Janula Strand, 1932

Rodrigues, Everton Nei Lopes, Rodrigues, Patrícia E. S., Brescovit, Antonio D. & Koh, Joseph K. H., 2022, An update on the phylogeny of Spintharinae with analysis based on morphological characters and taxonomy of Janula (Araneae, Theridiidae), Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 22 (3), pp. 749-787 : 767-770

Genus Janula Strand, 1932

Janulus Thorell, 1881: 163 (Type species: Janulus bicornis Thorell, 1881 , female from Cape York, Queensland, Australia, L. M. D’Albertis leg., deposited in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova), preoccupied by Janulus Lowe, 1852 .

Janula Strand, 1932: 139 . Replaced name for Janulus Thorell, 1881 .

Monetoculus Wunderlich, 2008: 340 , figs. 391–394 (Type species: Monetoculus parvus Wunderlich, 2008 , male from Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia, VIII.1980, J. Wunderlich leg., deposited in the Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Germany). Synonymized by Yoshida & Koh, 2011: 79.

Diagnosis Janula is a genus of Spintharinae which is recognized by a combination of the following characters: colulus small, less than half the length of setae; dorsal margin of the comb bristles in tarsus IV notched; conductor developed with distal portion enlarged with respect to base; and conductor large and complexly folded, unlike the conductor of any other theridiids. Janula differs from other Spintharinae genera by the presence of two conical tubercles behind the anterior median eyes (Figs. 4, 17, 23, 27, 46). There are no such tubercles in other Spintharinae genera, with the possible exception of Brunepisinus which has a single conical tubercle behind the anterior median eyes (see Yoshida & Koh, 2011: figs. 57, 58, 63, 64).

Description See Yoshida and Koh (2011).

Note The genus Episinus is based on the morphology of the body and palpus of the European type species, E. truncatus Latreille, 1809 ( Knoflach, 1993; Knoflach & Thaler, 2000). The abdomen of Episinus truncatus of the Old World is not trapezoidal, but rather elongated and truncated in front, different from the trapezoidal abdomen seen in Janula . However, the Neotropical species of the Episinus that are still classified under the genus have a trapezoidal abdomen, with the same conformation as in Janula . Knoflach and Thaler (2000) noted the absence of tubercles behind the anterior median eyes among all European species of Episinus . However, this characteristic is present in Janula . Due to these differences, possibly many of the New World species currently in Episinus are different from the Old World species. According to Yoshida and Koh (2011), some of the American species described under the genus Episinus may also belong to the genus Janula . We present here in this work many new combinations for Neotropical species, but still many more species will need revision.

Species and new combinations Sixteen species are transferred from Episinus to Janula : Janula aspus ( Levi, 1964a n. comb., J. batman Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. bicornigera ( Simon, 1894a, b), J. bicornis ( Thorell, 1881) , J. bicruciata ( Simon, 1895) , J. bifrons (Thorell, 1895) , J. bizona Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. bruneiensis Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. bubalis Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. chiapensis ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. colima ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. crysus ( Buckup & Marques, 1992) n. comb., J. cuzco ( Levi, 1967b) n. comb., J. dominica ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. erythrophthalma ( Simon, 1894a) , J. jimmyi ( Chavari & Brescovit, 2014) n. comb., J. juarezi ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. luteolimbata (Thorell, 1898) , J. malachina ( Simon, 1895) , J. moyobamba ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., J. marginata (Thorell, 1898) , J. modesta (Thorell, 1898) , J. nadleri ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. nebulosa ( Simon, 1895) , J. ocreata ( Simon, 1909) , J. panamensis ( Levi, 1955) n. comb., J. pyrus ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., J. parva ( Wunderlich, 2008) , J. picta ( Simon, 1895) , J. salobrensis ( Simon, 1895) , J. taprobanica ( Simon, 1895) , J. teresopolis ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., J. triangularis Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. triocellata Yoshida & Koh, 2011 , J. unitus ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., J. vaticus ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., J. zurlus ( Levi, 1964a) n. comb., and more seven new species described below.

Distribution Central and Southern America (Bahama Is., Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad, Venezuela); tropical Asia ( Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam) and Australia.

Janula pimenta E. N. L. Rodrigues sp. nov (Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 56).

Type material Holotype ♂, Pimenta Bueno (11° 40′ 21″ S, 61° 11′ 37″ W), Rondônia, Brazil, VII.2000, M. Carvalho leg. ( IBSP 49,272 ) . Paratypes: ♀ ( IBSP 49,273 ) and ♂ ( MCN 43,457 ) same data as holotype ; 2 ♂, Serra do Cachimbo (07° 08′ 49″ S, 55° 22′ 55″ W), Novo Progresso, Pará, Brazil, 13.IX.2003, A. B. Bonaldo leg. ( MPEG 1268 , MPEG 5648 ) .

Etymology The specific name is a noun in apposition, taken from the type locality.

Diagnosis Male palp of Janula pimenta sp. nov. resembles those of J. flores sp. nov. by the shape of TTA with truncated and serrated apex (Fig. 3), but differs by the apical projection of the conductor is thorn shape (Fig. 3), while in J. flores sp. nov., the apex is hook-shape (Figs. 20, 45). The female of Janula pimenta sp. nov. (Figs. 5, 6) may be distinguished from all other species of the genus by the wide and conspicuous median subtriangular depression, with demarcated openings; dorsally the copulatory ducts make two semicircles (Fig. 6).

Male (holotype). Carapace rounded (Fig. 4), whitish yellow, except wide reddish median-longitudinal band. Ocular region reddish. Two conical tubercles behind the anterior median eyes developed. Chelicerae, endites, and sternum whitish yellow. Legs whitish, the IV slightly darkened in the distal portion of the femora, patellae, and metatarsi. Abdomen trapezoidal, anterior margin bilobed, and straight lateral angles. Dorsum with abundant irregular white spots and lateral reddish. Dorsum with five pointed projections (Fig. 4), four lateral projections, two on each side, and one median pointed projection. Venter whitish. AME larger than the others and PLE smaller. AME separated by their diameter and close to the ALE. PME apart from each other by their diameter.

Measures. Total length 1.48. Carapace: length 0.60, width 0.56. Leg formula 1423. Leg length I: femora 1.18; patellae + tibiae 1.38; metatarsi 1.06; tarsi 0.54; total 4.16. Patellae + tibiae: II 0.83; III 0.56; IV 0.94.

Female (paratype, IBSP 49,273). Carapace oval with abundant reddish pigment. Legs whitish, the IV lightly darkened in the distal portion of the femora. Abdomen trapezoidal, dorsum with abundant reddish pigment, and absence of white dots and with five pointed projections, four lateral projections, two on each side, and one median pointed projection. Venter lightly reddish. AME larger than the others and lateral eyes smaller. AME separated by their diameter and close to the ALE. PME apart from each other by less their diameter.

Measures. Total length 1.62. Carapace: length 0.63, width 0.61. Leg formula 1423. Leg length I: femora 1.35; patellae + tibiae 1.62; metatarsi 1.25; tarsi 0.60; total 4.82. Patellae + tibiae: II 0.92; III 0.60; IV 1.05.