Meotipa multuma Murthappa & Malamel & Prajapati & Sebastian & Venkateshwarlu 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Murthappa, Prashanthakumara S.
name: Malamel, Jobi J.
name: Prajapati, Dhruv A.
name: Sebastian, Pothalil A.
name: Venkateshwarlu, Mididoddi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theridiidae
Meotipa
Meotipa multuma

description: Meotipa multuma sp. nov.
(Figs. 3A–E & 4E–F)
Type material. Holotype: ♀ with left leg I missing (ADSH 101672 A), INDIA: Karnataka: Chickamagalur: Tarikere: Sunnadahalli, 13°39'43.89"N, 75°51'20.56"E, 743 m. alt., S.M. Prashanthakumara leg., 1 Nov 2015, by hand from the underside of the green leaf.
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the length of the copulatory duct Latin multum = long.
Diagnosis. Meotipa multuma sp. nov. is similar to Meotipa bituberculata Deeleman-reinhold, 2009 by shared characters such as raised eyes and slanting clypeus. It can be distinguished from latter species by the following combination of characters: Carapace without any markings, Opisthosoma with a median black patch without lateral humps, 12–15 lanceolate spines posteriorly (Fig.3A) (in M. bituberculata, carapace with dark red parallel-sided central band, opisthosoma short, with one pair of lateral humps, see Deeleman-reinhold, 2009: Fig. 22); epigyne with very long, more convoluted copulatory duct around spermathecae; large copulatory openings (Figs. 3D, 4F); fertilization duct placed posteriorly to the spermathecae, twisted, facing each other (Figs. 3E, 4E) (in M. bituberculata less convoluted copulatory duct, fertilization ducts longer than spermathecae, see Deelemanreinhold, 2009: fig. 27 & 29).
Description. Female in alcohol (holotype, Figs. 3A–E, 4E–F). Body clothed with white setae; Prosoma, chelicerae, clypeus, creamy-white; Fovea extended; All eyes raised, white surrounded by brown rings except large, dark AME; Chelicerae without teeth; Fangs, labium, maxillae light-brown; Maxillae, labium with scopulae; Sternum white, triangular; Coxae, femora white; Patella, tibia I, II & IV with light brown band, tibia I with a darkened tip; Metatarsi, tarsi considerably thinner than tibia; Opisthosoma oval, posteriorly pointed, black patch medially, dorsolaterally snowy white patches, dorsally 12–15 lanceolate spines (Figs. 3A); Spinnerets placed downwards; Body length 2.59; Prosoma length 1.03, width (at middle) 0.88, height (at middle) 0.55; Opisthosoma length 1.56, width (at middle) 1.20, height (at middle) 1.30; Eye diameters: ALE 0.06, AME 0.08, PLE 0.15, PME 0.07; Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.04, ALE–ALE 0.26, PLE–ALE contiguous, ALE–PME 0.08, PLE–PLE 0.34, PME–PME 0.07, PME–PLE 0.05, AME–ALE 0.01, AME–PME 0.05; Clypeus height at ALE 0.22, at AME 0.20; Chelicerae length 0.36; Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 0.93 [0.19, 0.14, 0.21, 0.37]; Leg I (right) 9.56 [2.83, 0.31, 2.37, 3.17, 0.86], II 5.64 [1.91, 0.19, 1.30, 1.60, 0.60,], III 3.62 [1.15, 0.10, 0.91, 0.96, 0.48], IV 6.57 [2.28, 0.39, 1.43, 1.83, 0.64]; Leg formula 1423; Spination; Palp: patella do 1, tibia do 1; legs: femora: I (right)–IV spineless; patellae: I do 2, II do 2, III do 2, IV do 2; tibiae: I (right) do 2, do 2, III do 1, IV do 2; metatarsi & tarsi: I–IV spineless; Epigynum (Figs. 3D–E, 4E–F): Spermathecae inflated balloon shaped; Copulatory duct very long, prolaterally originated, convoluted, runs around the spermathecae (Fig. 4E), distally reaches copulatory pores; Epigynal ridges circular with distal openings; Fertilization duct twisted anteriorly, apically sharp, facing each other (Fig. 4E).
Distribution. South India (Fig. 5).
description: Published as part of Murthappa, Prashanthakumara S., Malamel, Jobi J., Prajapati, Dhruv A., Sebastian, Pothalil A. & Venkateshwarlu, Mididoddi, 2017, First description of the male of the type species Meotipa picturata Simon, 1895 and description of a new Meotipa species (Araneae, Theridiidae) from India, pp. 589-596 in Zootaxa 4344 (3) on pages 592-595, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4344.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/1043769