Metagonia sp.

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 61-64

Metagonia sp. , ‘‘I.D. #4’’: Huber, 1999: fig. 17.

TYPE: Male holotype from Tingo Maria , Dept. Huánuco, Peru ; Nov. 21, 1946 (J. C. Pallister), in AMNH .

ETYMOLOGY: The species name is a noun in apposition, derived from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: Representative of group 3 above; close relative of M. samiria , n. sp., easily distinguished by the procursus (compare figs. 230–231 with 238–240).

MALE (holotype): Total length 3.6, carapace width 1.1; leg measurements (legs loose or missing): femur 1: 9.1, tibia 3: 3.3. Habitus as in fig. 226. Carapace ochre, with dark brown mark (fig. 228), without thoracic groove, ocular area and clypeus dark brown, distance PME-ALE about 20% of PME diameter. Clypeus with strong, reddish-brown apophyses (fig. 227); sternum light ochreyellow. Chelicerae ochre-yellow, unmodified except pair of black (sclerotized?) areas proximolaterally. Palps ochre-yellow to light brown, procursus reddish-brown with black spines; coxa without apophysis, femur without proximal retrolateral apophysis, but with strong prolateroventral apophysis consisting of various black cones (fig. 229), at rest lodged into cavity of procursus; procursus complex (figs. 230–231), slightly spiraling, apparently without hinged process; bulb consisting of simple globular part and tubular embolus ending in spine (fig. 230). Legs ochre-yellow, with dark brown patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints. Opisthosoma ochregray, with some light brown spots (fig. 226).

FEMALE: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from type locality (map 1).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: PERU: Huánuco: Tingo Maria: type above.

Metagonia taruma , new species Figures 232–237

TYPES: Male holotype from ‘‘ Kuyuwini Landing , Kuyuwini ni river,’’ Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo, Guyana ; Nov. 20 –21, 1937 (W. G. Hassler), in AMNH ; 13 paratype from same locality, same data, in MZF .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition honoring the Taruma, a tropical forest people in Guyana who were devastated by an influenza epidemic in the mid-1920s. By 1980, only a handful of Taruma descendents were still aware of their tribal origins.

DIAGNOSIS: Easily distinguished from oth- er representatives of group 3 above by the unpaired clypeal apophysis (fig. 233), the shape of the long palpal femur apophysis (fig. 234), and details of the procursus (figs. 235–236).

MALE (holotype): Total length 2.7, carapace width 0.8; legs fragmented. Carapace ochre, with dark brown mark as in M. tingo (cf. fig. 228), but with light longitudinal band within dark mark, without thoracic groove; ocular area brown, distance PME-ALE about 20% of PME diameter. Clypeus light brown, with strong median apophysis (fig. 233); sternum light ochre. Chelicerae ochre-yellow, unmodified. Palps light brown, femur apophysis and procursus slightly darker; coxa without retrolateral apophysis, femur without proximal retrolateral apophysis, but with long prolateroventral apophysis (fig. 234), at rest lodged into cavity of procursus (asterisk in fig. 236); procursus complex (figs. 235–236), slightly spiraling, apparently without hinged process, with several distal spines and fringes; bulb consisting of simple globular part and tubular embolus ending in spine. Legs light ochre, with darker patellae and tibia-metatarsus joints; retrolateral trichoboth- rium of tibia 1 at 10%. Opisthosoma shape, color, and spots as in M. tingo (cf. fig. 226).

FEMALE: Unknown.

VARIATION: The procursus of the male from Shudicar River (see below) differs slightly (fig. 237), but the apophyses on the palpal femur and clypeus are identical. The male from Manaus differs slightly with respect to the relative sizes of the distal elements of the procursus, and the clypeus apophysis (the lateral wings are more prominent). Measurements of this male: carapace width 0.95; leg 1: (7.2+0.4+7.3, rest missing), tibia 2: 4.1, tibia 3: 2.3, tibia 4: 3.9; tibia 1 l/d: 92.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Guyana and Brazil (Amazonas) (map 1).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: GUYANA: Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo: types above ;

Shudicar River, Upper Essequibo River, Jan. 1, 1938 (W. G. Hassler), 13 in AMNH. BRAZIL: Amazonas: Reserva Ducke, Manaus, Dec. 6, 1993 (H. Höfer), 13 in MCN (25175).

Figures

Figs. 232–237. Metagonia taruma, n. sp., male. 232–233. Prosoma, ventral and frontal views. 234. Right palpal femur, retrolateral view. 235–236. Right procursus of male from Kuyuwini Landing, dorsal (235) and ventral (236) views (asterisk marks area where femur apophysis is lodged at rest). 237. Right procursus of a male from Shudicar River, ventral view. Scale lines: 0.5 mm (232–233, 235–237), 0.3 mm (234).