Koppe fusca Sankaran 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sankaran, Pradeep M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Liocranidae
Koppe
Koppe fusca

description: Koppe fusca sp. nov.
Figs 1–2
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective and referring to the brown body colour of the new species (Fig. 1A–B). Latin fuscus = brown.
Type material. Holotype ♀ (ADSH57131) and paratype ♀ (ADSH57132) from INDIA: Kerala: Thrissur, Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary (10°25'06.80''N, 76°32'07.25''E; 709 m a.s.l.), 31.V.2013, leg. M.S. Pradeep, from ground, by hand.
Diagnosis. Females of K. fusca sp. nov. are closely related to the females of K. princeps Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 by having rectangular epigynal window, globular secondary spermathecae and posterolaterally located, diverging primary spermathecae, but can be distinguished from the latter by femur I with two prolateral spines (vs. absent in K. princeps), contiguous secondary spermathecae (vs. widely spaced in K. princeps), intertubular ducts with anterior twist (vs. absent in K. princeps) and broad primary spermathecae (vs. narrow in K. princeps) (cf. Figs 1I–J, 2A–B and Deeleman-Reinhold 2001: figs 394–395). Females of K. fusca sp. nov. can be distinguished from the females of K. armata (both share two strong prolateral spines on femur I) by lacking short, thorn-like ventral spines of femur I (vs. present in K. armata), epigynal window with straight anterior margin (vs. M-shaped in K. armata), and vulva with contiguous anterior parts (vs. widely spaced in K. armata) (cf. Figs 1G, I, 2A and Fig. 3D, H).
Description. Female (holotype, Fig. 1A–H) in alcohol. Prosoma, chelicerae, labium, endites, palps and legs brownish; thoracic part with pale black patches; all leg femora, patellae and tibiae with black patches; opisthosoma greyish, with brown dorsal scutum; spinnerets pale yellow. Fovea narrow, longitudinal, short, dark (Fig. 1A). AER slightly and PER moderately procurved, both in dorsal view (Fig. 1A). Chilum present, inverted triangular, unipartite (Fig. 1C). Cheliceral promargin with cluster of setae, with paired shaggy hairs, with three teeth (Fig. 1E–F); retromargin with four denticles (Fig. 1F). Sternum rebordered, with intercoxal extensions connected to carapace, sparsely covered with setae (Fig. 1D). Metatarsus III–IV with weak preening brush (Fig. 1H, arrow 2); femur I with two ventrally directed prolateral spines (Fig. 1G, arrows 1); all tarsi without scopulae and with reduced claw tufts (Fig. 1H). Palp with single claw. Opisthosoma oval, with complete dorsal scutum (Fig. 1A–B). Body length 3.35. Carapace 1.52 long, 1.13 wide. Opisthosoma 1.83 long, 1.21 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.08, AME 0.09, PLE 0.05, PME 0.04; ALE–PLE 0.03, AME–ALE 0.04, AME–AME 0.08, AME–PME 0.06, PME–PLE 0.12, PME–PME 0.14. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.19, at ALEs 0.10. Length of chelicerae 0.53. Length of palp and legs: Palp 1.79 [0.53, 0.25, 0.43, 0.58], I 5.59 [1.40, 0.49, 1.46, 1.51, 0.73], II 4.15 [1.13, 0.43, 0.97, 1.08, 0.54], III 3.56 [0.94, 0.42, 0.71, 0.98, 0.51], IV 5.17 [1.34, 0.46, 1.15, 1.52, 0.70]. Leg formula: 1423. Spination of palp: femur v 4, patella pld 1 do 1, tibia pl 1 pld 1 rlv 2, tarsus pl 1 rlv 1; legs: femur I pld 2, II–IV spineless; patella I–IV spineless; tibia I plv 8 rlv 8, II plv 7 rlv 7, III–IV spineless; metatarsus I plv 6 rlv 5, II plv 5 rlv 4, III–IV spineless; tarsus I–IV spineless. Genitalia (Figs 1I–J, 2A–B): epigyne weakly sclerotised, with wider than long epigynal window having small, rectangular, median flap with concave posterior margin (Figs 1I, 2A; EW, MF); anterior epigynal margin with paired lateral, downward directed conical protrusions, posterior margin convex (Figs 1I, 2A). Copulatory openings indistinct. Copulatory ducts short, thick, with slight median curvature, attached posteriorly to secondary spermathecae and anteriorly to intertubular ducts (Figs 1J, 2B; CD). Secondary spermathecae (bursae per Deeleman-Reinhold) globular, contiguous, connected to broad diverging primary spermathecae by obliquely oriented intertubular ducts having anterior twist (Figs 1J, 2B; ITD, ST I, ST II). Fertilization ducts narrow, anteriorly oriented, diverging (Fig. 2B; FD).
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality.
Remarks. First record of the genus from India.
description: Published as part of Sankaran, Pradeep M., 2022, Remarks on the spider genus Koppe Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Araneae: Liocranidae), including the first records from India, pp. 436-440 in Zootaxa 5104 (3) on pages 438-439, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5104.3.7, http://zenodo.org/record/6332101