Touranella jaegeri Likhitrakarn 2025, sp. nov.

Touranella jaegeri Likhitrakarn sp. nov. Figs 10, 11, 12 Type material. Holotype • ♂ (SMF -SM-01), Laos, Bolikhamsay Province, Lak Sao, Tham Mankhone, 501 m, 18°13'16.1"N, 104°48'45.9"E, 21. 7. 2016, leg. P. Jäger. Paratypes: • 1 ♂ (SMF -SM-01), same locality, together with holotype. Diagnosis. The new species closely resembles both T. chenla sp. nov. and T. champasak, especially in its moniliform body with significantly reduced paraterga (Fig. 4 A – H, 7 A – H). However, it differs from T. chenla sp. nov. by possessing a broader and better expanded apical process d, which arises proximal to the lamina lateralis (Figs 11, 12) (vs a slender, long, curved, apical process d that rises distal to the lamina lateralis (Figs 5, 6)), coupled with a larger size, measuring 21.4–22.6 mm long (vs smaller, 15.2 mm long). In comparison to T. champasak, this species has pleurosternal carinae with complete crests and sharp caudal teeth on rings 2–4, and absent from ring 5 (vs present until ring 17 and absent thereafter). ♂ legs are 1.3–1.5 × as long as midbody height (vs longer, 1.7–1.8 ×), and ♂ tarsal brushes present until ring 10 (vs until ring 16). Description. Length 21.4–22.6 (♂), width of midbody pro- and metazona 2.6–2.8 and 3.2–3.3 mm (♂), respectively. Coloration of live animals dark brown-orange (Fig. 10 A), with a contrasting longitudinal pale yellow-orange stripe, this being narrow on prozona, but characteristically bead-shaped and broadened on metazona; paraterga, epiproct, and venter pale orange to pale yellow; head and antennae dark brown; legs contrasting pale orange, a few basal podomeres pale yellow to pallid. Coloration in alcohol after eight years of preservation faded to dark brown; antennae dark brown and increasingly faded distally; paraterga, venter, and epiproct pale brown to pallid; and podomeres pallid, basal podomeres of legs pallid, increasingly dark brown distally (Fig. 10 B – J). Clypeolabral region and vertex sparsely setose, epicranial suture distinct. Antennae long, reaching until ring 5 when stretched dorsally (Fig. 10 A). In width, ring 3 = 4 <collum <ring 2 <5 <6–17 (♂); thereafter body gently and gradually tapering towards telson. Collum with three transverse rows of setae: 3 + 3 anterior, 2 + 2 intermediate, and 4 + 4 posterior; caudal corner very narrowly rounded, paraterga slightly declined ventrally, not produced past rear tergal margin (Fig. 10 A, B). Tegument smooth and shining, prozona finely shagreened, metaterga nearly smooth, faintly rugulose and leathery (Fig. 10 B – F, H) Postcollum metaterga each with two transverse rows of setae: 2 + 2 in anterior and 3 + 3 in posterior row, the latter traceable as insertion points when setae broken off. Tergal setae simple, short, slender, ~ 1 / 5 metatergal length. Axial line visible on metazona, traceable also on prozona. Paraterga weak (Fig. 10 A – F, H), slightly upturned posteriorly, lying at ~ 1 / 2 midbody height, lateral edge without incisions. Paraterga 2 subhorizontal, broad in dorsal view, thin in lateral view, anterior edge well-developed, slightly rounded and oblique laterally, caudal tip rounded, slightly produced past rear tergal margin (Fig. 10 B, C). Paraterga 3 and 4 with evident lateral bulges, caudal corner very broadly rounded, not produced past rear tergal margin (Fig. 10 B, C). Following rings with small lateral bulges, not produced past rear tergal margin, broader on pore-bearing rings (Fig. 10 B, D, F). Calluses on paraterga delimited by a sulcus both dorsally and ventrally. Ozopores evident, lateral, each lying in an ovoid groove at ~ 1 / 3 metatergal length in front of posterior edge of metaterga (Fig. 10 E, H). Transverse metatergal sulci usually distinct (Fig. 10 B – F, H), incomplete on ring 17, complete on rings 5–16, shallow, not reaching the bases of paraterga, at most faintly beaded at bottom. Stricture between pro- and metazona wide and rather deep, ribbed at bottom down to base of paraterga (Fig. 10 B – E). Pleurosternal carinae complete crests with sharp caudal teeth on rings 2–4, thereafter missing (Fig. 10 C, E, H). Epiproct (Fig. 10 F – H) conical, flattened dorsoventrally, tip subtruncate, subapical lateral papillae small, but visible, lying close to tip. Hypoproct roundly subtrapeziform, small setigerous knobs at caudal edge small and well-separated (Fig. 10 G). Sterna sparsely setose, without modifications (Fig. 10 G); an entire, high, rounded, linguiform, setose, sternal lobe between ♂ coxae 4 (Fig. 10 I, J). A paramedian pair of evident tubercles in front of gonopodal aperture. Legs long and slender, midbody ones ~ 1.3–1.5 as long as body height; prefemora without modifications; ♂ tarsal brushes present until ring 10 (♂). Gonopods relatively simple and suberect (Figs 11, 12). Coxite slightly curved caudally, rather densely setose distodorsally (Fig. 11 A, B). Prefemoral part (pfe) densely setose, ~ 1 / 4 as long as acropodite (femoral + postfemoral parts) (Fig. 11 A – C). Femorite (fe) strongly reduced, without femoral processes, bearing a medial, strong, long, flagelliform solenomere (sl), twisted distally, and with an oblique lateral sulcus defining a postfemoral part (Fig. 11 A, B). Solenophore (sph) long, rather slender, slightly curved caudally, sheathing most of solenomere (sl), directed caudally, with a lateral shoulder (u) at base (Figs 11 C, D, 12 A, D, E). Solenophore consisting of a well-developed, strongly twisted lamina lateralis (ll) and a smaller, slightly twisted lamina medialis (lm) (Fig. 11 A – D). Tip of the lamina lateralis (ll) split into two broad, expanded apical laminae, a median lamina with a small denticle, and halfway bearing a broad, expanded apical lamina (Figs 11 A, D, 12 C – F), subtruncate tip process d rising proximal to lamina lateralis (Fig. 11 A, B). Distribution. Known only from the type locality, apparently endemic to the central part of Laos. Etymology. To honor Dr. Peter Jäger, a renowned arachnologist from the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, who collected the type specimens of this species. Remarks. The new species was discovered during a survey undertaken as part of the Laos Biodiversity Survey project. Key to the currently known species of Touranella (chiefly based on ♂), modified after Nguyen et al. (2023)