Epidelaxia palustris, Asima & Caleb & Prasad & Joseph, 2025

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, Zootaxa 5590 (4), pp. 595-600 : 596-599

Epidelaxia palustris sp. nov.

Figs 8–21

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( KUDZ 2024.III.26 a ), INDIA: Kerala: Kulathoopuzha, Kattilappara (8.9150° N, 77.1020° E), 149.96 m a.s.l., Myristica swamp, 01 December 2022, leg. A. Asima. Paratypes: 2 ♀♀ ( KUDZ 2024.III.26 b, 26c ), together with the holotype .

Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective referring to the swampy habitat from which the species was collected. Latin ‘ palus ’ = swamp.

Diagnosis. Male of Epidelaxia palustris sp. nov. is similar to E. obscura Simon, 1902 and E. somasundaram Satkunanathan & Benjamin, 2024 in having a similar palpal conformation but can be separated easily by the origin of the embolus, which arises at ~ 7:30 o’clock position (vs. about 6 o’clock in E. obscura and E. somasundaram ), the bent RTA in ventral view (vs. straight in E. obscura and E. somasundaram ) (cf Figs 10–11 , 18–19 with figs 11e–f, 12a–b, 15e–f, 16a–b in Satkunanathan & Benjamin 2024). Females can be distinguished from all known congeners by the course of the copulatory ducts, the narrow, tubular portion of the ducts traverse from above the primary chambers of the spermathecae running along the lateral side before entering the secondary chambers ( Figs 15–16 , 20–21 ).

Description. Male (holotype; Figs 8–12 , 18–19 ): Body length: 4.57; carapace 2.17 long, 1.71 wide; abdomen 2.40 long, 1.01 wide. Carapace brown with yellowish-brown area behind fovea, broad pale brown band running along lateral margins; fovea short, marked as red longitudinal line ( Fig. 8 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.58, ALE 0.30, PME 0.10, PLE 0.34, AER 1.80, EFL 0.95, PER 1.69. Clypeus yellowish brown. Chelicerae brown with bicuspid tooth on retromargin and two teeth on promargin ( Fig. 12 ). Sternum oval, yellow ( Fig. 9 ). Labium and endites reddish brown. Legs I–IV yellowish-brown with brown patches. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 2.58 (0.97, 0.40, 0.40, 0.81), leg I 6.07 (1.88, 1.03, 1.47, 1.04, 0.65), II 4.66 (1.48, 0.88, 0.97, 0.91, 0.42), III 4.87 (1.59, 0.85, 1.03, 1.12, 0.28), IV 5.03 (1.62, 0.89, 1.00, 1.06, 0.46). Leg formula 1432. Abdomen elongated, dorsum creamy yellow with brown patches ( Fig. 8 ); venter creamy white with dark brown patch medially and laterally. Anterior spinnerets grey with creamy posterior tip; posterior spinnerets black ( Figs 8, 9 ). Palp yellowish-brown, covered with long black and white setae; RTA ~ 1/6 tibial width, curved inwards in ventral view, with blunt tip directed anteriad in retrolateral view; cymbium about 2 times longer than wide, with proximal-retrolateral cymbial extension (CE); tegulum globular, with membranous outgrowth near embolic base; embolus originating at 7:30 o’clock position, whip-like, thick at base, narrowing towards tip; sperm duct clearly visible ( Figs 10–11 , 18–19 ).

Female (paratype; Figs 13–17 , 20–21 ): Body length: 3.69; carapace 1.79 long, 1.41 wide; abdomen 1.90 long, 1.36 wide. Coloration as in male except the following: anterior eyes with white orbital setae. Clypeus yellowish brown covered with white setae. Legs yellow with dark annulations. Palps yellow. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.53 ALE 0.33, PME 0.07, PLE 0.29, AER 1.58, EFL 1.06, PER 1.50. Measurement of palp and legs: palp 2.44 (1.11, 0.65, 0.12, 0.56), leg I 5.95 (1.87, 1.01, 1.34, 1.05, 0.68), II 4.63 (1.48, 0.85, 0.96, 0.90, 0.44), III 5.33 (1.83, 0.82, 1.06, 1.27, 0.35), IV 4.72 (1.44, 0.68, 0.93, 1.31, 0.36). Leg formula: 1342. Epigyne with medio-laterally placed elongated atrium leading to copulatory openings; sclerotized arch bracket-shaped; copulatory ducts broad and membranous initially, acutely narrowed to tubular after extending to lateral sides of primary chamber of spermathecae; spermathecae thick-walled, double chambered, primary chamber small and globular, secondary chamber elongate-oval, touched each other; fertilization ducts small, emerging from basal portion of primary chamber, converging towards each other ( Figs 15–17 , 20–21 ).

Distribution. India (Kerala).

Figures

FIGURES 8–17. Epidelaxia palustris sp. nov., male holotype (8–12), female paratype (13–17). 8, 13 habitus, dorsal view; 9, 14 same, ventral view; 10 palp, ventral view; 11 same, retrolateral view; 12 right chelicera, posterior view; 15 epigyne, ventral view; 16 vulva, dorsal view; 17 schematic duct course. Scale bars = 1.00 mm (8, 9, 13, 14); 0.50 mm (12); 0.25 mm (10, 11); 0.20 mm (15, 16).

FIGURES 18–21. Epidelaxia palustris sp. nov. 18 palp of male holotype, ventral view; 19 same, retrolateral view; 20 epigyne of female paratype, ventral view; 21 vulva, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.25 mm (18, 19), 0.15 mm (20, 21). Abbreviations: A, atrium; CE, cymbial extension; CO, copulatory opening; CD, copulatory duct; CY, cymbium; E, embolus; FD, fertilization duct; PS, primary spermathecae; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; SA, sclerotized arch; SP, sperm duct; SS, secondary spermathecae; TE, tegulum.