Crockeria neofelis 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

Crockeria neofelis Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin sp. nov.

Figs 11 , 12 , 13 A, B, D, E

Type material.

Holotype. Indonesia – Jambi Province • 1 ♂; Sarolangun, Pauh, Semaran ; 02°08'35.9"S, 102°51'04.5"E; elev. 45 m; 16 Jul. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in jungle rubber plantation; GOET 2013_BJ 5.2_AraThom 007 N_001 (to be transferred to MZB) . Paratypes. Indonesia – Jambi Province • 1 ♀; same data as holotype; GOET 2013_BJ 5.2_AraThom 007 N_002 (to be transferred to MZB) . • 2 ♀♀; Sarolangun, Pauh, Semaran ; 02°08'35.9"S, 102°51'04.5"E; elev. 45 m; 16 Jul. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in jungle rubber plantation; ZMH ZMH -A 0031849 , ZMH -A 0031850 (GOET 2013_BJ 5.1_AraThom 007 N_001, 002) . • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Sarolangun, Air Hitam, Desa Baru ; 02°01'49.5"S, 102°46'14.8"E; elev. 57 m; 12 Jul. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in jungle rubber plantation; ZMH ZMH -A 0031851 , ZMH -A 0031852 , ZMH -A 0031853 (GOET 2013_BJ 6.2_AraThom 007 N_001–003) . • 1 ♀; Sarolangun, Bukit Duabelas National Park ; 01°58'55.2"S, 102°45'02.6"E; elev. 73 m; 7 Oct. 2013; J. Drescher leg.; canopy fogging in rainforest; GOET 2013_BF 2.1_AraThom 007 N_001 (to be transferred to SMF) .

Diagnosis.

Males of Crockeria neofelis Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin , sp. nov., are easily distinguished from Crockeria kinabalu Benjamin, 2016 by the very wide MA with pincer-shaped tip (Figs 11 E, F , 13 A, B vs elongated with a rounded tip, Figs 9 D – F , 10 , Benjamin 2016: fig. 96), membranous, triangular conductor with rounded-tip (vs tapering and filiform), short, needle-shaped embolus (vs filiform), and RTA with a flat, spatulate tip (Figs 11 E , 13 A vs hook-shaped, Figs 9 D , 10 A , Benjamin 2016: fig. 97). Females are easily distinguished from C. kinabalu and Crockeria laevis ( Thorell, 1890) by the small, outward-facing CO (Fig. 10 D, F vs inward facing in C. kinabalu and C. laevis, Benjamin 2016 : figs 95, 98, 99) and the presence of two large, semicircular windows (vs absent in other species). Additionally, the abdomen of both sexes are patterned in a similar way as C. laevis (Figs 11 A , 12 A ; Benjamin 2016: fig. 94), unlike the uniformly coloured abdomen in C. kinabalu (Fig. 9 A ).

Description.

Male (holotype 2013_BJ 5.2_AraThom 007 N_001; Figs 11 , 13 A, B ). Total length 2.91. Carapace length 1.33; width 1.30. Abdomen length 1.58; width 1.25. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.05; ALE 0.14; PLE 0.09; PME 0.07. Interdistances between eyes: AME – AME 0.11; AME – ALE 0.09; ALE – ALE 0.28; PME – PME 0.14; PME – PLE 0.17; ALE – PLE 0.12; AME – PME 0.15; PLE – PLE 0.56. Leg measurements: leg I 6.50 (1.84, 0.46, 1.89, 1.52, 0.79); leg II 6.65 (1.84, 0.44, 1.97, 1.57, 0.83); leg III 3.59 (1.04, 0.32, 0.95, 0.83, 0.45); leg IV 3.63 (1.11, 0.30, 0.97, 0.82, 0.43). Carapace pear-shaped, dark brown, with sparse yellow setae; eye region purplish red; AER recurved; PER recurved. Abdomen oval, brown with paired pale-brown blotches and a pale-brown cardiac mark. Legs with ventral dark blotches and faint striation; front legs dark-brown; back legs pale brown. Palp (Figs 11 D – F , 13 A, B ): cymbium slightly less than twice the length of tibia. Conductor triangular with a rounded tip, membranous, longer than MA and embolus. Embolus short; tip rather stout and needle-shaped. MA very wide, pincer-shaped in ventral view; tip with a sinuous keel. RTA slightly constricted in the middle, followed by a flat, spatulate tip best seen in ventral view.

Female (paratype 2013_BJ 5.2_AraThom 007 N_002; Figs 12 , 13 D, E ). Total length 3.42. Carapace length 1.49; width 1.52. Abdomen length 1.93; width 2.02. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.05; ALE 0.12; PLE 0.12; PME 0.07. Interdistances between eyes: AME – AME 0.16; AME – ALE 0.12; ALE – ALE 0.49; PME – PME 0.19; PME – PLE 0.23; ALE – PLE 0.13; AME – PME 0.18; PLE – PLE 0.69. Leg measurements: leg I 6.73 (1.78, 0.46, 2.04, 1.64, 0.81); leg II 6.96 (1.89, 0.47, 2.11, 1.67, 0.82); leg III 3.96 (1.17, 0.38, 1.05, 0.86, 0.50); leg IV 3.95 (1.16, 0.30, 1.05, 0.96, 0.48). Habitus as in males. Epigynum (Figs 12 C – F , 13 D, E ): CO small and inconspicuous, outward facing, positioned at the mid-length of spermatheca. Two semicircular ‘ windows’ present beside the CO. CD short. Spermatheca round.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the Sunda Clouded Leopard, Neofelis diardi (G. Cuvier, 1823), native to Sumatra. The dark blotches on the legs of C. neofelis are reminiscent of the fur pattern of this feline. Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Indonesia (Sumatra: Jambi Province) Fig. 29 .

Figures

Figure 9. Crockeria kinabalu Benjamin, 2016, male (2013 _ HJ 1.1 _ AraThom 033 N _ 001) A, B habitus A dorsal view B ventral view C eye region, frontal view D – F right palp (mirrored) D prolateral view E ventral view F retrolateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C); 0.1 mm (D – F).

Figure 10. Crockeria kinabalu Benjamin, 2016, male (2013 _ HJ 1.1 _ AraThom 033 N _ 001) A, B right palp (mirrored) A ventral view B retrolateral view. Abbreviations: C = conductor; E = embolus; MA = median apophysis; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Figure 11. Crockeria neofelis Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov., male (holotype 2013 _ BJ 5.2 _ AraThom 007 N _ 001) A, B habitus A dorsal view B ventral view C eye region, frontal view D – F left palp D prolateral view E ventral view F retrolateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C – F).

Figure 12. Crockeria neofelis Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov., female (paratype 2013 _ BJ 5.2 _ AraThom 007 N _ 002) A, B habitus A dorsal view B ventral view C – E epigynum C ventral view D cleared, ventral view E cleared, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C – E).

Figure 13. A, B, D, E Crockeria neofelis Dhiya’ulhaq & Benjamin, sp. nov A, B male (holotype 2013 _ BJ 5.2 _ AraThom 007 N _ 001), left palp A ventral view B retrolateral view D, E female (paratype 2013 _ BJ 5.2 _ AraThom 007 N _ 002), epigynum D ventral view E dorsal view C Epidius elongatus Benjamin, 2017, male (2013 _ BJ 4.1 _ AraThom 071 N _ 001), left palp, ventral view. Abbreviations: C = conductor; CO = copulatory opening; E = embolus; FD = fertilisation duct; MA = median apophysis; RTA = retrolateral tibial apophysis; S = spermatheca; W = epigynal window. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C), 0.1 mm (D, E).

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).