Indothele mala Coyle 1995
Creators: name: Tripathi, Rishikesh
name: Kadam, Gautam
name: Sherwood, Danniella
name: Sudhikumar, Ambalaparambil Vasu
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Ischnothelidae
Indothele
Indothele mala

description: Indothele mala Coyle, 1995
Figs 11–12, 14, Table 3
Indothele mala Coyle, 1995: 114, figs 369–370 (♀).
Indothele mala – this work: Figs 11A–H, 12A–E (♂).
Type locality
Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, India (Coyle 1995).
Type repository
CAS (Coyle 1995).
Material examined
INDIA • 1 ♂; Karnataka, Kolar; 12°45′ to 13°35′ N, 77°50′ to 78°35″ E; 2–4. Apr. 1902 –1912; G.P. Staunton leg.; BMNH • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; BMNH (Fig. 11L).
Diagnosis
Males of Indothele mala resemble those of I. amboli sp. nov., by the very long and slender embolus curving gently upward; the metatarsus I ventral apophysis situated medially and consisting of a low retrolateral ridge, and the distal end of the metatarsus with a tiny protuberance situated basally. However, it can be distinguished by the following characters: (1) the embolus slightly broad with short tip (vs much slender and embolic tip longer in I. amboli), and (2) the tibial apophysis short and broad (vs elongate and narrow in I. amboli) (cf. Fig. 11A–E vs Figs 2, 4A–C).
Description
Male (Figs 11A–H, 12A–E)
Measurements: total length including chelicerae: 8.80. Carapace: length 3.83, width 3.08. Caput: slightly raised. Ocular tubercle: raised, length 0.46, width 0.90. Eyes: AME> ALE, ALE> PLE, PLE> PME, anterior eye row slightly procurved, posterior row recurved (Fig. 11B). Clypeus: narrow; clypeal fringe and short. Fovea: deep, transverse. Chelicerae: length 1.22, width 0.85. Abdomen: length 4.45, width 3.40. Maxilla with 20–25 cuspules covering approximately 49% of the proximal edge. Labium: length 0.25, width 0.66, lacking cuspules. Labio-sternal mounds: separate. Sternum: length 2.14, width 1.79. Lengths of legs and palpal segments: see Table 3, legs 4,3,2,1. Tibia I with triangular retrolateral apophysis (Fig. 11D–H). Femur III: unmodified. Palpal tibia: unmodified. Palpal cymbium: elongate, tarsus-like (Fig. 12A–C). Metatarsus I: metatarsal protuberance present and situated ventroretrolaterally. PLS with three segments, basal 1.20, median 1.06, digitiform apical 1.32, rigid. PMS with one segment. Palpal bulb with embolus 3 times longer than base of bulb, slight dorsal curve at apex, sperm duct wide (Fig. 12A–E). Colour: overall brown, carapace darker than legs, opisthosoma dark brown with beige chevrons dorsally (Fig.11A).
Female (Figs 11I–K, 12F)
Measurements: total length including chelicerae: 8.36. Carapace: length 2.98, width 2.69. Caput: slightly raised. Ocular tubercle: raised, length 0.39, width 0.78. Eyes: AME> ALE, ALE> PLE, PLE> PME, anterior eye row slightly procurved, posterior row recurved (Fig. 11J). Clypeus: narrow; clypeal fringe: short. Fovea: deep, transverse. Chelicerae: length 0.80, width 0.49. Abdomen: (detached) length 4.14, width 3.15. Maxilla with 30–35 cuspules covering approximately 43% of the proximal edge. Labium: length 0.19, width 0.49, lacking cuspules. Labio-sternal mounds: separate. Sternum: length 1.85, width 1.53. Lengths of legs and spination not scored due to fragility (curatorial decision), legs 4,3,2,1. PLS with three segments, basal 1.07, median 0.73, digitiform apical 1.41, rigid. PMS with one segment. Spermathecae with four receptacles, paired on respective sides, lobes at apexes indistinguishable from receptacle neck, each rounded and unilobar (Fig. 12F). Colour: as in male (Fig. 11I).
Records from India
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka (Coyle 1995; present work: Fig. 14).
Distribution
Known only from India (World Spider Catalog 2024).
Remarks
The male is described for the first time in this work. The BMNH material of I. mala was historically misidentified as I. dumicola (Figs 11–12).
description: Published as part of Tripathi, Rishikesh, Kadam, Gautam, Sherwood, Danniella & Sudhikumar, Ambalaparambil Vasu, 2025, Revision of Indian Ischnothelidae (Arachnida: Araneae) and descriptions of two new species of Indothele Coyle, 1995, pp. 189-212 in European Journal of Taxonomy 981 (1) on pages 204-207, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.981.2827, http://zenodo.org/record/15044336