Psechrus crepido Bayer 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bayer, Steffen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Psechridae
Psechrus
Psechrus crepido

description: Psechrus crepido sp. nov.
Figs 76a–d, 77a–h, 83g, 86j, 89k, 92k
Psechrus torvus — Reimoser 1934: 467, misidentified (record of ♀ from Pumbarai, India).
Psechrus ghecuanus — Levi 1982: 122, figs 29–33, ad part, figs 32–33 misidentified (figs 32–33: illustration of ♀).
Type material. Holotype ♂ (SB 644), INDIA: Tamil Nadu Province: Thiruchirappali (‘Trichinopoly’), ca. N 10°49', E 78°42', ca. 70 m; Noualhier (?) leg. 1895 (?); MNHN AR176; Paratypes (1 ♂, 10 ♀♀, 6 s.a. ♀♀): 1 ♂ (SB 645), 5 ♀♀ (SB 646, 649, 650–652), 1 s.a. ♀ (SB 647), with same data as for holotype; MNHN AR176; 3 ♀♀ (SB 635–636, 641), 3 s.a. ♀♀ (SB 637, 640, 642), INDIA: Tamil Nadu Province: Kodaikanal, ca. N 10°14', E 77°29', ca. 2100 m; Noualhier (?) leg. 1895 (?); MNHN AR175; 2 ♀♀ (SB 984–985), INDIA: Tamil Nadu Province: Kodaikanal, ca. N 10°14', E 77°29', 2130 m; V. Roth & B. Roth leg. 30.XII.1989; CAS 9032229; 2 s.a. ♀♀ (SB 980–981), INDIA: Tamil Nadu Province: Kodaikanal, Silver Cascade roadside forest below Kodaikanal, N 10°15', E 77°31', ca. 1700 m; V. Roth & B. Roth leg. 31.XII.1989; CAS 9032228.
Additional material examined (3 s.a. ♂♂, 1 p. s.a. ♀, 2 juvs). INDIA: Tamil Nadu Province: Kodaikanal, ca. N 10°14', E 77°29', ca. 2100 m; Noualhier (?) leg. 1895 (?); 1 p. s.a. ♀ (SB 643), 1 s.a. ♂ (SB 638), 1 juv. (SB 639), MNHN AR175. Kodaikanal, ca. N 10°14', E 77°29', 2130 m; V. Roth & B. Roth leg. 30.XII.1989; 1 juv. (SB
983), CAS 9032229. Thiruchirappali (‘Trichinopoly’), ca. N 10°49', E 78°42', ca. 70 m; Noualhier (?) leg. 1895 (?); 2 s.a. ♂♂ (SB 648, 653), MNHN AR176.
Etymology. The specific name refers to the ventral protrusion at the embolus base of the male type specimens (Latin “crepido” means “protrusion, pedestal”; term (noun) in apposition.
Diagnosis. Males with an elongated embolus base (EB) possessing a distinct ventral protrusion basally (Figs 76a–c). Tegulum (T) basally with rounded section possessing numerous wrinkles and ridges (Figs 76a–c). Females with median septum (MS) continously diverging anteriorly and with a flat large-area bulge in front of MS (Figs 77a,e, 89k). Spermatheca with small, corner-like structure dorso-anterio-laterally and fused with distal winding of copulatory duct (CD) (Figs 77b,d,f, 92k).
Description. Male (Measurements of holotype first, those of partatype in parentheses behind; paratype male misses both legs IV):
Body and eye measurements. Carapace length 9.4 (7.0), carapace width 6.9 (4.8), anterior width of carapace 3.6 (2.8), opisthosoma length 11.4 (8.2), opisthosoma width 5.5 (3.8). Eyes: AME 0.43 (0.34), ALE 0.49 (0.44), PME 0.50 (0.44), PLE 0.48 (0.42), AME–AME 0.29 (0.14), AME–ALE 0.07 (0.06), PME–PME 0.34 (0.17), PME–PLE 0.46 (0.30), AME–PME 0.75 (0.53), ALE–PLE 0.67 (0.46), clypeus height at AME 1.28 (0.69), clypeus height at ALE 1.08 (0.65).
Cheliceral furrow with three promarginal and four retromarginal teeth.
Measurements of palp and legs. Leg formula: 1423. Palp: 11.3 (8.6) [4.3 (3.3), 1.9 (1.5), 1.8 (1.2), 3.3 (2.6)]; Legs: I 61.5 (47.4) [17.2 (12.7), 4.4 (3.1), 17.5 (13.0), 16.9 (12.4), 7.5 (6.2)], II 48.5 (36.0) [14.1 (10.1), 3.9 (2.9), 12.8 (9.3), 12.3 (9.1), 5.4 (4.6)], III 34.7 (25.8) [10.3 (7.8), 3.2 (2.3), 8.3 (6.1), 8.9 (6.5), 4.0 (3.1)], IV 51.0 [14.4, 3.6, 12.9, 14.1, 6.0]. Thus, legs in males, in relation to other Psechrus species, short: FEM-I+MTT-I/CL: ca. 3.6.
Spination. Palp: 151{141} (141), 110 (110), 1101 (1101); legs: femur I 556 (547), II 655{555} (556), III 555{545} (555), IV 554; patella I–IV 000; tibia I–II 3036 (3038), III 3036 (3036), IV 3036{3037}; metatarsus I–III 3035 (3035), IV 3037.
Palpal femur without modification and broadest distally (Fig. 76d). MC-I–II & MT-I absent.
Copulatory organ. Embolus (E) thin, not filiform, but somewhat compressed and conductor (C) thin, fleshy, membranous most distally and slightly curved proximally (Figs 76a–b). Subtegulum barely visible in ventral view. Sperm duct broad U-shaped (Fig. 76b). Cymbium dorsally with very dense scopula, covering 1/2 of cymbium (Fig. 83g). Palpal tibia short and strangely shaped (Figs 76a–c).
Female:
Body and eye measurements. Carapace length 8.5–11.2, carapace width 6.1–8.0, anterior width of carapace 3.6–4.6, opisthosoma length 11.9–14.2, opisthosoma width 6.1–6.9. Eyes: AME 0.38–0.49, ALE 0.47–0.54, PME 0.47–0.51, PLE 0.49–0.52, AME–AME 0.23–0.33, AME–ALE 0.06–0.11, PME–PME 0.31–0.45, PME–PLE 0.43–0.58, AME–PME 0.76–0.84, ALE–PLE 0.57–0.80, clypeus height at AME 1.29–1.68, clypeus height at ALE 1.06–1.49.
Cheliceral furrow with three promarginal and four retromarginal teeth.
Measurements of palp and legs. Leg formula: 1423. Palp: 9.7–13.6 [3.3–4.8, 1.4–2.0, 1.9–2.4, 3.1–4.4]; Legs: I 46.2–63.9 [12.8–17.4, 3.6–5.1, 12.9–17.5, 11.5–16.8, 5.4–7.1], II 36.3–51.1 [10.5–14.8, 3.3–4.6, 9.6–13.1, 8.6–13.0, 4.3–5.6], III 26.4–36.2 [8.1–10.9, 2.6–3.5, 6.2–8.6, 6.3–9.1, 3.2–4.1], IV 37.3–51.9 [10.6–15.0, 2.9–4.1, 9.8–13.2, 9.4–13.7, 4.6–5.9]. Thus, legs in females, in comparison to other Psechrus species, rather short: FEM- I+MTT-I/CL: 2.8–3.1.
Palpal claw with 14–16 teeth.
Spination. Palp: 141, 110, 1201 (1301), 1014; legs: femur I 556 (546), II 556 (556,546,657), III 555 (555,545), IV 554 (554,555); patella I–IV 000; tibia I 3036, II 3036 (3036,3037), III 3036 (3036,3034), IV 3036 (3036,3037); metatarsus I 3035 (3035), II 3035 (3037), III 3035 (3035), IV 3035 (3037).
Copulatory organ. Epigynal field (EF) somewhat indistinct but large (Fig. 77a). Epigynal muscle sigilla associated with EF, slit sense organs may be outside or within EF. Spermathecal heads bulbous, arising anteriomedial on receptacula-CD-complex (Fig. 77b).
Primordial copulatory organ. Pre-epigyne: Pre-septum (pre-MS) slightly broader than long, distal endings of its lateral margins not or just slightly extending medially (Fig. 77h). Pre-epigynal field small but continous.
Pre-vulva: Distal part of pre-CD larger than pre-receptacula (Fig. 77g).
Colouration of male and female (see also description for Psechrus). Sternum light yellowish brown at lateral margins and with light brown to red-brown, tapered patch centrally. Median bands on carapace slightly serrated. Lateral bands broad to very broad (2–3x diameter of PME) and serrated. Light longitudinal line ventrally on opisthosoma continuous, meduim-sized in width. If measured centrally on opisthosoma, its width is 0.4–0.8 times the width of one half of the cribellum.
Variation of copulatory organs. The two males examined showed no significant variation. Females: Lateral margins of MS may be less diverging anteriorly (Fig. 77e). In one specimen they are just slightly diverging (Fig. 89k). Receptaculum-CD-complex may be narrower and/or basally with additional, smaller spermathecal head (Figs 77f, 92k).
Distribution. India (Fig. 94).
Remarks: This species was already examined by Reimoser (1934), who obtained a ♀ from Pumbarai (presently Poombarai, Tamil Nadu Province, India), collected by J. Carl and K. Escher, XI.1926 – IV.1927, subsequently deposited in MHNG. He identified the specimen as P. torvus without providing an illustration. The respective female was not available for the present study (all material of Psechridae deposited in the arachnid collection of MHNG was provided by the curator, P. Schwendinger; there was no female from Pumbarai, India among the material; this specimen may have been mislaid or lost.). Nevertheless, according to his material list, Levi (1982) had examined and illustrated this specimen and identified it as P. ghecuanus. However, Levi denoted this female as “doubtful specimen”. His accurate illustrations (Levi 1982, figs 32–33) of the copulatory organ unambiguously show that it is conspecific with P. crepido sp. nov. Moreover, Poombarai is only nine km West of Kodaikanal, where some of the paratypes of P. crepido sp. nov. designated herein, had been recorded.
description: Published as part of Bayer, Steffen, 2012, The lace-sheet-weavers — a long story (Araneae: Psechridae: Psechrus), pp. 1-170 in Zootaxa 3379 (1) on pages 137-140, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3379.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6039832