Bioacoustics of Tylorida marmorea

Redescription. Male (ADSH 100457 , Figs 6A–B , 7A–C , 12C ): Prosoma brown with a median faint yellowish band. Eyefield brown; lateral eyes contiguous, situated on a shallow tubercle. Clypeus, chelicerae, fangs, labium, maxillae, sternum brown. Sternum rebordered marginally. Cheliceral promargin with three teeth, distal one is placed far away from the rest; retromargin with four teeth and a large, slightly bifid basal tubercle ( Fig. 12C ). Opisthosoma elongated oval, greyish; dorsum provided with a median longitudinal black band flanked on both sides by few silvery spots and irregular black bands; laterals mottled with longitudinal black bands; venter with a broad median longitudinal black patch flanked on both sides by numerous longitudinally placed silver spots. Spinnerets greyish-black. Leg segments yellowish-brown with broad brown annulations; all leg segments except patellae rebordered; I & II tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi provided ventrally with short, cone-like macrosetae ( Fig. 7A– C ); femur III prolaterally with a single row of trichobothriae ( 6 in number); femur IV prolaterally with single row of trichobothriae ( 8 in number). Body length 9.40. Prosoma length 4.08, width 3.01, height 1.18. Opisthosoma length 5.32, width 2.95, height 2.74. Eye diameter: ALE 0.21. AME 0.28. PLE 0.18. PME 0.19. Eye interdistance: AME–ALE 0.13. AME–AME 0.13. AME–PME 0.17. PME–PLE 0.25. PME–PME 0.18. Clypeus height at ALE 0.36, at AME 0.28. Length of chelicerae 2.32. Length of trochanter of pedipalp 1.34. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: Pedipalp 5.45 [2.36, 0.53, 0.62, 1.94], I 31.61 [8.47, 1.85, 8.32, 10.67, 2.30], II 22.61 [6.34, 1.60, 5.50, 7.30, 1.87], III 10.48 [3.45, 0.98, 2.13, 2.84, 1.08], IV 17.58 [5.56, 1.15, 4.09, 5.46, 1.32]. Leg formula: 1243. Spination. Pedipalp. 0 0 0 0, 0 0 0 0, 0 0 0 0, 0000; legs: femur I 7350, II 5240, III 2 320, IV 3520; patellae I–IV 0200; tibia I 3240, II 3230, III 2110 , IV 2220 ; metatarsus I 1110 , II 0 210, III 2100 , IV 3110; tarsi I–IV 0 0 0 0. Pedipalp ( Figs 8E–H , 10E–I ): Pedipalp segments yellowish-brown. Tegulum brown, large, nearly globular, with a short, disto-median triangular process lying parallel to the distal part of the embolic base ( Figs 8F–G , 10F–G, I ). Subtegulum dark brown. Embolus short, spine-like, distally with a slight retrolateral bend ( Figs 8F , 10F ). Embolic base thick, apically flat, with apical twist ( Figs 8F , 10F ). Conductor broad, flat, lying dorsally in close contact with the median part of embolic base ( Figs 8E, G–H , 10E, G–I ). Cymbial dorso-basal process short, flat, slightly folded retrolaterally and terminally ( Figs 8H , 10E, H ). Paracymbium short, broad, dorso-ventrally flattened, with weakly sclerotized prolateral half, with apical warp ( Figs 8E, G–H , 10E, G–H ). Female (ADSH 100457 , Figs 6C–D , 12D ): In all details like male except the following: Sternum not rebordered. Cheliceral promargin with three nearly equal sized teeth; retromargin with four teeth, slightly smaller than the promarginal ones; 4th retromarginal tooth smallest ( Fig. 12D ). Spinnerets black. Leg segments yellowishbrown to brown progressively without ventral cone-like macrosetae; femur III prolaterally with a single row of trichobothriae ( 8 in number); femur IV prolaterally with single row of trichobothriae ( 11 in number). Palp segments yellowish-brown to brown towards distally. Body length 11.47. Prosoma length 4.92, width 3.92, height 1.98. Opisthosoma length 6.55, width 3.40, height 3.03. Eye diameter: ALE 0.28. AME 0.31. PLE 0.22. PME 0.23. Eye interdistance: AME–ALE 0.13. AME–AME 0.12. AME–PME 0.19. PME–PLE 0.34. PME–PME 0.22. Clypeus height at ALE 0.38, at AME 0.34. Length of chelicerae 2.62. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 5.31 [1.66, 0.68, 1.00, 1.97], I 40.59 [11.34, 2.53, 10.34, 13.57, 2.81], II 28.51 [8.26, 2.13, 6.71, 9.07, 2.34], III 14.21 [4.73, 1.34, 2.88, 3.88, 1.38], IV 23.96 [7.85, 1.61, 5.56, 7.13, 1.81]. Leg formula: 1243. Spination. Palp. 0 0 0 0, 1000, 1100, 3216; legs: femur I 6250, II 4250, III 3320, IV 3520; patellae I–IV 0200; tibia I 4230, II 3230, III 2110 , IV 2120 ; metatarsus I 1110 , II 1110 , III 2100 , IV 3110; tarsi I–IV 0 0 0 0. Epigynum ( Figs 9C–D , 11C–D, F ): Epigynum flat with circular epigynal plate, constricted postero-laterally to form a postero-median lobe without forming lateral and median lobes, postero-median lobe baso-laterally provided with hook-like sclerotized processes ( Figs 9C , 11C ). Copulatory openings hardly visible ventrally. Fertilization ducts membranous, basally with a sharp twist, proximal half widely separated, distal half contiguous, originating baso-retrolateral part of spermathecal bulb ( Fig. 11D, F ). Copulatory ducts heavily sclerotized, basal half highly wrinkled giving the appearance of fused spiracles, distal half smooth occupying proximal 2/3rd of epigynal plate ( Fig. 11D, F ). Spermathecal bulb very long, diverging, inflated balloon-like ( Figs 9D , 11D ). Justification of the transfer of O. marmorea to Tylorida . Pocock (1901) described O. marmorea based on specimens collected from Ooty of Tamil Nadu State and Ponmudi of Kerala State of southern India . The species was redescribed by Gravely (1921) , who illustrated the male and female chelicerae of the species, which are diagnosable ( Gravely 1921 : fig. 7a–b; herein Fig. 12E ). The illustrations of Gravely match exactly with the male and female chelicerae of the specimens collected from Ponmudi, indicating that these two belong to the same species, O. marmorea (compare Fig. 12A–B with Gravely 1921 : fig. 7a–b). However, further examination of the male and female genitalia of the specimens from Ponmudi revealed that these specimens do not belong to the genus Orsinome , but to the genus Tylorida : proximally placed cymbial dorso-basal process, bulb with disto-median process of tegulum, embolus with short, tubular distal half, apico-retrolaterally placed embolic base, larger tegulum, epigynum with broad sclerotized plate having posterior extension, copulatory openings lie proximal to the epigynal plate and female internal genitalia with long, tubular fertilization ducts (compare Figs 8A–D , 9A–B , 10A– D , 11A–B, E with 21A–G). Based on these observations we consider the transfer of O. marmorea to Tylorida fully justified. Justification of the synonymy of T. cylindrata with T. marmorea comb. nov .. Wang (1991) described T. cylindrata from the Hunan Province of China based on 17 female and seven male specimens. The species was later redescribed by Song, Zhu & Chen (1999) , Zhu, Wu & Song (2002) , Zhu, Song, Zhang (2003) and Yin et al. (2012) . The illustrations of pedipalp, epigynum and female internal genitalia of this species match exactly with the genitalic features of T. marmorea comb. nov. including size and shape of paracymbium, cymbial dorso-basal process, tegulum, subtegulum, embolus, embolic base, epigynal plate and copulatory ducts, course of sperm duct, shape and length of conductor and shape and orientation of fertilization ducts (compare Figs 8A–H , 10A–H , 11A– F with Wang 1991 : figs 22–23; Song, Zhu & Chen 1999 : fig. 1C–D, G–H). The male chelicerae illustrated for this species are similar with the male chelicerae of T. marmorea comb. nov. as both possess three promarginal and four retromarginal teeth and one retromarginal tubercle (compare Fig. 12A, C with Song, Zhu & Chen 1999 : fig. 1E–F). The shape of the retromarginal tubercle in T. cylindrata varies slightly from the shape of the retromarginal tubercle of T. marmorea comb. nov. , which is possibly due to errors in illustration. Unlike T. marmorea comb. nov. , the female opisthosoma of T. cylindrata is provided with a caudal tubercle and the epigynal plate has slight mid-lateral protrutions, but all these may attribute to intraspecific variations, which is a common phenomenon in the genus (see below). Based on these observations, we consider the decision to regard T. cylindrata as a junior synonym of T. marmorea comb. nov. fully justified. Justification of the synonymy of T. sataraensis with T. marmorea comb. nov .. Kulkarni (2014) described T. sataraensis based on female specimens collected from the rocky outcrop of Chalkewadi in Maharashtra of northern India . Its male sex was described by Kulkarni and Lewis in 2015. Although we did not examine the type of T. sataraensis , the images of genitalia of this species are available in the literature to facilitate its identification ( Kulkarni 2014 ; Kulkarni & Lewis 2015 ). Detailed comparison of the pedipalp and epigynum of T. marmorea comb. nov. with the images of the genitalia of T. sataraensis shows that T. sataraensis is similar in all aspects with T. marmorea comb. nov. including the shape and orientation of conductor and embolus, the shape of the paracymbium and the cymbial dorso-basal process, shape of epigynal plate, shape of spermathecae and copulatory ducts (compare Figs 8A–H , 9A–D , 10A–H , 11A–F with Kulkarni 2014 : images 4–5; Kulkarni & Lewis 2015 : figs 1b, 2b, 3b, 4, 5b). Though the pedipalp and epigynum of T. marmorea comb. nov. differ slightly from that of T. sataraensis in its size, size and orientation of distal part of embolus, position and orientation of disto-median process of tegulum, number and nature of course of loops of sperm duct and shape of epigynal plate, these differences, which we consider as intraspecific variation (see below), are little and less evident to separate it as a different species. The species T. sataraensis should thus be considered as a junior synonym of T. marmorea comb. nov. .