Aposphragisma rimba Thoma 2014, sp. nov.

Aposphragisma rimba Thoma, sp. nov.

(Figs. 38–41)

Type material. HOLOTYPE: male (PBI_OON 00031408), Sarawak (MALAYSIA), Mulu N.P., 100 km SEE of Miri, 200 m [04°00′N 114°49′E; prov.], 19.–24.VIII.2003 (Winkler extraction), leg. A. Schulz, deposited at MHNG. PARATYPES: 2 males (PBI_OON 00012526), collected together with holotype, deposited at NMBE; 1 female (PBI_OON 00031406; abdomen used for examination of internal genitalia), collected together with holotype, deposited at MHNG; 4 males & 1 female (PBI_OON 00031407), collected together with holotype, deposited at MHNG.

Non-type material. 2 males (PBI_OON 00031404; used for SEM), collected together with holotype, deposited at MHNG; 2 aberrant females (PBI_OON0 0031405), collected together with holotype, deposited at MHNG.

Etymology. The species epithet is a noun in apposition meaning ‘pristine forest’ or ‘jungle’ in the Malay language.

Diagnosis. A. rimba sp. nov. does not belong to the stripe clade and thus shows a completely ornamented sternum. It can be distinguished from congeners with a completely ornamented sternum by the combination of the following traits: entire carapace surface smooth (Fig. 38D); carapace margin with blunt denticles, sluice reaching from posterior margin to level of coxa I (Fig. 38D); epigastric scutum dorsally without a widely oval subterminal ridge (Fig. 40C); booklung covers (bc) small (Figs. 40 C–E).

Description. Description based on 9 males and 4 females.

MALE. With the characters of the genus except as noted. Body length 1.18–1.45 mm (n=9), carapace length 0.59–0.66 mm (n=9). Sclerotized parts uniformly coloured orange-brown close to colour 36 ‘amber’; legs paler than body, yellowish. Males show several remarkable modifications compared to congeners. Habitus: Figs. 38 A–C.

CEPHALOTHORAX. Carapace: entire surface smooth, pars thoracica with 3 pairs of pronounced narrow depressions along margin (Fig. 38D); posterolateral surface without spikes; posterior edge of pars cephalica with slightly stronger modified hair bases, appearing as small denticles; carapace margin with narrow sluice reaching from posterior margin to level of coxa I, with blunt denticles (Fig. 38D). Eyes: posterior eye-row straight from above, procurved from front; ALE largest, separated by their radius to diameter; ALE-PLE separated by less than ALE radius; PME touching throughout most of their length; PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum completely coarsely ornamented (Figs. 38 E–G); infracoxal grooves (icg) at both ends with depressions (presence or absence of openings can not be verified on available SEM images) (Fig. 39C); posterior margin with broad single extension, covered with blunt denticles (Fig. 38F); setae darkish, appearing slightly plumose at SEM level (Fig. 39C). Pleura (pl): surface smooth with cluster of openings (cpo) (Figs. 39 C–D). Mouthparts: chelicerae posterior margin of inner surface proximally modified to a ridge with median slit (sli), covering about 1/2 of margin length (Fig. 39G); promargin with row of flattened setae (rfs) in combination with plumose setae (Fig. 39G), distally extending into a long tooth-like projection (tlp) (Figs. 38H, 39G); anterior face with few thickened and darkish needle-like setae (Figs. 38H, 39A, G; cf female, fig. 39B); posterior face with two spatulate setae (sps), about as long as fang (Fig. 39G). Labium longitudinally slightly compressed and not as long as in females (Fig. 39E). Endites distally with brush of special wing-like setae (ws) on inner margin (Fig. 39F), outer margin subdistally with a pair of remarkably modified, darkish and thick setae (ebs) which resemble the blossom of a bird of paradise flower (Strelitziaceae: Strelitzia sp.; Fig. 39F): a rather long and flat distal part covered with little spines and filaments is subbasally attached in a 90 degree bend to an unmodified but rather thick basal part (Figs. 39 E–F).

ABDOMEN. Book lung covers (bc) small, ovoid (Figs. 40C, E). Epigastric scutum dorsally without subterminal ridge (Fig. 40C). Postepigastric scutum almost semicircular, with long posteriorly directed lateral apodemes (lap) (Fig. 40A). Setae appearing slightly plumose at SEM level (Fig. 40D).

GENITALIA. Epigastric region: sperm pore (sp) situated between anterior and posterior spiracles (Fig. 40A, D). Palp: basal segments as well as bulb and cymbium lighter in colour than rest of body; bulb slender with a faint conical bulge (cb) posterior of embolus-conductor-complex (compared to congeners shifted towards prolateral surface; Figs. 41 D–E). On stereo-microscope level embolus-conductor-complex pincer-like in lateral view, dark (Figs. 41 A–B). Embolus (em) basally broad, subbasally with an angular dent on ventral part (thus proximal part apearing rhomboid in lateral view), medially abruptly narrowed, without dorsal comb (Fig. 41C); embolus (em) tip flattened, elongated spatulate, basally with hook (Fig. 41C); conductor (con) slender, attached basally to ventral part of embolus (Figs. 41C, E).

FEMALE. As in males except as noted. Body length 1.38–1.44 mm (n=3), carapace length 0.65–0.66 mm (n=4). Chelicerae anterior face with scattered needle-like (and not thickend) setae (Fig. 39B). Labium elongated triangular, not compressed. Anterolateral margin of outer surface of endites subdistally with a pair of unmodified long, needle-like setae with tips bent inwards.

GENITALIA. Dorsal view (Figs. 41 F–G): area containing small circular structures laterally framed by short rectangular sclerites (apodemes, lap); receptaculum (re) small, elongated; a transverse sclerite (ts) lies anteriorly to the receptaculum, medially bearing a nail-like structure (na).

Intraspecific variation. Body size variable (see above); colour shows only very slight variation, one female pale; number of denticles on carapace margin variable. Two females (PBI_OON 00031405) show a pair of tubercles (tub) at the ventral base of the pedicel tube and faint ridges on book lung covers (bc) (Fig. 40E).

Distribution. NE-Sarawak, MALAYSIA; all specimens collected at type locality (Fig. 49).