Phintella platnicki Sudhin, Sen & Caleb, 2023
- Dataset
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Arthropoda
- class
- Arachnida
- order
- Araneae
- family
- Salticidae
- genus
- Phintella
- species
- Phintella platnicki
description
Description. Male. See Sudhin et al. (2023) Female (NZC-ZSI- 8376 - 77 / 18) (Figs 6 E, F, 9 A-H, 10 A-D, 11 A-H): Measurements: body length 5.64; carapace length 2.09, width 1.52; abdomen length 3.05, width 1.31. Ocular area length 0.95, width 1.31. Eye diameters: AME 0.42, ALE 0.23, PME 0.04, PLE 0.20. Eye interdistances: AME-AME 0.04, ALE-AME 0.03, ALE-ALE 0.89, ALE-PLE 0.50, PLE-PLE 0.98, PME-PME 1.08, PME-PLE 0.20. Clypeus height 0.20. Length of chelicera 0.72. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 1.80 [0.64, 0.22, 0.34, 0.60], leg I 3.81 [1.16, 0.60, 0.87, 0.70, 0.48], II 3.59 [1.17, 0.51, 0.79, 0.66, 0.46], III 4.24 [1.39, 0.45, 0.85, 0.93, 0.62], IV 5.12 [1.57, 0.63, 1.13, 1.24, 0.55]. Leg formula: 4312. Leg setation: femur I pl 1 do 3, II- III pl 1 rl 1 do 3, IV rl 1 do 3; patella III-IV rl 1; tibia I-II pl 2 rl 1 plv 4 rlv 4, III pl 2 rl 2 plv 1 rlv 1, IV pl 2 rl 3 plv 2 rlv 1; metatarsus I-II pl 1 rl 1 plv 2 rlv 2, II pl 2 rl 2 plv 2 rlv 2, III pl 2 rl 2 plv 1 rlv 2, IV pl 3 rl 3 plv 1 rlv 2. Carapace oval, high, sloping posteriorly, pale yellow, covered with short pale white and dark brown setae (Fig. 9 D); thoracic region dorsally with two broad dark brown longitudinal stripes (Fig. 9 D); margin of carapace with narrow black lines; eye field pale yellow to brown, eye bases black, anterior eyes surrounded by pale yellow orbital setae (Fig. 9 D, H). Clypeus low, pale yellow, covered with pale white setae (Fig. 9 H). Chelicerae small, yellowish-brown (Fig. 9 H), promargin with two teeth and retromargin with a single tooth. Endites pale yellow to yellow, scopulate (Fig. 9 E). Labium light-brown, with paler tip, distally with dark brown setae (Fig. 9 E). Sternum oval, pale white (Fig. 9 E). Abdomen elongate oval, narrowing posteriorly, pale yellow, dorsally with a pair of broad lateral longitudinal light brown bands extending along entire length (Fig. 9 D); abdomen lateral sides with irregular light brown longitudinal streaks and patches (Fig. 9 F); venter pale yellow, medially with broad light brown longitudinal band and sides with irregular light brown patches (Fig. 9 E). Spinnerets light brown. Legs pale yellow with black pro- and retrolateral mottling on proximal and distal areas of tibiae I and distal areas of tibiae II. Epigyne simple, moderately sclerotised, nearly apple-shaped, covered with white setae (Figs 6 E, 11 C, G); copulatory openings broad, funnel-shaped, anterolaterally orientated (Figs 6 E, 11 C, G); copulatory ducts long, highly sclerotised, slightly curved anteriorly, running parallel along mid-longitudinal axis and then connected to posterior part of spermathecae (Figs 6 E, 11 C, G); spermathecae highly sclerotised, nearly semi-circular in shape, separated from each other (Figs 6 F, 11 D, H); fertilisation ducts long, orientated anteriorly, located at anterior region of spermathecae (Figs 6 F, 11 D, H).
description
Figs 6 E-F, 9 A-H, 10 A-D, 11 A-H, 14
diagnosis
Diagnosis. The female epigyne of P. platnicki Sudhin, Sen & Caleb, 2023, is most similar to that of Phintella nilgirica Proszynski, 1992, from which it can be easily distinguished by the broad, funnel-shaped copulatory openings (relatively small and round in P. nilgirica) and parallel copulatory ducts (separated, sub-parallel in P. nilgirica) (cf. Figs 6 E, F, 11 C, D, G, H with figs 61 - 62 in Proszynski (1992)). For the diagnosis of male, see Sudhin et al. (2023).
distribution
Distribution. India: Type locality - Tamil Nadu. New records from Karnataka and Kerala (Fig. 14).
materials_examined
Material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Kodachadri, 14 ♀♀ & 8 ♂♂, 13 ° 51 ' 25.51 " N, 74 ° 52 ' 2.03 " E, 1330 m elev., 01. xii. 2022, P. P. Sudhin coll. (NZC-ZSI- 8376 / 18). Kerala: Idukki, Kuttikkanam, 7 ♀♀ & 6 ♂♂, 9 ° 33 ' 38.44 " N, 77 ° 1 ' 2.99 " E, 1106 m elev., 24. i. 2023, P. Girish Kumar coll. (NZC-ZSI- 8377 / 18).