Linothele melloleitaoi ( Brignoli, 1983 )

Drolshagen, Bastian & Bäckstam, Christian M., 2021, A taxonomic review of the mygalomorph spider genus Linothele Karsch, 1879 (Araneae, Dipluridae), Zoosystema 43 (10), pp. 163-196 : 179-180

Linothele melloleitaoi ( Brignoli, 1983)

Diplura maculata Mello-Leitão, 1941b: 236 . — Brignoli 1983: 124 (preoccupied by Thorell, 1890).

Diplura melloleitaoi Brignoli 1983: 124 (homonym replacement name).

Linothele melloleitaoi — Raven 1985: 74. — Silva-Moreira et al. 2010: 31.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Colombia • ♀; Norte de Santander, Cúcuta ; probably lost.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Cúcuta, Colombia.

DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS. — Linothele melloleitaoi resembles L. quori and may be distinguished from it by its flexible leg tarsi, the absence of a ventral pattern from the opisthosoma, alongside its distribution.

DESCRIPTION (FOLLOWING MELLO- LEITÃO 1941 B)

Male

Unknown.

Female

CT = 8. Coloration: Reddish brown; opisthosoma dorsally with pattern of spots that interconnect, ventrally uniformly black; maculae present. Leg formula: 4123. Leg tarsi flexible.

REMARKS

Mello-Leitão (1941b) mentioned no type repository. Most of the type material described by Mello-Leitão has either been deposited at IBSP, or MNRJ. Silva-Morreira et al. (2010) mention Linothele melloleitaoi and refer to Diplura melloleitaoi ( Brignoli, 1983) with no further mention. It remains unclear if the type was deposited in MNRJ collection. Unfortunately, we have to assume the holotype to be lost. According to the first description, maxillary cuspules were present.

A single fragmented male of a Linothele species from Northern Colombia (MCZ) has maculae and a palpal organ of similar shape as the one in males of L. fallax , which certainly differs from the one in L. quori . Without having examined more material from Colombia, it can currently not be assured that the examined male (MCZ) is the conspecific male of L. melloleitaoi . However, this suggests there is another species of Linothele with maculae in northern Colombia that differs from L. quori .

NATURAL HISTORY

Unknown.