Uroballus carlei, Logunov & Obenauer, 2019

Logunov, Dmitri V. & Obenauer, Stefan M., 2019, A new species of Uroballus Simon, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae) from Hong Kong, a jumping spider that appears to mimic lichen moth caterpillars, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (1), pp. 1-9 : 2-5

Uroballus carlei n. sp.

( Figs 1–15)

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:61E73AC7-EBA2-4506-9AFA-0C4C6E4DCD8E .

Etymology: The species is dedicated to Eric Carle (b. 1929), the American illustrator and author of more than 70 books for children and adults. His most renowned books include ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, which chronicles the growth and metamorphosis of a caterpillar, and ‘The Very Busy Spider’. Indeed, these and other books by Eric Carle provide the first conscious contact of young readers with the natural world, being innovative tools for early-age environmental and biodiversity education.

Diagnosis: Of the five Uroballus species described to date ( WSC 2019), two are known from the males, of which only the male of U. octovittatus has been illustrated ( Prószyński 1987: 107). U. carlei n. sp. can be easily distinguished from the latter species by the wide serrate longitudinal stripe on the dorsum (five narrow transverse bands in U. octovittatus ), the embolic tip directed apicad (laterad in U. octovittatus ), and the short, wide and blunt tibial apophysis (comparatively long and pointed in U. octovittatus ).

Description: Male (holotype). Measurements. Carapace 1.25 long, 1.03 wide and 0.49 high at PLE. Ocular area 0.71 long, 0.80 wide anteriorly and 0.97 wide posteriorly. Diameter of AME 0.25. Clypeus height 0.03 (almost unmarked), chelicera length 0.29. Abdomen 1.28 long (without anal tubercle), 0.88 wide. Length of leg segments: I: 0.69+0.40+0.20+0.31+0.21 (1.81); II: 0.49+0.30+0.26+0.21+0.19 (1.45); III: 0.47+0.23+0.19+0.21+0.21 (1.31); IV: 0.65+0.29+0.29+0.27+0.21 (1.71). Leg formula: I,IV, II,III. Leg spination. Leg I: Tb v 0-2; Mt v 2-2ap. Legs II–IV: Fm d 1ap, other segments spineless. Coloration (in alcohol, Figs 1–4). Carapace yellowish russet, with surface shagreen, densely covered with recumbent brownish/white scales and long protruded brownish/white hairs and bristles; a wide transverse brown stripe along eyes of the first row ( Fig. 1); brown areas around PLEs and a triangle brownish spot in the centre of the eye field; carapace sides (in their rear halves) and thorax rear margin brown. Sternum, endites and labium light brown ( Fig. 3). Chelicerae brownish orange ( Fig. 4), promargin with two small teeth, retromargin with a tall fissidentate tooth ( Fig. 5). Abdomen oval and flat: dorsum light yellow, with a wide longitudinal brown serrate stripe and densely covered with long whitish and brownish erected hairs/bristles that are especially dense at the rear third of dorsum ( Fig. 1); sides and venter light yellow, with longitudinal dotted greyish lines and a median longitudinal greyish stripe on venter. Book-lung covers yellow. Anal tubercle long, yellowish grey. Spinnerets: dorsal pair long and thin, yellowish grey; ventral pair shorter, sausage-shaped, light yellow. Leg I light yellow with Fm black anteriorly ( Fig. 1). Legs II–IV light yellow, with brown patches and (semi)rings at segment joints. Palps: all segments yellow, but cymbium brown, with a bunch of whitish hairs at its tip. Palpal structure as in Figs 6, 7: tibia short, with a very short and wide tibial apophysis having a blunt tip; bulbus oval, with a visibly pointed tegular shoulder; embolus short and thin, directed apicad at 12 o’clock.

Female is formally unknown, but Wong (2016: 279: sub. Uroballus sp. ) provided photographs of a live, probably an immature female of U. carlei n. sp. Based on these images, it is obvious that the female has almost identical body coloration to that of the male and only differs in having both palpi and legs I entirely yellow.

Remarks: Although the female of U. carlei n. sp. and its copulatory organs are not formally described yet, its general appearance was picture by Wong (2016: 279: sub. Uroballus sp. ). Based on these photographs, it is safe to conclude that the hairy female of U. koponeni from Malaysia cannot be that of U. carlei n. sp. The female of the new species differs from it in having the wide brown serrate longitudinal stripe on the dorsum (eight narrow brownish transverse bands in U. koponeni (see figs 1, 2 in Logunov 2014) and the markedly shorter spinnerets [cf. figures in Wong (2016: 279: sub. Uroballus sp. ) and in Logunov (2014: figs 1–7)].

Holotype: ♂ ( MMUE, G7625.1 ) China: Hong Kong, Chai Wan, Shek O Country Park [22.256624°N, 114.240100°E], c. 165 m a.s.l., 9.xi.2018, S. Obenauer.

Habitat: The studied male was collected from a painted metal railing ( Figs 9, 14), just at the edge of Shek O Country Park. However, we tend to believe that this species might actually occur in tree canopies, as some other Uroballus species described to date, e.g., U. kinabalu from North Borneo (Logunov 2018).

Lab observations: The studied specimen was kept by one of us (SO) alive in the lab for several days. It was noted that the male moved rather slowly and often stopped; it could also jump from time to time. The male spent most of its time in the lab at rest, motionless. While moving, the male usually erected its anal tubercle ( Figs 12, 14). It did not construct any retreat, but sometimes was observed resting in between two layers of tissue paper (near the opening), which provided enough space in between them to fit its body. While trying to escape, the male once fell down and hung on a dragline several cm long, then climbed back up. The male recognized its mirror image and displayed towards it ( Fig. 11). When the male was given a small Psocoptera, it followed it at first but then ignored it. A bit later, when it was within one cm of the psocid, it again approached and caught it, but then let it go after some 20 seconds.