Content uploaded by Romeo Rogano Patano Jr.
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Romeo Rogano Patano Jr. on Jun 22, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
New Record of Talthybia depressa
(Araneae: Araneidae) from the Philippines
*Corresponding Author: romeonojrpatano@gmail.com
1Center for Biodiversity Research and Extension in Mindanao
2Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 8710 Philippines
This paper reports the first country record of Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898 based on a female
specimen collected from Marilog District, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines.
Philippine Journal of Science
149 (3): 523-527, Sept 2020
ISSN 0031 - 7683
Date Received: 30 Mar 2020
Alma B. Mohagan1,2, Romeo R. Patano Jr.1,2*, Kent Sean Alan T. Dargantes2,
Merced G. Melencion1,2, Fulgent P. Coritico1,2, and Victor B. Amoroso1,2
Keywords: Arachnida, montane forest, new country record, orb weaver, Philippines, spider inventory
Talthybia depressa was originally described from a
single immature male holotype from Myanmar and the
first mature female specimen was recently recorded in
Yunnan, China (Thorell 1898; Han et al. 2009). This
paper reports the first country record for T. depressa. The
species was collected in a forest reserved in Barangay
Baganihan, Marilog District, Davao City, Philippines
(07°27’13.74”N, 125°15’1.12”E) (1240 masl). Marilog
District is one of the priority areas on biodiversity
conservation by the conservation international. It has a
total land area of 63,800.22 ha in which 11,102 ha (17.4%)
are forest patches (Figure 1).
The area is characterized as a secondary montane
forest. Common species of plants were observed such
as vines, ferns such as Nephrolepis falcata (Cav.) C.
Chr. and N. biserrata (Sw.) Schott. (Lomariopsidaceae),
Angiopteris palmiformis (Cav.) C. Chr. (Marattiaceae),
Asplenium spp. (Aspleniaceae), aroids such as Aglaonema
cf. densinervium Engl., Alocasia heterophylla (C.
Presl) Merr., Arisaema polyphyllum Blanco), Gingers,
introduced species such as Crotalaria spp., Tridax
procumbens L., Mimosa pudica L., Chromolaena odorata
L., Lantana camara L., trees such as Dillenia megalantha
Merr. (Dilleniaceae), Lithocarpus spp. (Fagaceae), Ficus
spp. (Moraceae), Astrocalyx calycina (Melastomataceae),
and common shrubs like Melastoma malabathricum L.
(Melastomataceae).
The Marilog Forest Reserve is also known due to
its unique flora and fauna. Recent discoveries in the
area include a new family record of a parasitic plant
Mitrastemon yamamotoi (Amoroso et al. 2018) and a
new record of ginger Plagiostachys albiflora (Acma et al.
2019). New species and new locality records of pygmy
grasshopper – Arulenus miae and Spartolus pugionatus,
respectively – were also documented in the same locality
(Skejo and Caballero 2016; Mohagan et al. 2020), which
reflects that the Marilog District is home of endemic and
rare species.
Entry protocol and permits. Prior informed consent
is obtained from the local government unit of Marilog
District, Davao City, Southern Mindanao, Philippines.
Necessary permits such as approved gratuitous permit
(GP) were then obtained from the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources Region 11 in
compliance with Republic Act No. 9147 for the collection
of the specimen.
523
RESEARCH NOTE
Talthybia depressa was collected along the established
2 km- transect through opportunistic sampling in Barangay
Baganihan, Marilog Forest Reserve, Marilog District,
Davao City, Philippines. Specimen was then collected
through handpicking and killed in a jar with cotton
balls moist with ethyl acetate. The specimens were then
examined and documented under a stereomicroscope.
Images were gathered and treated using a licensed version
of Photoshop CS. Measurements and descriptions were
taken according to Han et al. (2009). All measurements
were in mm.
Leg measurements are shown as total length (femur,
patella + tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus). The specimen
examined in the study is deposited in Central Mindanao
University, University Museum, Zoological Section.
Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898
Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898: 377 (Dj).
Talthybia depressa Han, Zhu, and Levi, 2009: 59, f.
17, 19, 21–28 (Df).
Figure 1. A) Map of Mindanao, Philippines showing the B) Marilog District, the location of the study site, and C) the transect where the
species observed and collected (orange circle; 07°27’13.74”N, 125°15’1.12”E; 1,240 masl).
Mohagan et al.: New Record of Talthybia depressa
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 149 No. 3, September 2020
524
Material examined. PHILIPPINES, MINDANAO
ISLAND, DAVAO CITY, Marilog District, Barangay
Baganihan, Sitio Calinan, Marilog Forest Reserve;
07°27’13.74”N, 125°15’1.12”E; Collector: A.B.
Mohagan, E.P. Leaňo, M.G. Melencion, R.R. Patano Jr.,
A.L. Hongco, K.S. Dargantes, F.P. Coritico, and V.B.
Amoroso, June 2018; one mature female.
Diagnosis. Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898 is
morphologically easy to recognize by its subequal
length and width of the carapace, having a truncated
anterior cephalic region with a tubercle pointed in lateral
angle plus three anterior, two middle, and four posterior
tubercles on the ventral part of the abdomen. Epigynal
scape is developed, wide and flat, and spoon-shaped or
ovate posteriorly (Figure 2). Behavior-wise, the species
rest on branches with its head perpendicular to the length
of the branch.
Distribution. China, Yunnan (Han et al. 2009), Myanmar
(Thorell 1898), and the Philippines (a new country record).
Measurements. Total length: 19.1, cephalothorax: 8.8
long and 8.3 wide, abdomen: 10.3 long and 15.5 wide; leg
formula: 1243; leg measurements: I 31.1 (10.3 + 11.1 + 7.4
+ 2.3), II 31 (10.1 + 11.9 + 6.9 + 2.1), III 21.8 (7.9 + 6.9
+ 4.4 + 2.6), IV 29.1 (9.1 + 10.3 + 7.9 + 1.8). Abdomen:
15.5 wide, Epigynum: 2.0 long.
Remarks. The species was found on its web at 09:00 PM
PHT on the shrub Piper aduncum L. or locally known as
“buyo-buyo” (Figure 3.3). Upon collection, the web was
destroyed and the species ran towards the nearest branch
and position itself perpendicularly to the length of the
branch of the plant. Legs were positioned at the side of
the cephalothorax exposing the eyes and the carapace,
forming a wide and flat resting position as if trying to
wrap around the branch (Figure 3.1).
Figure 2. Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898: (A) whole specimen, (B) cephalothorax, (C) carapace, (D) chelicerata,
and (E) epigyne. Scale bars (A) 10 mm and (F) 3 mm.
Mohagan et al.: New Record of Talthybia depressa
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 149 No. 3, September 2020
525
Figure 3. Talthybia depressa Thorell, 1898 (1 – dorsolateral view; 2 – dorsal view) collected on the branch of
Piper aduncum L. or locally known as “buyo-buyo” (3), an invasive plant species in Marilog District,
Davao City, Philippines.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the DARE TO
(Discovery-Applied Research and Extension for Trans/
Interdisciplinary Opportunities) program entitled
“Saving Terrestrial Biodiversity: Inventory, Assessment,
Conservation and Capability Building in Marilog
Forest Reserve, Southern Mindanao, Philippines” of the
Commission on Higher Education as the funding agency.
The MAMATRIPCEDI (Matigsalug-Manobo Tribal
People Council of Elders Davao Inc.), local researchers,
and also to stakeholders for the collaborations. Likewise
appraised is the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Region 11 Office for the issuance of GP. The
authors would like to acknowledge the Central Mindanao
University through the leadership of Dr. Jesus Antonio
G. Derije, University President, for his valuable help in
implementing and supporting the research.
REFERENCES
ACMA FM, MENDEZ NP, LAGUNDAY NE, AMO-
ROSO VB. 2019. New Record of Plagiostachys albi-
flora Ridl. (Zingeberaceae) in the Philippines. Modern
Phytomorphology 13: 5–8.
AMOROSO VB, MENDEZ NP, LAGUNDAY N. 2018.
Mitrastemonaceae: A New Family Record for the Phil-
ippines. Philippine Journal of Science 147(4): 775–779.
BONNET P. 1959. Bibliographia araneorum. Toulouse
2(5): 4231–5058.
HAN GX, ZHU MS, LEVI HW. 2009. On two rare South-
East Asian araneid genera: Deione and Talthybia (Ara-
neae: Araneidae). Zootaxa 2297: 55–63. DOI: http://
dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2297.1.5
MOHAGAN AB, LEAŃO EP, MELENCIO MG, PA-
TANO JR. RP, HONGCO AL, AMOROSO VB. 2020.
Yellow Striped Giraffehopper Spartolus pugionatus
Stål, 1877 comb. resurr. (Tetrigidae: Ophiotettegini)
inhabits Mindanao Island of the Philippines’ archi-
pelago. Zootaxa 4722(6): 591–600.
SKEJO J, CABALLERO JHS. 2016. A hidden Pygmy
Devil from the Philippines: Arulenus miae sp. nov.—a
new species serendipitously discovered in an amateur
Facebook post (Tetrigidae: Discotettiginae). Zootaxa
4067(3): 383–393.
Mohagan et al.: New Record of Talthybia depressa
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 149 No. 3, September 2020
526
THORELL T. 1898. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea in Birmania
e regioni vicine. LXXX. Secondo saggio sui Ragni
birmani. II. Retitelariae et Orbitelariae. Annali Museo.
Civico. Storia. Naturale. Giacomo Doria, Genova
(2)19: 271–378.
Mohagan et al.: New Record of Talthybia depressa
Philippine Journal of Science
Vol. 149 No. 3, September 2020
527
