Fernandezina angeloi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 426893C3-8905-4512-8F3E-3A5E4252F707

Figs 1, 4c–d, 5d–e, 6

Type material. Holotype: BRAZIL, Minas Gerais: Januária, Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, entrance of the Lapa do Cipó cave, 782 m [15°7’22.8’’S, 44°16’51’’W], L.S. Carvalho coll., 3/III/2020, 1 J (CHNUFPI 4177).

Etymology. Patronym after Prof. Dr. Angelo Barbosa Monteiro Machado (1934–2020), a colleague who has made significant contributions to our understanding of Neotropical dragonfly and damselfly systematics and biology.

Diagnosis. The male pedipalp resembles the general conformation of F. pulchra (Cala-Riquelme et al. 2018, figs 31–33), F. pelta (Platnick 1975, figs 85–86) and F. maldonado (Platnick et al. 1999, figs 19–21) by the presence of a basal ledge and a laminar expansion of the embolus. F. angeloi is distinguished by the basal ledge almost continuous to the laminar expansion that stands dorsally and prolaterally (Figs 4c–d, 5d–e).

Description. Male holotype (CHNUFPI 4177). Total length 2.4. Carapace (Fig. 6a, c): reddish brown, with rough rugosity; 1.20 long, 0.80 wide (at leg II), 0.70 high (at leg II). Sternum (Fig. 6b, e): reddish brown, with rough rugosity; 0.71 long, 0.59 wide (at leg II). Eyes: posterior median eyes separated by about their diameter. Chelicerae: paturon with inconspicuous lateral ridge. Legs: reddish-orange; femur I 1.00 long, 0.3 high. Leg I with sparse prolateral scopula on tibia, metatarsus and tarsus. Tarsi without claw tufts. Opisthosoma (Fig. 6a–b, d, f): 1.20 long, 1.00 wide; opisthosomal scutum reddish-brown, darkening posteriorly, covering ca. 80% of dorsum, with smooth surface; unsclerotized portion of opisthosoma with conspicuous chevron pattern dorsally, with dark transversal bands and a single median dark longitudinal band, ochre background; ventrally, anterior half with uniform ochre background and posterior half with scattered dark patches. Pedipalps: femur slightly thickened ventrally at middle, tibia globose but slightly smaller than bulb; bulb relatively small, embolus with small basal ledge almost continuous to dorsal and prolaterally directed and translucent extension at about three-quarters of its length, and long, sinuous tip (Figs. 4c–d, 5d–e).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from the type-locality, the Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil (Fig. 1).

Natural history. The holotype was collected in the entrance of a karstic cave, within the Brazilian semiarid domain (i.e., Caatinga). The single specimen was collected after a 15 hours * person sampling effort, carried out by four collectors, including searches in the cave surroundings (6 hours * person), cave entrance (1 hour * person) and in the aphotic zone of the cave (8 hours * person). Samplings carried out in other 11 caves did not reveal any other specimens of this species.