Eriovixia gryffindori Ahmed, Khalap &amp; N., 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ahmed, Javed
name: Rajashree Khalap
name: Sumukha J., N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Araneidae
Eriovixia
Eriovixia gryffindori

description: <i>Eriovixia gryffindori</i> sp. nov. (Figures 1- 6) <b>Type specimen</b> Holotype female, Hosanagara taluk, Shivamogga district, Karnataka. 13.92°N 75.07°E, 19.x.2015. Sumukha J. N. Etymology This uniquely shaped spider derives its name from the fabulous, sentient magical artifact, the sorting hat, owned by the (fictitious) medieval wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and stemming from the powerful imagination of Ms. J. K. Rowling, wordsmith extraordinaire, as presented in her beloved series of books, featuring everyone’s favorite boy-wizard, Harry Potter. An ode from the authors, for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but oft overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives. Diagnosis <i>Eriovixia gryffindori</i> sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the following characteristics: epigyne sub-triangular, lateral sclerites large, distinct; scape long &amp; stout, prominent, slightly recurved towards the tip, when viewed laterally; boundary between base of epigynum and scape clearly demarcated. Spermathecae small, oblong. Copulatory ducts stout, strongly arched, and inwardly curved, bearing a distinct coiled appearance; copulatory openings large, prominent, disk shaped, located posteriad.(Figures 3-5). Ostensibly resembles <i>E. pseudocentrodes</i> (Bösenberg &amp; Strand, 1906) but can be separated by the differing genital structure of the latter, namely; scape small, indistinct, not clearly demarcated from the base of epigynum; copulatory ducts long &amp; curved; spermathecae ovoid (Tanikawa, 1999; Jäger &amp; Praxaysombath, 2009; Han &amp; Zhu, 2010; Mi, Peng, &amp; Yin, 2010; Mi &amp; Wang, 2016). Also, similar to <i>E. huwena</i> Han &amp; Zhu, 2010, but can be distinguished by the latter’s dissimilar genitalia, namely; epigynum bearing a triangular scape; copulatory ducts twisted near narrow copulatory openings, expanding near kidney bean shaped spermathecae (Mi &amp; Wang, 2016). Description <b>Female Holotype:</b> Prosoma 1.80mm long, 1.78mm wide. Opisthosoma 5.22mm long, 3.18mm wide. Leg measurements: I 6.81 (2.36, 2.59, 1.37, 0.49), II 5.86 (2.01, 2.17, 1.18, 0.50), III 3.03 (1.10, 1.04, 0.62, 0.27), IV 4.35 (1.27, 1.73, 0.96, 0.39). Opisthosoma gray-brown, longer than wide, tapering posteriad, with small, irregularly spaced brown spots. A broad, dark-brown longitudinal median band, with eight distinctive, paired dark spots, irregularly edged with green, extending to the caudal tip. Prosoma orange-brown; legs following a similar color scheme. Habitus lightly covered in two distinctive shades of setae: short, and light yellow; longer and white in coloration. Epigyne as in Diagnosis. Male unknown. Distribution Presently known only from Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India. Natural History A small, cryptic, nocturnal araneid which takes refuge in, and mimics dried foliage, during daylight hours (Figure 6). Holotype female located among dried leaves of an unidentified shrub, 4 feet from ground level (approx). Web Vertical; orb-shaped. Remarks Tanikawa (1999) mentions a certain variability in the epigynal structure of <i>E. pseudocentrodes</i>, which though profusely illustrated by various authors (Tanikawa, 1999; Jäger &amp; Praxaysombath, 2009; Han &amp; Zhu, 2010; Mi, Peng, &amp; Yin, 2010), has never been succinctly compared and described.
description: Published as part of <i>Javed Ahmed, Rajashree Khalap &amp; Sumukha J. N., 2016, A NEW SPECIES OF DRY FOLIAGE MIMICKING Eriovixia ARCHER, 1951 FROM CENTRAL WESTERN GHATS, INDIA (ARANEAE: ARANEIDAE), pp. 24-27 in Indian Journal of Arachnology 5 (1)</i> on pages 25-27, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.208960
description: {"references": ["Tanikawa, A. (1999). Japanese spiders of the genus Eriovixia (Araneae: Araneidae). Acta Arachnologica, Tokyo 48: 41 - 48.", "Jager, P. &amp; Praxaysombath B. (2009). Spiders from Laos: new species and new records (Arachnida: Araneae). Acta Arachnologica, Tokyo 58: 27 - 51.", "Han, G. X. &amp; Zhu M. S. (2010). Taxonomy and biogeography of the spider genus Eriovixia (Araneae: Araneidae) from Hainan Island, China. Journal of Natural History, 44: 2609 - 2635.", "Mi, X. Q., Peng X. J. &amp; Yin C. M. (2010). The orb-weaving spider genus Eriovixia (Araneae: Araneidae) in the Gaoligong mountains, China. Zootaxa, 2488: 39 - 51.", "Mi, X. Q. &amp; Wang, C. (2016). First description on the female of Eriovixia huwena and the male of E. poonaensis (Araneae, Araneidae). S ichuan Journal of Zoology, 35 (5): 728 - 733."]}