Uduba balsama Griswold, Ubick, Ledford & Polotow, 2022, new species
Creators: name: Griswold, Charles
name: Ubick, Darrell
name: Ledford, Joel
name: Polotow, Daniele
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Udubidae
Uduba
Uduba balsama

description: Uduba balsama, new species   
Figures 31 A–C, 32 A–F, 74 D–E, Maps 11, 14.  
 Type material. Holotype male (CASENT9030929) from malaise trap in deciduous spiny forest at 825 m elevation in Zombitse National Park, 22°50.43ʹS, 44°43.87ʹE, Toliara Province, Madagascar, collected 11–16 April 2002 by M. E. Irwin, F. D. Parker and R. Harin’Hala, deposited in CAS. Paratype female (CASENT9013532) from tropical dry forest at 100m elevation in Forêt de Kirindy, 20°2ʹ42ʺS, 44°39ʹ44ʺE, collected 28 November to 3 December 2001 by the Fisher-Griswold Arthropod Team, deposited in CAS.   
 Etymology. The species epithet honors Mrs. Balsama Rajemison, curator of the collection of Entomology at the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT), Lakeside International Scholar and member of the Fisher-Griswold arthropod team at the California Academy of Sciences. She is gratefully acknowledged for her hospitality in her home country and for her essential efforts in securing permissions and permits for research and collecting in Madagascar. Name treated as a noun in apposition.   
  Diagnosis. Uduba balsama  are members of Group I.b, the Uduba woodae group (Map 14) of Group I, the Epigynal atrium group. They are ecribellate Uduba, with a colulus; male palp with TA2 highly sclerotized, black, concave medially against TA3 but not forming a chela around TA3 apex, TA3 reflexed (Figs. 31 A–C); female epigynal plate with median lobe surrounded by depressed atrium, plate extensive posteriad of atrium, plate height greater than 0.15 times epigynal length, median lobe broad, bell-shaped, atrium nearly twice ML width, ML and atrium apices nearly at same level (Figs. 74 D–E).   
 Description. Male (Holotype): Total length 10.50. Markings typical for Uduba. Carapace 5.60 long, 4.25 wide, 2.40 high; clypeus 0.30 high. Eye diameters: AME 0.20, ALE and PLE 0.22, PME 0.20. Chelicerae 2.50 long; sternum 2.50 long, 2.00 wide; labium 1.20 long; palpal coxae 1.80 long. With a colulus. Spination: Palpus – femur d0-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-0-1; leg I – femur d1-1-1, p0-1-2, r0-1-0-1, patella p1, r1, tibia d0-0-0-1, p0-1-1-0, v2-2-2-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus p1-1-2, v2- 2-1, r1-1-2; leg II – femur d1-1-1, p0-1-1, r0-1-1, patella p1, r1, tibia d0-0-1, p0-1-1-0, v2-2-2-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus p1-1-2, v2-2-1, r1-1-2; leg III – femur d1-1-1, p0-0-1-1, r0-1-1-1, patella p1, r1, tibia d1-0-1-0, p0-1-1-0, v2-2-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus p1-2-2, v1-2-2-2, r1-1-2; leg IV – femur d1-1-0-1, p0-0-0-1, r0-0-0-1, patella p1, r1, tibia d0-1-1-0, p0-1-0-0, v2-2-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus p1-1-2, v1-1-1-2-2, r1-1-2. Scopulae: cymbium, apicodorsal; beneath tarsi and apices of all metatarsi. Leg measurements: I: 5.10 + 2.10 + 5.10 + 5.30 + 3.40 = 21.00; II: 4.60 + 2.00 + 4.10 + 4.80 + 2.90 = 18.40; III: 4.00 + 1.50 + 2.70 + 4.30 + 2.30 = 14.80; IV: 5.20 + 1.80 + 4.80 + 6.80 + 3.00 = 21.60; palpus: 2.10 + 0.80 + 1.00 + NA + 3.10 = 7.00. Leg formula 4123. Male palp (Figs. 31 A–C): palpal tibia 0.33 times cymbial length, RTA broadly triangular, RTA length 0.375 tibia length, length 1.33 times width, curved ventrally to pointed apex; VTA curved, with rounded apex (Figs. 31 A, C), VTA length 2.28 times width, length 0.30 times tibia width; tibia lacking stout spines; tegulum convex, without ridge, tegulum length 0.94 times width; TA1 extends distad of tegulum apex, TA1 extends past TA3 apex by 1.36 times tegulum length; TA3 transverse, concave dorsally, tapering to a blunt, upturned point, TA3 apex visible beside TA2; TA2 highly sclerotized, black, concave medially against TA3 (Fig. 32 E); MA transverse, concave, simple, origin at 0.51 times tegulum length, tegulum apex at 0.31 tegulum length from MA apex, length (including apical processes) 0.36 times width, MA small, length 0.18 tegulum length, width 0.46 times tegulum width; conductor fan entire (Figs. 32 A–F). Female (Paratype): Total length 14.20. Markings typical for Uduba. Carapace 7.40 long, 4.50 wide, 2.70 high; clypeus 0.40 high. Eye diameters: AME 0.20, ALE and PME 0.22, PLE 0.26. Chelicerae 3.30 long; sternum 2.90 long, 2.40 wide; labium 1.60 long; palpal coxae 2.20 long. Ratios: carapace length / width = 1.64, carapace height / width = 0.60, PER / carapace width = 0.45, PER / OAL= 3.00, PER / AER = 1.36, OAL / OQL = 1.10, OQP / OQA = 1.07, clypeus height/ AME diameter width = 2.00, cheliceral length / clypeus height = 8.25, sternum length / width = 1.21, palpal coxa length / width = 2.00, femur I length / carapace width = 0.98, metatarsus I length / carapace width = 0.69, femur IV length / carapace width = 1.07, palpal tarsus length / carapace width = 0.47, palpal tibia length / palpal patella length = 1.91, palpal tarsus length / palpal tibia length =1.75, palpal tarsus length / palpal femur length = 0.95, palpal tibia length / palpal patella length = 1.09. With a colulus. Spination: palpus – femur d0-0-2, patella p1, tibia p0-1-0, tarsus p2-1, v0-0-1; leg I – femur d1-0-1, p0-0-1, tibia v2-2-2-2, metatarsus v2-2-3; leg II – femur d1-0-0, p0-0-1, tibia p0-0-1, v1-1-1-2, metatarsus v2-2-3; leg III – femur d1-0-0-1, p0-0-1-2, r0-0-0-1, tibia d1-1-0-0, p0-1-1-0, v1-1-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus p1-2-2, v2-2-2, r1-2-2, tarsus v0-1-0; leg IV – femur d1-1-1, r0-0-1, tibia p1-0-0, v1-1-2, r0-1-1-0, metatarsus d0- 1-0-0, p1-1-1-2, v1-1-2-2, r1-1-1-2. Scopulae: strong ventral beneath all tarsi, beneath metatarsus I and apical half of metatarsus II and apices of metatarsi III and IV. Leg measurements: I: 4.40 + 2.30 + 3.60 + 3.10 + 2.10 = 15.50; II: 4.00 + 2.10 + 2.90 + 2.60 + 1.90 = 13.50; III: 3.10 + 1.90 + 2.00 + 2.70 + 1.60 = 11.30; IV: 4.80 + 1.90 + 3.70 + 4.70 + 2.20 = 17.30; palpus: 2.20 + 1.10 + 1.20 + NA + 2.10 = 6.60. Leg formula 4123. Female genitalia: epigynal plate (Fig. 74 D) with median lobe surrounded by depressed atrium, plate width 1.125 times length; atrium sides nearly straight, atrium width 2.08 times atrium length; epigynum length 3.33 times atrium length, atrium width 0.56 times epigynum width; atrium width at side of ML 0.50 times ML width; atrium and median lobe arise well anteriad of epigastric groove, atrium origin at 0.425 of epigynal plate length, median lobe triangular, broadest at base, median lobe length 1.08 times width, ML apex near atrium apex, ML length 0.35 times epigynal length; lateral lobes narrow, atrium width 3.125 times LL width; copulatory openings hidden beneath posterolateral margin of atrium, distance between CO 0.55 times width of epigynal plate, CO distance from epigastric furrow 0.425 times epigynum length. Vulva (Fig. 74 E) with spermathecal ducts making four tight, transverse curves, vulva length 0.73 times width, fertilization ducts widely separated, vulva width 3.67 times distance between fertilization ducts.   
 Variation. Male (N = 3): Total length = 10.50–12.00, carapace length / width = 1.31–1.45, carapace height / width = 0.46–0.56, PER / carapace width = 0.36–0.39, PER / OAL = 2.70–3.11, PER / AER = 1.33–1.36, OAL / OQL = 1.00–1.04, OQP / OQA = 1.08–1.19, clypeus height / AME diameter width = 0.83–1.36, cheliceral length / clypeus height = 8.33–15.00, sternum length / width = 1.18–1.26, palpal coxa length / width = 2.38–3.00, femur I length / carapace width = 1.20–1.26, metatarsus I length / carapace width = 1.25–1.31, femur IV length / carapace width = 1.22–1.36, cymbium length / carapace width = 0.63–0.73, cymbium length / palpal patella length = 3.00–3.88, cymbium length / palpal tibia length = 3.00–3.38, cymbium length / palpal femur length = 0.94– 1.48, palpal tibia length / palpal patella length = 1.00–1.25. Female variation is unknown: the female is known from the single paratype specimen.   
 M aterial examined. MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Province: R. N. de Marojejy, 10 km NW Manantenina, along tributary of Manantenina River, Camp 2, 14°26.0ʹS, 49°44.7ʹE, elev. 775m, pitfall in relatively undisturbed lowland-montane rainforest, 14–23 October 1996, S. Goodman, (CASENT9064659, 2♂, FMNH), R. N. de Marojejy, 8 km NW Manantenina, along tributary of Manantenina River, Camp 1, 14°26.2ʹS, 49°46.5ʹE, elev. 450m, pitfall in relatively undisturbed lowland rainforest, 4–13 October 1996, S. Goodman (CASENT9064654, 1♂, FMNH). Mahajanga Province: Parc Nacional Bemaraha, S bank Manambolo River, Tombeau Vazimba, 3.5 km E Bekopaka, 19°8ʹ24ʺS, 44°49ʹ2ʺE, elev. 100m, pitfall traps, 30 November–6 December 2001, S.M. Goodman, (FMNH2001-91) (FMNH-INS 0000 044 665, 1♂, FMNH). Toliara Province: Zombitse National Park, near national road, 22°50.43ʹS, 44°43.87ʹE, elev. 825m, malaise trap, deciduous spiny forest, 11–16 April 2002, M. E. Irwin, F. D. Parker and R. Harin’Hala [MA-02-13B-24] (Holotype, CASENT9030929, 1♂, CAS); Forêt de Kirindy, 15.5 km 64°ENE Marofandilia, 20°2ʹ42ʺS, 44°39ʹ44ʺE, elev. 100m, tropical dry forest, pitfall trap, 28 November–3 December 2001, Fisher-Griswold Arthropod Team [BLF4600] (CASENT9000543, 1♂, CAS), general collecting ground spiders, Fisher-Griswold Arthropod Team [BLF4682] (Paratype, CASENT9013532, 1♀, CAS); Makay Mts., 21°13ʹ06ʺS, 045°18ʹ38ʺE, elev. 510m, yellow pan traps in gallery forest on sandy soil, 24 November–1 December 2010, B. L. Fisher et al., [BLF25203] (CASENT9042528, 1♂, CAS).   
 Natural history. The species Uduba balsama is unusual among Uduba in its occurrence in some of the drier areas of Madagascar. Individuals have been collected in dry habitats in southwestern Madagascar, i.e., from a malaise trap in deciduous spiny forest at 825 m elevation in Zombitse National Park and by general collecting (method unspecified) and from pitfall traps from tropical dry forest at 100m elevation in Forêt de Kirindy and from yellow pan traps in gallery forest on sandy soil in the Mackay Mountains. Other possibly conspecific individuals have been collected with pitfall traps in relatively undisturbed lowland rainforest from 400-800m near Marojejy in northeastern Madagascar. Data suggest that at least mature males wander on the ground and up into vegetation, where they are collected by malaise traps. We know nothing of the use of silk by these ecribellate spiders.   
  Distribution. Uduba balsama  are widely distributed in the drier parts of western Madagascar with at least one outlier from wet rainforest in the northeast (Maps 11, 14).
description: Published as part of Griswold, Charles, Ubick, Darrell, Ledford, Joel & Polotow, Daniele, 2022, A Revision of the Malagasy Crack-Leg Spiders of the Genus Uduba Simon, 1880 (Araneae, Udubidae), with Description of 35 New Species from Madagascar, pp. 1-193 in Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67 on pages 19-22, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13158554