Utivarachna balonku Dhiya'ulhaq & Dupérré 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dhiya'Ulhaq, Naufal Urfi
name: Dupérré, Nadine
name: Buchori, Damayanti
name: Scheu, Stefan
name: Drescher, Jochen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Trachelidae
Utivarachna
Utivarachna balonku

description: Utivarachna balonku Dhiya’ulhaq & Dupérré, sp. nov.
Figs 3–6
Type material. Holotype ♂: SUMATRA: Jambi Province: Lubuk Kepayang, Air Hitam, Sarolangun (2013_BR4.1_ AraTrac001N), canopy fogging in rubber plantation, 02°06’36.0”S, 102°46’22.4”E, altitude 54 m, 3.XII.2013, leg. J. Drescher (MZB).
Paratypes: SUMATRA: Jambi Province: 1♀, Singkawang, Muara Bulian, Batang Hari (2013_HR4.2_ AraTrac001N), canopy fogging in rubber plantation, 01°48’18.3”S, 103°15’52.0”E, altitude 51 m, 17.XI.2013, leg. J. Drescher (MZB); 1♂, Sungkai, Bajubang, Batang Hari (2013_HR3.1_AraTrac001N), canopy fogging in rubber plantation, 01°51’36.5”S, 103°18’00.6”E, altitude 41 m, 13.XI.2013, leg. J. Drescher (ZMH-A0023858).
Etymology. The specific name is taken from the Indonesian children’s song Balonku Ada Lima (“I have five balloons”), created by Pak Kasur and modified into its popular version by A.T. Mahmud. It alludes to the inflated tegulum of the male palp. Noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. This species belongs to the phyllicola -group based on the inflated tegulum and bursae located distantly from the spermathecae, close to the pedicel. Males of this species are most similar to those of U. gui, U. rimba sp. nov. and U. phyllicola but can be distinguished from U. gui and U. rimba sp. nov. by the much more inflated tegulum, obstructing the RTA in ventral view, as well as having a longer distal, filiform part of embolus (Fig. 4), whereas in the latter two species the RTA is visible ventrally (Jin et al. 2015, fig. 8D, 11); from U. phyllicola by the wider, shorter RTA, reaching only the middle of the bulb (Figs 4C, E) (versus almost reaching the anterior end of the bulb in U. phyllicola, Fig. 9C). Females of this species are most similar to those of U. gui and U. rimba sp. nov. by the slender copulatory ducts and u-shaped medial part of connecting ducts but can be distinguished from those of U. gui by the much larger scutum covering almost half of the dorsal abdomen surface (Fig. 5A) (versus scutum covering only a small part anteriorly in U. gui (Jin et al. 2015: fig. 7A); larger spermathecae (Figs 6B, 6C) as well as the shorter copulatory ducts, being roughly two times the length of spermathecae (versus three times the length of spermatheca in U. gui; Jin, et al. 2015: fig. 8F); and from females of U. rimba sp. nov. by the pear-shaped spermathecae (Figs 6B, C) (versus almost tube-shaped in U. rimba sp. nov., Figs 13B, C).
Description. Male (Holotype). Total length 3.40. Carapace length 1.75; width 1.29. Carapace oval, darkbrown, strongly sclerotized, surface granulated, with each granule ending in long, white setae, lateral margin vaguely undulating; fovea indistinct; PER longer than AER, both slightly recurved (Fig. 1A); clypeus short, with slight projection between chelicerae. Eye diameters: AME 0.10; ALE 0.10; PLE 0.11; PME 0.10; Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.06; AME–ALE 0.07; ALE–ALE 0.38; PME–PME 0.12; PME–PLE 0.11; ALE–PLE 0.10; AME– PME 0.08; PLE–PLE 0.56. MOA: length 0.28; anterior width 0.27; posterior width 0.32. Clypeus height 0.17. Sternum heart-shaped, colored slightly lighter than carapace, surface granulated (Fig. 3B).
Abdomen length 1.65; width 1.29. Abdomen oval, most of dorsal surface covered with light-brown scutum (Fig. 3A); ventral side of abdomen lightly sclerotized on area anterior to epigastric furrow, colored light brown; dark, wide band runs posteriorly from epigastric furrow, ending in circle surrounding spinnerets; rest of abdomen light gray (Fig. 3B).
Legs uniformly light brown, covered with long white seta, especially on ventral surface. Leg I longer and much stouter than other legs, ventrally filled with leg cuspules from tarsus to femur, except on patella (Fig. 3C); metatarsi III and IV distally with comb-like structure distally followed by brush of setae. Leg measurements: leg I 4.38 (1.39, 0.46, 1.20, 0.84, 0.49); leg II 3.71 (1.18, 0.34, 0.99, 0.72, 0.48); leg III 2.78 (0.81, 0.33, 0.63, 0.62, 0.39); leg IV 3.74 (1.14, 0.32, 0.83, 1.02, 0.43).
Male palp (Fig. 4): Cymbium oval. Bulb round. Tegulum membranous and much inflated, covering RTA in ventral view. RTA long, distally spatulate, ending in sickle-shaped apical claw. Sperm duct only visible in retrolateral and prolateral view. Embolus arising from wide basal part originating from middle of bulb; distal part coiled horizontally, much narrower than bulb, looping once.
Female (Paratype). Total length 3.68. Carapace length 1.63; width 1.25. Eye diameters: AME 0.10; ALE 0.12; PLE 0.10; PME 0.09. Eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.05; AME–ALE 0.04; ALE–ALE 0.30; PME–PME 0.10; PME–PLE 0.09; ALE–PLE 0.10; AME–PME 0.06; PLE–PLE 0.49. MOA: length 0.27; anterior width 0.22; posterior width 0.29. Clypeus height 0.21. Abdomen length 2.05; width 1.53. General appearance as in male except dorsal scutum only covering half of abdomen (Fig. 5A) and leg I cuspules sparser, especially on femora (Fig. 5C). Leg measurements: leg I 3.73 (1.23, 0.37, 0.94, 0.76, 0.43); leg II 3.57 (1.08, 0.33, 0.90, 0.79, 0.47); leg III 2.59 (0.72, 0.25, 0.60, 0.63, 0.39); leg IV 3.59 (1.11, 0.28, 0.83, 0.96, 0.41).
Copulatory organs (Fig. 6): Atrium as wide as long. Copulatory openings located on the anterior corners of atrium, close to the epigastric furrow. Copulatory ducts narrow, slightly S-shaped. Bursae oval, very large and fragile, located close to the pedicel. Connecting ducts narrow, prominently S-shaped. Spermathecae pear-shaped. Fertilization ducts straight, almost as long as spermatheca.
Distribution. Jambi Province, Sumatra (Maps 1 and 2).
Remarks. All specimens of U. balonku sp. nov. were collected by canopy fogging in smallholder rubber monoculture plantations, and are considered arboreal. Utivarachna balonku sp. nov. is similar to U. rimba sp. nov. both in habitus and genitalic morphology, but was collected from different habitats: U. balonku sp. nov. was collected exclusively in rubber monoculture plantations, whereas U. rimba sp. nov. was collected from rainforest and jungle rubber agroforestry, i.e. sites with more natural vegetation.
description: Published as part of Dhiya'Ulhaq, Naufal Urfi, Dupérré, Nadine, Buchori, Damayanti, Scheu, Stefan & Drescher, Jochen, 2024, Four new species of Utivarachna Kishida, 1940 (Araneae: Trachelidae) from Sumatra, pp. 551-575 in Zootaxa 5418 (5) on pages 556-559, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5418.5.6, http://zenodo.org/record/10780063