Glenognatha paullula Sankaran & Caleb & Sebastian 2020, new species

Type material. Holotypemale (ADSH1048), INDIA: Kerala: Malappuram: Akambadam, 11 o 18’37.42’’N, 76 o 12’31.68’’E, 41 m alt., 23 August 2013, M.S. Pradeep leg., from litter, by hand. Paratypes: 2 males (ADSH1049), same data as holotype.

Etymology. The specific epithet, from the Latin word for little (paullulus), is an adjective and refers to the short distal part of the embolus of the new species (Fig. 1G).

Diagnosis. Males of G. paullula n. sp. are most similar to those of the neotropical species Glenognatha gaujoni Simon, 1895, but can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of features: chelicerae lack ectal apophysis (present in G. gaujoni), broad paracymbium (narrow in G. gaujoni), paracymbium with a prominent medio-prolateral process (absent in G. gaujoni) and distal part of cymbium shorter than conductor and embolus (distal part of cymbium as long as conductor and embolus in G. gaujoni) (compare Fig. 1 C–I with Cabra-García & Brescovit 2016: fig. 52E–H).

Description. Male (holotype, Fig. 1 A–B, E). Overall pale yellow. Dorsal opisthosoma with a dark folium; laterals mottled with a few silvery spots. Eyes on black tubercles; lateral eyes contiguous. Chelicerae long, distally diverged, with a short, blunt prolateral spur at tip (Fig. 1E, arrow); promargin with three (apical, median and basal), retromargin with two basal teeth, promarginal teeth wide apart, median and basal promarginal teeth largest, basal three teeth lie close together (Fig. 1E). Fangs strong, curved with a proximo-retrolateral triangular cheliceral fang outgrowth (Fig. 1E; CFO). All the leg segments except patellae without spines. All patellae with paired dorsal spines. Body length 1.97. Prosoma length 0.96, width 0.71. Opisthosoma length 1.01, width 0.77. Eyes diameter: ALE 0.06. AME 0.08. PLE 0.05. PME 0.09. Eye interdistance: AME–ALE 0.07. AME–AME 0.10. AME–PME 0.06. PME–PLE 0.07. PME–PME 0.14. Clypeus height at ALEs 0.08, at AMEs 0.09. Length of chelicerae 0.57. Measurements of pedipalp and legs: Pedipalp 1.10 [0.36, 0.11, 0.12, 0.51], I 5.24 [1.38, 0.32, 1.44, 1.28, 0.82], II 4.48 [1.23, 0.31, 1.19, 1.07, 0.68], III 2.77 [0.87, 0.23, 0.62, 0.61, 0.44], IV 3.70 [1.18, 0.24, 0.92, 0.85, 0.51]. Leg formula: 1243. Pedipalp (Fig. 1 C–D, F–I): Paracymbium long, rectangular in retrolateral view, with distal setae (Fig. 1D), with a medio-prolateral process (Fig. 1D, H–I; P, mpP). Cymbium setaceous, with broad base, narrowing towards tip, with apical excavation, partially wrapping the distal and proximal parts of embolus and conductor respectively (Fig. 1 C–D, F–I; Cy). Embolus long, broad at base, distal 1/4 th thin, with short, narrow angular tip (Fig. 1 C–D, F–I; E). Conductor broad at base, with prolaterally extended conductor retrolateral apophysis, wrapping the distal part of embolus prolaterally (Fig. 1C, F–G; C; CRa).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 2).

Note. Placement in Glenognatha was based on the description of the genus provided by Cabra-García and Brescovit (2016): distal part of paracymbium oriented in opposite direction to the cymbium in retrolateral view, conductor with folded retrolateral apophysis and embolus with a median groove in its basal portion (Fig. 1C, F–H).