Paratus perus Sankaran, Malamel, Joseph & Sebastian, 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sankaran, Pradeep M.
name: Malamel, Jobi J.
name: Joseph, Mathew M.
name: Sebastian, Pothalil A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Liocranidae
Paratus
Paratus perus

description: Paratus perus sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2, 3)
Type material: Holotype ♂ without left legs I & IV (ADSH 50221), INDIA: Kerala: Kottayam, Palai, Areeppara in Edappady, 09°42'35.62''N, 76°42'48.42''E, 27 m, 24.X.2015, leg. M.S. Pradeep, from bark of Artocarpus hirsutus, by hand. Paratypes: 1♀ (ADSH 50222), same data as holotype except 5.X.2015 and from bark of Tectona grandis; 1 subadult ♂, 2♀♀, 1 subadult ♀ (ADSH 50223), same data as holotype except 26.VII.2015 and from bark of A. heterophyllus.
Additional material examined: INDIA, Kerala: Trivandrum, Kallar in Ponmudi, 0 8o 45'35.79''N, 77o07'00.75''E, 920 m, 1.X.2014, leg. M.S. Pradeep, from bark, by hand: 1 subadult ♂, 2♀♀ (ADSH 50224). Ernakulam, Kothamangalam, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary (Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary), 10°07'48.3''N, 76°41'43.24''E, 96 m, leg. M.S. Pradeep, 8.III.2016, from bark, by hand: 3♂♂, 2♀♀ (ADSH 50225).
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the sac-like median diverticulum (Fig. 2 F). Latin pera = bag. The gender is masculine.
Diagnosis. Paratus perus sp. nov. is most similar to P. indicus, the only Indian congener, but can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of characters: Males: conductor absent (present in P. indicus), tegulum with a median circular depression and a triangular lobe (tegulum of P. indicus lacks these structures), and embolic base rests on tegular prop (absent in P. indicus). Females. epigynal plate with ‘W’-shaped posterior borderline (concave in P. indicus), long copulatory ducts (short in P. indicus), spermathecae adjoining (diverging in P. indicus), copulatory openings on the epigynal plate (copulatory openings hidden under epigynal plate in P. indicus), and long fertilization ducts (short in P. indicus) (cf. Fig. 2 A–F with Marusik et al. 2008: figs 8–11, 19–21, 27–29).
Description. Male (holotype, Fig. 1 A, C–D). Carapace, eye field, clypeus, chelicerae, fangs, maxillae, labium, spinnerets brownish. Carapace clothed with black hairs shorter at thoracic part, with indistinct marginal and submarginal bands and radial stripes. Fovea straight, longitudinal, reddish. Eyes encircled with black patches. Clypeus narrow, with a single row of black setae. Chilum absent. Chelicerae baso-dorsally armed with 2–3 strong, spine-like macrosetae (Fig. 1 C, arrows), with a greatly elongated, strong, unmodified shaggy hair / bent hair originating near the base of fang, confronting each other (Fig. 1 D, Sh); promargin bordered by a series of long hairs with ventrally oriented tips and are of uniform size and shape, but slightly smaller than the shaggy hair/bent hair (Fig. 1 C–D), with three teeth, second and third widely placed and largest, retromargin with four small teeth, almost equally spaced. Boss prominent. Maxillae with scopulae, labium lacks scopula, instead provided with a few hairs. Sternum pale brown, clothed with mat of fine black hairs, truncate between coxae IV. Opisthosoma roughly oval, greyish, hirsute, without white guanine spots; dorsum and laterals with small, irregular, black patches and transverse bands; venter without any patches or spots. Colulus absent. Anterior and posterior spinnerets nearly of equal in length. Leg segments pale brown to brown progressively; all femora with inconspicuous black annulations, one ring on basal, two rings on apical; tibia I (right) with 14 (2–2–2–2–2–2–2) and II (right) with 12 (2–2–2–2–2–2) long ventro-lateral spines; metatarsi I & II each with 3 pairs (2-2-2) of long ventrolateral spines; all tarsi with a single row of 4 to 7 trichobothriae. Body 2.82 long. Prosoma 1.44 long, 1.42 wide. Opisthosoma 1.38 long, 0.92 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.09. ALE 0.09. PME 0.10. PLE 0.10; ALE–PLE 0.02. AME–AME 0.10. AME–ALE 0.08. AME–PME 0.08. PME–PME 0.10. PME–PLE 0.11. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.03, at ALEs 0.03. Chelicerae 0.59 long. Palp and legs length: palp 1.53 [0.52, 0.26, 0.26, 0.49], I (right) 4.03 [1.19, 0.51, 1.22, 0.78, 0.33], II 3.88 [1.16, 0.46, 1.08, 0.81, 0.37], III 4.15 [1.22, 0.44, 1.10, 0.93, 0.46], IV (right) 4.32 [1.28, 0.43, 1.03, 1.08, 0.50]. Leg formula: 4312. Spination: palp: femur pl 1 plv 2 do 2 rl 1 rlv 3, patella pl 1, tibia pl 2 do 1; legs (I & IV right): femur I pl 1 plv 4 do 2 rl 2 rlv 3, II pl 2 do 2 rl 1, III pl 2 do 2, IV do 3; patellae I–IV spineless; tibia I plv 7 rlv 7, II pl 1 plv 6 rlv 6, III pl 1 plv 2 do 1 rl 1, IV pl 1 do 1 rl 1 v 2; metatarsus I–II pl 2 plv 3 rl 2 rlv 3, III pl 2 plv 1 rl 2 vp 1 vt 1, IV pl 2 plv 1 rl 2 rlv 1 vp 1 vt 1; tarsi I–IV spineless. Palp (Fig. 2 A–D): segments pale brownish; cymbium spineless, with long, moderately narrow tip bearing dorsal bristle mat (not shown in the illustrations). Retrolateral tibial apophysis short, beak-like, angular with wide base, directed at 10 o’clock ventrally (Fig. 2 B–C). Bulb globular. Tegulum with a median circular depression, prolateral edge formed into a short, triangular lobe/bulging near the base of embolic base (Fig. 2 A–B). Subtegulum absent. Conductor absent. Embolus moderately long with round tip, without stylus, originating disto-medially near the triangular lobe of tegulum, medially with a smooth curve, directed at 1 o'clock ventrally; embolic base lying in the median circular depression of tegulum on a short, tegular prop (Fig. 2 B–C). Sperm duct long, with a sharp basal twist, forming a wide twist near distal part of embolic base (Fig. 2 D).
Female (paratype, Fig. 1 B, E–F). Like male except the following. Carapace, eye field, clypeus, chelicerae, fangs, maxillae, labium, spinnerets, leg and palp segments pale brown. Carapace with distinct marginal and submarginal bands and radial stripes. Cheliceral promarginal teeth nearly equally spaced. Maxillae, labium, leg trochanters with diffused black patches. Tibia I with 13 (2–2–2–2–2–2–1) long ventro-lateral spines; all tarsi with a single row of 6 trichobothriae. Body 2.68 long. Prosoma 1.43 long, 1.43 wide. Opisthosoma 1.25 long, 1.16 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.07. ALE 0.06. PME 0.08. PLE 0.08; ALE–PLE 0.05. AME–AME 0.11. AME–ALE 0.08. AME–PME 0.10. PME– PME 0.11. PME–PLE 0.15. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.03, at ALEs 0.04. Chelicerae 0.51 long. Palp and legs length: palp 1.33 [0.47, 0.23, 0.31, 0.32], I 3.49 [1.01, 0.42, 1.05, 0.73, 0.28], II 3.72 [1.12, 0.42, 1.02, 0.75, 0.41], III 4.18 [1.25, 0.46, 1.09, 0.93, 0.45], IV 4.23 [1.26, 0.43, 1.02, 1.04, 0.48]. Leg formula: 4321. Spination: palp: femur pl 1 plv 2 do 2 rlv 2, patella pl 1, tibia pl 2 do 2, tarsus pl 1 do 1; legs (all left): femur I pl 1 plv 3 do 2 rlv 3, II–III pl 1 do 2 rl 1, IV do 2; patellae I–IV spineless; tibia I plv 7 rlv 6, II pl 1 plv 6 rlv 6, III pl 1 plv 1 rl 2, IV pl 1 plv 2 rl 2; metatarsus I–II pl 2 plv 3 rl 2 rlv 3, III pl 2 plv 1 rl 2 vp 1 vt 1, IV pl 2 plv 1 rl 2 rlv 1 vp 1 vt 1; tarsi I–IV spineless. Epigyne (Fig. 2 E–F): plate simple, undivided, hirsute, weakly sclerotised, trapezoid, with ‘W’ shaped posterior border line, lacking fovea, pockets, furrows or outgrowths (Fig. 2 E). Copulatory openings small, circular, contiguous, proximo-medially placed (Fig. 2 E). Median diverticulum large, with an inverted triangular plate (Fig. 2 F, arrow) arising medio-basally from diverticulum, lying firmly attached to the ventral wall of diverticulum. Copulatory ducts long, moderately sclerotised, with a sharp, median twist, distal halves smoothly curved, confronting each other, proximal halves slightly wider than distal halves, fused with spermathecae at apico-prolaterally (Fig. 2 F). Spermathecae globular, weakly sclerotised, adjoining (Fig. 2 F). Fertilization ducts long, narrow, arising baso-retrolaterally from spermathecae, diverging each other (Fig. 2 F).
Variation. Males, excluding subadults (n=4): body length 2.82–3.26. Females, excluding subadults (n=7): body length 2.57–3.14. Specimens from Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary are slightly darker in colouration than those from Edappady and Ponmudi. The tegular lobe of males from Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary is slightly longer than that of the male from Edappady. The ventro-lateral spination on tibia I varies significantly between specimens, both in males and females. The three male specimens from the Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary show remarkable variations on ventro-lateral spination: male 1 with 15 ventro-lateral spines (plv 8 rlv 7) on both left and right tibiae, male 2 with 16 ventro-lateral spines (plv 8 rlv 8) on both left and right tibiae, and male 3 with 18 ventro-lateral spines (plv 9 rlv 9) on the left tibia, but 17 (plv 9 rlv 8) on the right. One female from the Thattekkadu Bird Sanctuary has 15 ventro-lateral spines (plv 8 rlv 7) on both left and right tibiae, where as another female has 13 ventro-lateral spines (plv 7 rlv 6) on the left tibia, but 14 (plv 7 rlv 7) on the right. One female specimen from Ponmudi has 14 ventro-lateral spines (plv 7 rlv 7) on both left and right tibiae, where as one female specimen from Edappady has 12 ventro-lateral spines (plv 6 rlv 6) on both left and right tibiae.
Natural history. Paratus perus sp. nov. is bark-dwelling and rests in a small, sheet-like retreat built over the bark of trees.
description: Published as part of Sankaran, Pradeep M., Malamel, Jobi J., Joseph, Mathew M. & Sebastian, Pothalil A., 2017, A new species of Paratus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Liocranidae, Paratinae) from India, pp. 139-144 in Zootaxa 4286 (1) on pages 142-144, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4286.1.12, http://zenodo.org/record/828276