Malayathele Schwendinger & Lehmann-Graber & Hongpadharakiree & Syuhadah 2020, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Schwendinger, Peter J.
name: Lehmann-Graber, Christina
name: Hongpadharakiree, Komson
name: Syuhadah, Nurul
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Euagridae
Malayathele

description: Malayathele Schwendinger, gen. nov.
Etymology: “Malaya” is one of the old names for Malaysia, the only county from where the new spider genus is known with certainty; “thele” (Greek for “nipple”; figurative for nipple-shaped or wart-shaped structures), refers to the long posterior lateral spinnerets of these spiders and to the close relationship with the genus Leptothele.
Type species: Malayathele kanching sp. nov., by present designation.
Diagnosis: Distinguished from Phyxioschema by characters given in the key to Euagridae genera of Asia, most prominently by small body size in both sexes, and by tibia II of males without elongate spinules on prolateral side (Figs 10B, 12G) and with only a single megaspine on a low ventromedian spur (Figs 8 H-K, 10B, 11G-J, 12G, 13J-M, 15F-H). Distinguished from Leptothele by metatarsal preening combs present on legs II-IV in both sexes. Males with only one megaspine and no transversal subdistal ridge on ventral side of tibia II, and mostly with two small conical processes (a retroventral and a proventral one, Figs 12G, 13 J- M, 15F-H; the proventral one absent in M. ulu sp. nov., Fig. 8 I-J, the retroventral one keel-shaped in M. cameronensis sp. nov., Figs 10B, 11 G-J) on metatarsus II; tarsi I-II ventrally bulged (Fig. 10D). Females distinguished by possessing median receptacular stalks with sclerotised walls (Figs 9, 11K, 14, 16).
Description: Body very small (carapace length in males 1.11-1.44), with relatively thin hair cover on carapace, no colour pattern (Fig. 12 E-F, H-I) or a dark mottled pattern on hirsute opisthosoma (Fig. 12 A-D). Fovea pitlike, with a pair of long straight bristles anterior of it (Fig. 12A, C, E, H). Eye group distinctly wider than long, anterior eye row slightly or not procurved, posterior eye row moderately or slightly recurved. Clypeus present, shorter than eye group length (Fig. 12A, C, E, H).
Chelicerae small, without rastellum, with teeth only on promargin of groove; intercheliceral tumescence absent.
Palpal coxae rectangular, quite wide and posteriorly arched, with a bulging ventral surface, its prolateral zone glabrous and lightly pigmented; no cuspules present (Fig. 12B, F, I); anterior lobe indistinct, carrying a serrula formed by a narrow band of tiny denticles (Fig. 1L). Labium much wider than long, without cuspules; anterior edge carrying a row of bristles followed by a pallid zone without setae; posterior part pigmented, with few short setae. Sternum cordate; post-labial sigilla medially fused with quite long labiosternal suture; remaining three pairs of sigilla indiscernible.
Legs moderately long and thin, with spines on patellae to metatarsi; all tarsi aspinose and not pseudosegmented; tarsi I-II of males more or less distinctly bulged on ventral side and carrying a few scopuliform hairs (Fig. 10 C-E); metatarsi II-IV of both sexes with preening combs; filiform trichobothria in two dorsal rows on tibiae, and in one row on metatarsi and tarsi; tarsal organ inconspicuous, cowpad-shaped, quite remote from distal margin of tarsus. Leg I of males with only two (Fig. 11 E- F) or 6-7 (Figs 8 F-G, 13H-I, 15D-E) ventral spines on cylindrical, not incrassate tibia; patella with a series of bristles (Figs 8F, 10A, 11F, 13I) or with a single spine (Fig. 15E) retroventrally-distally. Leg II of males with a small conical proventral process and a small conical retroventral processes (Figs 12G, 13 J-K, M, 15F-H), or with only a small conical retroventral process (Fig. 8 I-J), or with a small conical proventral process and a longer keel-shaped retroventral process (Figs 10B, 11 G-J) on metatarsus; tibia with a single, slightly curved or slightly sigmoid megaspine on a low medioventral spur; area Key to the species of Malayathele gen. nov.:
1A Males with corkscrew-shaped embolus (Fig. 11 A-D), with only two ventral spines on metatarsus I (Figs 10A, 11 E- F) and with retroventral process on metatarsus II developed as a short blunt keel (Fig. 11 G-J). Females with very wide, quite short spermathecal trunks bearing rudimentary (reduced to a boss) lateral receptacles (Fig. 11K) ....... ............................................................................................................................................ M. cameronensis sp. nov.
1B Males with more or less strongly curved embolus (Figs 8 A-E, 13A-G, 15A-C), with 6-7 ventral spines on metatarsus I (Figs 8 F-G, 13H-I, 15D-E) and with retroventral process on metatarsus II developed as a small cone (Figs 8 H-K, 13J-M, 15F-H). Females with narrower spermathecal trunks and with well-developed lateral receptacles (Figs 9, 14, 16) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2
2A Males with only slightly curved embolus (Fig. 8 A-E) and with only one ventral process (the retroventral one) on metatarsus II (Fig. 8 H-K). Females without dark pattern on opisthosoma; stalks of median receptacles longer than corresponding heads (Fig. 9) ............................................................................................................. M. ulu sp. nov.
2B Males with slightly or strongly curved embolus (Figs 13 A-G, 15A-C) and with two ventral processes on metatarsus II (Figs 12G, 13 J-M, 15F-H). Females with more or less distinct dark pattern on opisthosoma (Fig. 12 A-D); stalks of median receptacles as long as or shorter than corresponding heads (Figs 14, 16) .............................................. 3
3A Males with distally strongly curved embolus (Fig. 15 A-C); patella I retroventrally-distally with a single spine (Fig. 15E). Females with dark pattern of opisthosoma indistinct and restricted to dorsal side; spermathecal trunks rectangular, lateral receptacles bent ventrad, their stalks not constricted (Fig. 16) .................. M. kanching sp. nov.
3B Males with only slightly curved embolus (Fig. 13 A-G); patella I retroventrally-distally with a series of bristles (Fig. 13I). Females with dark pattern of opisthosoma distinct and extending to posteroventral side (Fig. 12 A-D); spermathecal trunks conical, lateral receptacles directed anteriad, their stalks clearly constricted (Fig. 14) ........... .................................................................................................................................................. M. maculosa sp. nov. between ventral spur and distoventral margin of tibia slightly flattened and wrinkled (Figs 8 H-K, 10B, 11H-J, 12G, 13J-M; indistinct wrinkles in M. kanching sp. nov., Fig. 15 F-H). Paired leg claws with a single row of 4-12 teeth; unpaired claws with 1-3 quite long teeth, the basal ones on posterior legs set on a common base (Figs 1 I-J, 10C).
Palpal tarsus of males with two apical lobes, the retrodorsal lobe larger than the prodorsal one and carrying 2-3 distal spines (as in Leptothele); palpal organ with short lenticular subtegulum and wide bulbous tegular part, embolic part thin and apically pointed, either slightly curved (Figs 8 A-E, 13A-G), strongly curved (Fig. 15 A-C) or corkscrew-shaped (Fig. 11 A-D).
Four widely separated spinnerets; no australotheline crescent at base of PLS; PMS short and with only one article; PLS long and composed of three articles (Fig. 12B, D, E-F, H-I); distal article of PLS not pseudosegmented, with a reduced pigmentation in posterior half (Fig. 12 J- K).
Vulva with two spermathecae, each carrying two receptacles; lateral receptacles anteriad-directed (Figs 9, 11K, 14) or ventrad-directed (Fig. 16), perforated by numerous gland pores for their entire length, with more or less distinctly constricted, unsclerotised stalks (Figs 9, 14), without discernible stalks (Fig. 16) or altogether strongly reduced (Fig. 11K); median receptacles always clearly separated into a more or less strongly curved or twisted stalk with sclerotised walls and a bulbous or globular head perforated by few or no pores (Figs 9, 11K, 14, 16).
Species and distribution: Malayathele cameronensis sp. nov., M. kanching sp. nov., M. maculosa sp. nov. and M. ulu sp. nov., all from the Titiwangsa Mountain Range (= Main Range, Banjaran Besar) of Peninsular Malaysia and its foothills (Fig. 2, localities 12-18). At least one undescribed species in the northeastern part of the country (Fig. 2, locality 19).
description: Published as part of Schwendinger, Peter J., Lehmann-Graber, Christina, Hongpadharakiree, Komson & Syuhadah, Nurul, 2020, New euagrid spider species from Thailand and Malaysia, and new localities of Leptothele bencha (Arachnida: Araneae), pp. 423-453 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 127 (2) on pages 435-437, DOI: 10.35929/RSZ.0031, http://zenodo.org/record/5743952