dark greyish-orange, dorsum covered with greyish-black setae; promargin middle tooth largest. Maxillae, labium dark orange. Sternum reddish-orange, with black margins, papillate, covered with feathery setae intermingled with short and long white and pale setae, with precoxal triangles, intercoxal sclerites between all coxae except I and II, intercoxal sclerites discontinuous (Fig. 4B, horizontal arrow), fused with plural bars, precoxal triangles separated at coxae II, III and IV. Abdomen oval; dorsal scutum blackish, entire, with two pairs of sigilla, covered with black feathery setae, rest with short, white feathery setae intermingled with long grey and white setae; dorsum with four major spots of short white feathery setae, two medially and two laterally, with very short patch of white feathery setae on each postero-lateral side, anterior half with scattered gold feathery setae up to median white spot, tuft of short, white feathery setae just above anal tubercle (Fig. 4F); venter with reddish-brown ventral sclerite, epigastric sclerite reddish-orange, post epigastric sclerites thin, with setal bases from granules; ventral sclerite heavily sclerotised, rectangular, situated between epigastric furrow and inframammillary sclerite, inframammillary sclerite small. Pedicel short, with collar. Spinnerets orange-brown. Legs I‒III yellowish-brown, IV reddish-brown, spinose, covered with short, erect setae and scattered short feathery setae; all leg segments with black annulations, except femur I and all tarsi; all coxae lack retrocoxal window; all patellae with narrow patellar indentation; glabrous distal constriction on femora III and IV, prominent on IV (Fig. 4J); proximal and distal long setae on patellae dorsally, long spine-like dense hairs around metatarsi III‒IV distally; all metatarsi distally with scopulae, scopulae on all tarsi entire (Fig. 4K), metatarsal and tarsal scopulae composed of longitudinal halves separated medially by irregular rows of spine-like setae (Fig. 4K); all tarsi with paired claws, with claw tufts of short, barbed setae, without feathery setae; leg formula 4123.
Palp (Figs 2E‒F, 3A‒D): segments pale orange to dark brown; patella with single prolateral spine; tibia prolaterally with single pair of spines (Fig. 3A), with glabrous ventral saddle with small elevated ridge prolaterally, cymbium with weak prolateral bend in ventral view (Fig. 3B), with one apico-prolateral and two baso-prolateral spines, with dense mat of tiny thorn-like setae on pallid apical half of dorsum (Fig. 3C), apical end with indistinct claw-like setae. Bulb pear-shaped, with short, stump-like embolus base; subtegulum small, partly visible pro- and retrolaterally; embolus nearly extending to tip of cymbium, with 1.5 turns, distal 2/3 appears ‘ladle-like’ ventrally, with narrow, angular tip directed at 10 o’clock ventrally (Fig. 3D).
Female (ADSH19131A). Measurements: Body length 5.88. Carapace 3.04 long, 1.79 wide. Abdomen length 2.84, width 2.55. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.10, AME 0.11, PLE 0.10, PME 0.09, ALE‒PLE 0.40, AME‒ ALE 0.07, AME‒AME 0.12, AME‒PME 0.18, PLE‒PLE 0.80, PME‒PLE 0.20, PME‒PME 0.23. Clypeus height at AME 0.33, at ALE 0.22. Chelicerae length 0.76. Measurements of palp and legs (right): palp 2.33 [0.66, 0.33, 0.48, 0.86], I 4.47 [1.30, 0.51, 0.98, 0.93, 0.75], II 4.42 [1.30, 0.58, 0.93, 0.89, 0.72], III 4.24 [1.25, 0.59, 0.85, 0.91, 0.64], IV 5.98 [1.64, 0.72, 1.26, 1.60, 0.76]. Spination: palp: femur do 3, patella pl 1 do 3, tibia do 1 pl 2, tarsus pl 2 rl 1 vt 2; legs: femora I‒II pl 1 do 3, III pl 1 do 3 rl 1, IV pl 2 do 3 rl 1; patellae I‒IV do 2; tibiae I plv 2 rlv 2, II vt 2, III pl 1 plv 1, IV pl 1 plv 2 rl 2 rlv 1 vt 1; metatarsi I plv 2 rlv 2, II plv 1 rlv 2, III pl 2 plv 1 rl 2 rlv 1 vt 1, IV pl 3 plv 1 rl 4 vt 3; tarsi I‒IV spineless.
In all details like male except the following: carapace reddish-orange. Fangs baso-promarginally with modified long black setae (4G‒H). Sternum orange. Abdomen oval, anterior half with short gold feathery setae, denser than male, forming distinct pattern, sigilla more distinct than male; dorsal scutum larger than male; lateral white spots extending ventrally, posterior white spot slightly extending downward; venter covered with short black feathery setae, short white feathery setae forming white median broad band and lateral paired triangular-shaped thin white bands, two pairs of white spots lateral to spinnerets (Fig. 2B), single white spot just dorsal of spinnerets (Fig. 4F); ventral sclerite absent, inframamillary sclerite small (Fig. 4C). Spinnerets larger than male; PMS and PLS provided with three and two large cylindrical gland spigots, respectively, ALS largest, without enlarged spigots (Fig. 4C). Scopulae on metatarsi I‒II and all tarsi complete, metatarsi III‒IV bearing scopulae distally (Fig 4K). Palpal tarsus distally with pair of ventral spines.
Epigyne (Figs 2G‒H, 3E‒F): domed plate-like, reddish brown. Copulatory openings small, circular, with inverted comma-shaped ridges, lying postero-laterally (Fig. 3E). Vulvae large, spermathecae I kidney-shaped, spermathecae II round, with short baso-prolateral lobe, both spermathecae bridged together by vertical dumbbellshaped lobe. Copulatory ducts short, less sclerotized, moderately wide, without convolutions, opening basally to spermathecae II (Fig. 3F).
Variation. Body length: Female 5.88‒6.06 mm (n=2).
Material examined. INDIA, Kerala: Palakkad, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Vengoli, 10°25'22.8''S, 76°48'36''E, 1057 m, 27.V.2016, leg. J. Paul, from ground, by hand, 1 penultimate ♂, 1♀ (ADSH 19131A); Same locality, 13.VIII.2016, leg. K.S. Nafin, from ground, by hand, 1♂, 1♀ (ADSH 19131B).
Natural History. Coenoptychus pulcher is a diurnally active, fast-running ground spider. The species has been collected from both coastal regions (Simon, 1885) and montane grasslands (present data). Coenoptychus pulcher are accurate Batesian mimics of the velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Green (1912) observed a close resemblance of C. pulcher to members of the genera Mutilla Linnaeus, 1758 and Spilomutilla Ashmead, 1903. The spiders also had resemblance to other mutillid genera such as Biscoffitilla Lelej, 2002 and Trogospidia Ashmead, 1899, which were found in the region (Paul, pers. obs.) (Fig. 1E‒F). The behaviour of the spider, such as leg movements, speed, intermittent resting and bobbing of the abdomen, accurately mimics the wingless female mutillid wasps, which makes them difficult to distinguish in their habitat.
Distribution. India: Kerala: Palakkad (present record), Tamil Nadu: Ramanad (Ramanathapuram) and Madras; Sri Lanka: Anuradhapura and Taprobane (Fig. 5).
description: Published as part of Paul, Jimmy, Sankaran, Pradeep M., Sebastian, Pothalil A. & Joseph, Mathew M., 2018, A review of the wasp mimicking spider genus Coenoptychus Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), pp. 163-172 in Zootaxa 4413 (1) on pages 165-170, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4413.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/1221984