Epidelaxia falciformis Asima, Caleb, Prasad & Joseph, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Asima, Ashraf
name: Caleb, John T. D.
name: Prasad, Gopal
name: Joseph, Mathew M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Salticidae
Epidelaxia
Epidelaxia falciformis

description: Epidelaxia falciformis sp. nov.
Figs 1–7
Type materal. Holotype: ♂ (KUDZ 2024.III.25), INDIA: Kerala: Kulathupuzha, Kallar (8.9130° N, 77.1028° E), 152 m a.s.l., 25 April 2023, leg. A. Asima.
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective referring to the sickle-shaped embolus tip. Latin ‘ falx ’ = sickle.
Diagnosis. The male of Epidelaxia falciformis sp. nov. is most similar to E. bharathi Satkunanathan & Benjamin, 2024, in having a similar point of origin of the embolus, but can be distinguished by the lamellar embolus with sickle-shaped terminal portion (vs. embolus thin and whip-like); RTA slightly bent medially in ventral view (vs. straight) (cf. Figs 3–6 with figs 13e–f & 14a–b in Satkunanathan & Benjamin 2024). The new species is also similar to E. somasundaram Satkunanathan & Benjamin, 2024 in having a similar RTA, but can be distinguished by the origin of the embolus at ~ 7 o’clock position (vs. ~ 6 o’clock) (cf. Figs 3–6 with figs 15e–f & 16a–b in Satkunanathan & Benjamin 2024).
Description. Male (Figs 1–7): Body length 4.39. Carapace 2.10 long, 1.89 wide. Abdomen 2.29 long, 1.53 wide. Carapace brown with yellow-brown strip along mid posterior cephalic region and thorax (Fig. 1). Anterior eyes covered with yellow orbital setae. Clypeus black. Fovea short, longitudinal (Fig. 1). Eye sizes and interdistances. AME 0.58, ALE 0.32, PME 0.10, PLE 0.33; AER 1.81, EFL 1.22, PER 1.72. Sternum oval, yellow. Labium and endites brown with lighter distal areas (Fig. 2). Chelicerae reddish-brown with bicuspid tooth on retromargin and two teeth on promargin (Fig. 7). Legs dark brown with dark brown annulations. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 2.16 (0.72, 0.26, 0.34, 0.84), leg I 4.72 (1.50, 0.64, 1.00, 0.98, 0.60), II 4.10 (1.20, 0.52, 1.08, 0.70, 0.60), III 4.90 (1.42, 0.76, 1.02, 1.00, 0.70), IV 4.80 (1.50, 0.60, 1.03, 1.00, 0.67). Leg formula 3412. Abdomen oval, creamy white with brown patches laterally and posteriorly; venter creamy white with few brown patches. Anterior spinnerets greyish black, distal areas lightly colored; posterior spinnerets black (Figs 1–2). Palp brown; RTA about 1/3 tibial width, slightly curved, with broad base and blunt tip; cymbium moderately long, about 2 times longer than wide; tegulum oval, with single folded membranous outgrowth near embolic base; sperm duct clearly visible; embolus thick, long, mainly curved along prolateral tegular submargin, originating at about 7 o’clock position and terminal portion sickle-shaped (Figs 3–6).
Female: unknown.
Distribution. India (Kerala).
description: Published as part of Asima, Ashraf, Caleb, John T. D., Prasad, Gopal & Joseph, Mathew M., 2025, First record of Epidelaxia Simon, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae) in India, with descriptions of two new species from the Western Ghats, pp. 595-600 in Zootaxa 5590 (4) on page 596, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5590.4.10, http://zenodo.org/record/14953466