Popcornella furcata, Zhang, Jun-Xia & Maddison, Wayne P., 2012

Zhang, Jun-Xia & Maddison, Wayne P., 2012, New euophryine jumping spiders from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae), Zootaxa 3476, pp. 1-54 : 40-42

Popcornella furcata sp. nov.

Figs 191 – 200

Type material. Holotype: male, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Vega: Reserva Científica Ébano Verde (antenna), 19.04° N, 70.518° W, elev. 1460m, cloud forest, 11 July 2009, coll. W. Maddison, G. B. Edwards, J. Zhang, WPM#09-022 (UBC-SEM AR00061). Paratypes: 1 female, same data as holotype (UBC-SEM AR00062); 2 males and 9 females in five vials, same data as holotype.

Etymology. Latin adjective furcata , referring to the forked retrolateral tibial apophysis of male palp.

Diagnosis. Similar in color pattern to the other species in the Dominican Republic, Popcornella spiniformis , but easily distinguished by the forked retrolateral tibial apophysis (Fig. 198), the distinct proximal tegular lobe of the male palp (Fig. 197), and the shape of the epigynum and vulva (Figs 199 – 200).

Description. Male (holotype, UBC-SEM AR00061). Carapace length 1.2 (variation 1.2 – 1.3, n=3); abdomen length 1.1. Chelicera: yellow brown. Palp (Figs 197 – 198): yellow brown to gray brown; dorsal femur and patella covered with white setae. Retrolateral sperm duct loop almost half as wide as the tegulum width; tegular lobe distinct. Retrolateral tibial apophysis short and forked. Measurements of legs: I 2.6, II 2.0, III 2.2, IV 2.3. Color in alcohol (Fig. 195): carapace dark to dark brown, without distinct markings except with some white setae behind fovea; abdomen light yellow brown, with parallel chevron-shaped dark markings; venter of abdomen gray brown; legs yellow brown.

Female (paratype, UBC-SEM AR00062). Carapace length 1.2 (variation 1.0 – 1.2, n=10); abdomen length 1.3. Measurements of legs: I 2.3, II 1.7, III 1.8, IV 2.2. Epigynum (Figs 199 – 200): without distinct window structure; opening to copulatory duct close to epigynal groove. Copulatory ducts very short; spermathecae kidney-shaped. Color in alcohol (Fig. 196): carapace dark brown to yellow brown; abdomen dark brown with light yellow brown speckles and markings; legs light yellow proximally and gray brown distally.

Natural history. Specimens were found in leaf litter in a cloud forest, especially by taking loose well-drained litter onto a beating sheet and sorting through it.

Figures 201–204. Popcornella nigromaculata sp. nov. 201 – 202 male paratype; 203 – 204 female paratype. Figures 201 – 204 are copyright © 2012 W. P. Maddison, released under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 3.0 license.

Figures 205–210. Popcornella nigromaculata sp. nov. 205 male paratype, dorsal view; 206 female paratype, dorsal view; 207 male left palp, ventral view; 208 male left palp, retrolateral view; 209 epigynum, ventral view; 210 cleared epigynum, dorsal view. Scale bars: 205 – 206, 0.5 mm; 207 – 210, 0.1 mm.