Pharta roseomaculata Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, 2025

Dhiya'ulhaq, Naufal Urfi, Benjamin, Suresh P., Buchori, Damayanti, Hidayat, Purnama, Scheu, Stefan & Drescher, Jochen, 2025, Expanding the taxonomy of crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Sumatra: a new genus, five new species, and regional records, ZooKeys 1241, pp. 205-246 : 205-246

Pharta roseomaculata Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin sp. nov.

Figs 21 , 22

Type material.

Holotype. Indonesia – Jambi Province • 1 ♀; Batang Hari, Hutan Harapan Conservation Area ; 02°09'09.3"S, 103°21'41.8"E; elev. 65 m; 19 Jul. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in rainforest; GOET 2013_HF 1.1_AraThom 044 N_001 (to be transferred to MZB).

Diagnosis.

Females of Pharta roseomaculata Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin , sp. nov., are similar to Pharta sudmannorum Benjamin, 2014 in having a roughly 8 - shaped spermatheca and very dark, funnel-shaped CO, but can be distinguished by outward facing CO (Figs 21 D – F , 22 vs inward facing, Benjamin 2014: figs 1 E, F, 2 E, C) and the anterior part of the spermatheca is slightly larger than the posterior part (vs posterior part larger than anterior).

Description.

Female (holotype 2013_HF 1.1_AraThom 044 N_001, Figs 21 , 22 ). Total length 5.81. Carapace length 2.50; width 2.35. Abdomen length 3.31; width 2.63. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.05; ALE 0.12; PLE 0.12; PME 0.07. Interdistances between eyes: AME – AME 0.10; AME – ALE 0.13; ALE – ALE 0.44; PME – PME 0.21; PME – PLE 0.17; ALE – PLE 0.17; AME – PME 0.26; PLE – PLE 0.64. Leg measurements: leg I 12.09 (3.67, 1.01, 3.74, 2.52, 1.15); leg II -; leg III 6.05 (1.94, 0.67, 1.67, 1.18, 0.59); leg IV 6.97 (2.28, 0.67, 2.16, 1.17, 0.69). Carapace pear-shaped, pale-pink coloured; eye region yellow; AER recurved; PER recurved. Legs uniformly pale pink. Abdomen oval, dorsally with seven pairs of small pink spots.

Epigynum (Figs 21 D – F , 22 ): CO semi-oval. CD funnel-shaped, anteriorly attached to a sclerotised ‘ handle’, ending in a half-loop, very dark in comparison to spermatheca. Spermatheca 8 - shaped; anterior part slightly larger than posterior part.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is taken from Latin and refers to the pink spots on the abdomen.

Distribution.

Indonesia (Sumatra: Jambi Province) Fig. 29 .

Figures

Figure 21. Pharta roseomaculata Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin sp. nov., female (holotype 2013 _ HF 1.1 _ AraThom 044 N _ 001) A, B habitus A dorsal view B ventral view C eye region, frontal view D – F epigynum D ventral view E cleared, ventral view F cleared, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C – F).

Figure 22. Pharta roseomaculata Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin sp. nov., female (holotype 2013 _ HF 1.1 _ AraThom 044 N _ 001) A, B epigynum A dorsal view B ventral view. Abbreviations: CO = copulatory opening; FD = fertilisation duct; S = spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 29. Distribution of examined Thomisidae species from the Epidius clade (sensu Benjamin, 2011) prior to the present study, as well as the sampling location of the current study in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia (green flag). The new genus and the five new species described in the present study are all from the same study location, i. e., a replicated plot design across lowland rainforest, ‘ jungle rubber’ (rubber agroforestry), and smallholder monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm in Jambi’s lowlands (Drescher et al. 2016).