Palliduphantes banderolatus Barrientos, 2020

Barrientos, José Antonio, Brañas, Neus & Mederos, Jorge, 2020, The high complexity of Micronetinae Hull, 1920 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) evidenced through ten new cave-dweller species from the Morocco, Zoosystema 42 (1), pp. 1-29 : 18-19

Palliduphantes banderolatus Barrientos n. sp.

( Figs 11 ; 15 A-C)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:958764B5-F3BC-48FE-968C-03E3B45A7258

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Morocco. 1♂; Ifri N’Yzme , Ait Abdallàh, Tarudant; 16.X.2015; L. Auroux leg.; MZB 2015-8578 . Paratypes. Morocco. 1♂, 2♀; same locality and date as the holotype; MZB 2017-0666 • 1♂; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 10, Azour ou Aghroud , Tarhazoute, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 18.X.2015; C. Fontgivell leg.; MZB 2015-8592 .

OTHER MATERIAL. — Morocco. 2 juv.; same locality and date as the holotype; MZB 2017-0667 • 1♀; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 9, Azour ou Aghroud , Tarhazoute, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 18.X.2015; L. Auroux leg.; MZB 2017-0217 • 1♀; same locality; 18.X.2015; L. Auroux leg.; MZB 2017-0221 • 1♀; same locality; 18.X.2015; L. Auroux leg.; MZB 2017-0222 • 1♀; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 10, Azour ou Aghroud , Tarhazoute , Agadir Ida Ou Tanane ( Morocco); 18.X.2015; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2017-0211 • 1♀; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 11, Azour ou Aghroud , Tarhazoute , Agadir Ida Ou Tanane ( Morocco); 18.X.2015; L. Auroux leg.; MZB 2017-0214 .

DIAGNOSIS. — The proximal part of the paracymbium is narrow; the middle part is wider and has an anterior denticle, long and sharp; the anterior part is wide and has rounded contours. In the bulb, the lamella characteristica is elongated and narrow, ending in a sharp point; in a subterminal position, it presents a flat and laminar denticle terminated in two points, like a banderole. The epigyne protrudes on the ventral side of the epigastrum; the posterior wall bears a middle plate, with two juxtaposed rounded areas; the lateral walls protect the scape. The scape is narrow, elongated and almost completely hidden; the proscape, barely individualized, is oriented towards the back, and can be clearly observed in side view; middle and distal parts of the scape describing an inflection in “S” near the median plate. Although the shape of the lamella characteristica individualizes P. banderolatus Barrientos n. sp., its structures relate it to other species of the genus, originated from caves of the Iberian Peninsula, such as P. cortesi Ribera & De Mas, 2003 , P. lorifer (Simon, 1907) or P. cadiziensis ( Wunderlich, 1980) , among others.

ETYMOLOGY. — The name refers to the shape of the lamella characteristica, narrow and elongated at its base, and dilated in an expansion that recalls a “banderole”, in its distal part.

DISTRIBUTION. — The localities in which this new species has been captured are located in Ait Abdallàh, province of Taroudant, Antiatlas, in southern Morocco.

DESCRIPTION

Male (holotype)

Body. Total body length 1.91. Carapace, 0.83 long and 0.69 wide, brown yellowish, and uniform. Hairs scattered in the cephalic area, up to the eyes. Eyes developed and areolated of black. Chelicerae: 0.39 long of the basal portion, with three teeth on the promargin. Legs yellow amber, a bit more intense in the basal parts and in the first legs (femora I and II); relatively long and thin; measurements: leg I (1.22 + 0.27 + 1.25 + 1.17 + 0.73), leg II (1.13 + 0.27 + 1.08 + 1.08 + 0.69), leg III (0.95 +‰.24 +‰.83 +‰.83 +‰.44), and leg IV (1.13 + 0.27 + 1.08 + 1.15 + 0.69). Opisthosoma, length 1.00 and width 0.69, pale grayish color, without dorsal pigmentary pattern, but covered with brown hairs scattered throughout the integument.

Palp and copulatory bulb ( Figs 11 A-C; 15C). Proximal part of paracymbium narrow and with parallel sides, with some short hairs; middle part noticeably wider and flattened, with a long, sharp denticle in the anterior area, and only one more pronounced ridge on its posterior margin; so that the “pockets” are poorly marked; anterior part also wide, with rounded contours, and extended backwards by a laminar curved structure. Bulb as on Figure 11A, B : lamella characteristica clearly visible elongated and narrow, ending in a sharp, slightly curved tip; in a subterminal position, with a flat and laminar denticle, finished in two points, like a banderole. Radix revealing the Fickert’s gland and distally developing a small sharp tip (only visible with the expanding bulb). Terminal apophysis emerging from radix middle part, sublaminar and rounded. Embolus in more distal position, with two sclerotized tips and protected by a laminar protrusion. Below the radix, forward and clearly visible at the anterior end, the suprategular apophysis, curved and pointed, protruding.

Female (paratype [ MZB 2017-0666])

Body. Total body length 1.86. Carapace, 0.78 long by 0.66 wide, with a uniform yellow-amber brown color, without pigmentary pattern, but with some hairs scattered on the cephalic part. Eyes well developed, in regular arrangement (two transversal lines) and areolated of black. Chelicerae: 0.42 of length, same coloration as the carapace; with three separate teeth on the promargin and of similar size (as in the male). Legs yellow-amber, like the carapace, long and thin; measurements: leg I (1.32 + 0.34 + 1.32 + 1.22 + 0.83), leg II (1.22 + 0.32 + 1.15 + 1.13 + 0.73), leg III (1.05 + 0.29 + 0.83 + 0.93 + 0.54), and leg IV (1.30 + 0.29 + 1.17 + 1.08 + 0.69). Legs covered with a fine hairiness accompanied by some spines. Opisthosoma, 0.98 long by 0.73 wide, dark gray, without a defined pigmentary pattern, but with some diffuse macules, paler and transverse, on its dorsal side. Covered with numerous scattered hairs, dark and quite long.

Female genitalia. Epigyne ( Figs 11 D-F; 15A, B) standing out on the ventral side of the epigastrum, leaning backwards on the surface of the postepigastrum. This arrangement resulting from the lengthening of the anterior wall of the bursa copulatrix (which thereby opens backwards). Anterior wall with a long and scattered hairiness, easy to see, as well as by transparency the two receptacula in the basal area. Posterior wall with the medial plate, consisting of two juxtaposed rounded areas. Lateral walls not forming “wings”, but protecting the scape and with an abundant pilosity, like the anterior wall. Scape narrow, elongated and almost completely hidden, since inflected inmediately and oriented backwards. In this way, proscape slightly differentiated and oriented backwards, narrowing and elongated, being easily observed laterally. Middle part of the scape and distal part small, forming an inflection in “S” that is close to the median plate of the posterior wall.

Palliduphantes cadiziensis ( Wunderlich, 1980)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Morocco. 5♂, 5♀, 8 juv.; Kef Maamram , Ras El Maa, Taza; 16.IX.2016; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2016-4116 • 1♀; same locality; 16.IX.2016; C. Fontgivell leg.; MZB 2016- 4061 • 1♀; Av. Bab Bou Idir, Bab Bou Idir , Taza; 17.IX.2016; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2016-4063 • 1♂; same locality; 17.IX.2016; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2016-4091 .

DIAGNOSIS. — From the description of Wunderlich (1980) we extract the following characters: Lamella characteristica of the male bulb elongated and bifurcated distally; embolus pointed. Thick and protruding epigyne; scape strongly curved, with its narrow distal part. The carapace and the legs are yellowish or ochre-yellowish in color. Eyes are areolated in black. Opisthosoma gray to dark gray, often with some paler spots.

DISTRIBUTION. — Although the type locality (Algeciras, Cádiz) is located in the south of Spain ( Wunderlich 1980), this species has been mentioned later in several localities of Morocco ( Bosmans 2006), including in the region of Taza, in the two cavities that we have previously indicated.

Figures

FIG. 11. — Palliduphantes banderolatus Barrientos n. sp., genital organs: A, B, male copulatory bulb, retrolateral view (A), ventral view (B); C, schema of the embolic division; D-F, epigyne, ventral view (D), lateral view (E), posterior view (F). Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 15. — A, B, epigyne of Palliduphantes banderolatus Barrientos n. sp. in lateral (A) and ventral (B) views;C, male copulatory bulb of P. banderolatus Barrientos n. sp. retrolateral view; D-F, epigyne of Palliduphantes megascapus Barrientos n. sp. in lateral (D) and ventral (E and F) views.