''Wanniyala hakgala'' is a species of

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

of the genus ''

Wanniyala ''Wanniyala'' is a genus of cellar spiders native to Sri Lanka, first described by Huber & Benjamin in 2005. They have six eyes and four pair of legs and grow up to 2 mm in length. The abdomen is globular and males have a distinctive dista ...

''. It is endemic to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The species was described with a male found from

Hakgala Hakgala is a mountain situated in the Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka at above mean sea level, most parts of the mountain are covered with forest belonging to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve. Hakgala Botanical Garden is situated on the northeast ...

area, hence the specific name.

Description

Male of species is differentiated by its counterpart species '' Wanniyala agrabopath'' by epigynum with pointed projection, ochre-yellow carapace with wide blackish median band with lateral dark margins. Opisthosoma grey with black pattern dorsally and dark patterns ventrally as well. Sternum is light brown in color, while legs are pale ochre-yellow. Female is much similar to male, but with an unmodified clypeus.

Distribution

Exclusively endemic to central hills of Sri Lanka, the species is found only from three localities around Nuwara Eliya district and

Kandy district Kandy District ( si, මහනුවර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය, ta, கண்டி மாவட்டம்) is a district of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its area is 1906.3 km². Administrative divisions Ethnic ...

. The type locality is from Hakgala, and the two other sites are from Kumbukana and Nonawatte wet slope.

References

Pholcidae Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka Spiders of Asia Spiders described in 2005 {{Pholcidae-stub

Description

Distribution

See also

References