Asceua thrippalurense Sankaran 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sankaran, Pradeep M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Zodariidae
Asceua
Asceua thrippalurense

description: Asceua thrippalurense sp. nov.
Figs 7–10, 17
Type material. Holotype ♁ (ADSH196) from INDIA: Kerala: Palakkad, Thrippalur, Pullodu, 10°38’16.58’’N 76°33’52.87’’E, 70 m a.s.l., 24 January 2016, on the ground, by hand, leg. M.S. Pradeep. Paratype: 2 ♀♀ (ADSH197), same data as for the holotype.
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective and referring to Thrippalur, where the type locality of the new species is located.
Diagnosis. Males are similar to A. cingulata, but can be distinguished from it as stated above (compare Figs 9A–C, 10A–D with Figs 4A–C, 5A–D). Females are closely related to the females of Asceua wallacei Bosmans & Hillyard, 1990 as both share spherical spermathecae and copulatory ducts with prominent windings near copulatory openings, but can be separated from the latter species by epigyne with anteromedian pore (vs. absent in A. wallacei), and without anteromedian process (vs. present in A. wallacei) (compare Figs 9D–F, 10E–F with Bosmans & Hillyard 1990: figs 54–55). Females of A. thrippalurense sp. nov. can easily be distinguished from the females of A. cingulata by the presence of longitudinal striae retrolaterally on femur I (Fig. 8H) which is absent in A. cingulata.
Description. Male in alcohol (holotype, ADSH196) (Figs 7A–J). Body length 2.06. Carapace 1.09 long, 0.88 wide. Opisthosoma 0.97 long, 0.73 wide. Carapace, eye region, clypeus dark brown; chilum, chelicerae, endites, labium, sternum brown; leg and palp segments yellowish brown to creamy-white; dorsal and lateral opisthosoma black with creamy-white streaks on laterals, dorsal scutum shiny, brownish black (Fig. 7A), venter creamy-white with yellowish brown and greyish patches; spinnerets creamy-white with black shades (Fig. 7G). Carapace finely rugose; cephalic part provided with scattered few long black setae. Fovea short, longitudinal, straight, dark. Clypeus high (Fig. 7D). Chilum inverted triangular, unipartite (Fig. 7D). Cheliceral promargin with two tiny teeth, retromargin without tooth visible (Fig. 7E). Sternum rebordered, rugose, shield-shaped with posterior end truncated, provided with scattered greyish black setae, with coxal and intercoxal extensions (Fig. 7F). Opisthosoma oval, scutum covering 2/3 rd of dorsum area (Fig. 7A), covered with long black setae; rear and lateral opisthosoma with corrugations. Colulus and anal tubercle prominent (Figs 7A, G). Femur I retrolaterally provided with longitudinal striae almost along its entire length (Fig. 7H); metatarsi II–III with distal preening brush (Fig. 7I); all metatarsi and tarsi without scopula (Fig. 7J); all tarsi with reduced claw tuft (Figs 7I–J). Eye diameters and interdistances: ALE 0.08, AME 0.10, PLE 0.07, PME 0.05; AME–ALE 0.02, AME–AME 0.03, AME–PME 0.07, ALE–PLE 0.03, PME–PLE 0.08, PME–PME 0.09. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.32, at ALEs 0.30. Chelicerae 0.28 long. Sternum 0.54 long, 0.52 wide. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 1.36 [0.42, 0.17, 0.13, 0.64], I 3.22 [0.87, 0.27, 0.79, 0.82, 0.47], II 2.55 [0.73, 0.28, 0.54, 0.64, 0.36], III 2.46 [0.68, 0.26, 0.52, 0.67, 0.33], IV 3.54 [0.93, 0.28, 0.81, 1.08, 0.44]. Leg formula: 4123. Spination of palp: femur rld 1, patella do 1, tibia spineless, tarsus/cymbium spineless; legs: femora I–IV do 1; patellae I–IV spineless; tibiae I–IV spineless; metatarsus I spineless, II–IV plv 1 rlv 1; tarsi I–IV spineless. Palp (Figs 9A–C, 10A–D). Tibia with short retrolateral, broad ventral and narrow, finger-like prolateral apophyses (Figs 9A, C, 10A–D); RTA with prolaterally oriented distal part (Figs 9C, 10C); RTA and VTA enclose large concavity in which fits basomedial projection of cymbium (Figs 9C, 10C). Cymbium with large retrolateral fold having prominent anterolateral margin and highly modified basoretrolateral extremity (Figs 9B–C, 10B–C), with basomedial conical process extending between RTA and VTA (Figs 9C, 10C). Tegulum broad, with basomedian extension (Figs 9B, 10B). Median apophysis with short proximal and long, slender, prolaterally oriented distal parts (Figs 9B–C, 10A– C), lying adjacent to retrolateral process of conductor (Figs 9B, 10B). Conductor broad, sclerotized, with retrolateral and mediolateral, blunt processes (Figs 9B, 10B); retrolateral process anteriorly oriented (Figs 9B, 10B). Embolus long, filiform, with short embolar base originated basally to tegulum, at first running anteriad along prolateral side of cymbium, then turning retrolaterad, then to posterolaterad, then to anteroretrolaterad without forming distal loop, with blunt tip directed at 1-o’ clock ventrally (Figs 9A–B, 10A–B).
Female in alcohol (paratype, ADSH197) (Figs 8A–J). Body length 2.46. Carapace 1.04 long, 0.88 wide. Opisthosoma 1.42 long, 1.00 wide. Habitus and details like male except for the following: leg and palp segments yellowish brown to light brown. Opisthosoma without scutum and corrugations (Fig. 8A); dorsum with three pairs of creamy-white patches, anterior C-shaped, median V-shaped and posterior dot-like (Fig. 8A); laterals black and creamy-white without streaks; venter uniformly creamy-white with black at the rear end. Eye diameters and interdistances: ALE 0.07. AME 0.08. PLE 0.04. PME 0.05; AME–ALE 0.02. AME–AME 0.04. AME–PME 0.09. ALE–PLE 0.05. PME–PLE 0.10. PME–PME 0.09. Clypeus height at AMEs 0.33, at ALEs 0.28. Chelicerae 0.42 long. Sternum 0.58 long, 0.55 wide. Measurements of palp and legs: palp 1.04 [0.34, 0.20, 0.21, 0.29], I 2.97 [0.82, 0.30, 0.67, 0.72, 0.46], II 2.44 [0.66, 0.28, 0.52, 0.62, 0.36], III 2.51 [0.69, 0.28, 0.52, 0.67, 0.35], IV 3.42 [0.91, 0.30, 0.78, 1.01, 0.42]. Leg formula: 4132. Spination of palp: tibia pld 1; tarsus pl 1 pld 1 v 2; legs: metatarsi I–III spineless. Genitalia (Figs 9D–F, 10E–F). Epigyne with W-shaped posterior margin, with a central pore leading to copulatory openings (Figs 9D–E, 10E). Copulatory openings contiguous, situated inside the central pore. Copulatory ducts long, slender, with multiple windings (Figs 9F, 10F). Spermathecae large, globular, lying adjacent to each other, situated posteriorly (Figs 9F, 10F). Fertilization ducts long, narrow, diverging (Figs 9F, 10F).
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 17).
description: Published as part of Sankaran, Pradeep M., 2023, Taxonomic notes on the ant-eating spider genera Asceua Thorell, 1887 and Cydrela Thorell, 1873 from India, with comment on Indian species of Euryeidon Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004 (Araneae: Zodariidae), pp. 381-405 in Zootaxa 5296 (3) on pages 389-394, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5296.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/7984039