Anopsicus ana Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 7-11

Anopsicus ana Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:283F2FD5-A9CA-4D33-B061-5F0EE48AABAF

Figs 1–2 , 5–12 , 14–16 , 1025, 1033

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by combination of body size (total body length ~1.0); procursus shape ( Figs 7–8 ; weakly sclerotized flat sclerite, wide in lateral view, narrow in dorsal view); processes of genital bulb ( Fig. 9 ; straight apophysis accompanied by membranous process); armature of male chelicerae ( Figs 10–11 ; pair of frontal processes pointing downwards); epigynum ( Figs 14–15 ; only posterior margin sclerotized, sclerotized area wider laterally than medially); and internal female genitalia ( Figs 12 , 16 ; pore plates in vertical position on tent-like sclerite).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Falcón • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21812), Península de Paraguaná , Cerro Santa Ana (11.8141° N, 69.9478° W), 380 m a.s.l., 17 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – Falcón • 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 21813), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18- 190), same collection data as for holotype • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 21814), and 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18-188), Península de Paraguaná , Cerro Santa Ana (11.8202° N, 69.9447° W), 530 m a.s.l., 17 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 21815), and 5 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18-178), Península de Paraguaná , Cueva del Guano (11.9000° N, 69.9479° W), 140 m a.s.l., 16 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.05, carapace width 0.45. Distance PME–PME 40 µm; diameter PME 30 µm; distance PME–ALE 15 µm; AME absent. Leg 1: 2.55 (0.65+0.15 + 0.70 +0.70 +0.35), tibia 2: 0.45, tibia 3: 0.40, tibia 4: 0.60; tibia 1 L/d: 12.

COLOR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs ochre-yellow, ocular area and clypeus barely darker, carapace with very indistinct radial marks and internal posterior dark mark; legs ochre yellow, without dark rings; abdomen pale bluish gray with small darker bluish mark in gonopore area.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Ocular area not raised. Carapace with very shallow, almost non-existent thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum barely wider than long (0.32/0.30). Abdomen globular.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 10–11 , with pair of simple pointed frontal processes directed downwards; without modified hairs and stridulatory ridges.

PALPS. As in Figs 5–6 ; coxa with retrolateral apophysis, trochanter barely modified, femur proximally with large retrolateral process, distally with short ventral process directed towards distal (asterisk in Fig. 8 ); procursus ( Figs 7–8 ) weakly sclerotized flat sclerite, wide in lateral view, narrow in dorsal view, with small cuticular spines on retrolateral side, distally with two points directed towards ventral; genital bulb ( Fig. 9 ) distally with straight apophysis accompanied by membranous process (the latter presumably carrying the sperm duct).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 53%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; femur 3 not thickened; tarsus 1 with ~7 pseudosegments, difficult to see in light microscope.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in nine males (incl. holotype): 0.65–0.85 (mean 0.73); the two males from the cave (Cueva del Guano) have the longest legs (0.80, 0.85); all other males range from 0.65–0.75. Eyes and coloration do not seem to differ between epigean and hypogean males.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 2 ). Tibia 1 in eight females: 0.70–1.05 (mean 0.81); the two females from the cave have the longest legs (0.90, 1.05); all other females range from 0.70–0.85. Without stridulatory apparatus between prosoma and abdomen. Epigynum ( Fig. 14 ) simple flat plate, only posterior margin sclerotized, sclerotized area wider laterally than medially; internal structures partly visible through cuticle (often bluish or greenish). Most females with genital plug and epigynal plate tilted up to more or less vertical position. Internal genitalia ( Figs 12 , 15–16 ) with pore plates in vertical position on tent-like sclerite.

Distribution

Known from two neighboring localities on the Paraguaná peninsula in the Venezuelan state Falcón (Fig. 1033).

Natural history

At Cerro Santa Ana the spiders were found in the leaf litter, sitting or running directly on the undersides of dead leaves; no webs were seen. They seemed to prefer the higher and more humid areas of the mountain [where they occurred very close to Pisaboa marcuzzii ( Caporiacco, 1955) comb. nov.]. They were not found in the dryer and lower parts, where the corresponding microhabitat was occupied by Galapa spiniphila Huber sp. nov. and Modisimus culicinus (Simon, 1893) .

In the cave Cueva del Guano, the spiders were found on the undersides of small rocks in the twilight area; Chisosa caquetio Huber, 2019 occurred in the same place but was found in dead bromeliads on the ground that had fallen into the entrance area of the cave; no pholcids were found in the very hot, humid, and entirely dark deeper parts of the cave, where abundant ticks of the genus Antricola Cooley & Kohls, 1942 were found covering much of the floor of the gallery (see Peck 1982 for a short description of the cave).

Figures

Figs 1–4. Live specimens. 1–2. Anopsicus ana Huber sp. nov.; male from Falcón, Cueva del Guano and female from Cerro Santa Ana. 3–4. Blancoa piacoa Huber, 2000; male and female with egg sac from Bolívar, Ciudad Guayana.

Figs 5–9. Anopsicus ana Huber sp. nov.; from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21813). 5–6. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 7–8. Left male tarsus and procursus, prolateral and retrolateral views (asterisk: ventral femur apophysis). 9. Left genital bulb, prolateral (slightly dorsal) view. Scale lines: 0.1 mm.

Figs 10–13. Anopsicus ana Huber sp. nov. (10–12); from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21813), and Blancoa piacoa Huber, 2000 (13); from Delta Amacuro, between El Triunfo and Piacoa (ZFMK Ar 21816). 10–11. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 12–13. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal views. Abbreviations: pp =pore plates; r=receptacle. Scale lines: 0.1 mm.

Figs 14–19. Epigyna, ventral views, and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. 14– 16. Anopsicus ana Huber sp. nov.; from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21813). 17–19. Blancoa piacoa Huber, 2000; from Delta Amacuro, between El Triunfo and Piacoa (ZFMK Ar 21816).