Escaphiella chiapa, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, The American Goblin Spiders Of The New Genus Escaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (328), pp. 1-151 : 56

Escaphiella chiapa , new species Figures 291–318 ; map 5

TYPES: Male holotype and female allotype taken on a hillside 5 mi NE of Chiapa, Chiapas, Mexico (Aug. 22, 1966; J., W. Ivie), deposited in AMNH (PBI_OON 31048) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: Males can be distinguished by their unique form of palpal asymmetry, in which the left palp is slightly reduced (figs. 303–309; in the other species with asymmetric palps, it is the right palp that is smaller), females by the relatively small anterior epigynal sclerite, which is only slightly wider posteriorly than anteriorly (fig. 315).

MALE (PBI_OON 26827): Total length 1.40 (figs. 291, 292, 295). Carapace pale orange, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica granulate, sides granulate; lateral margins with blunt denticles (figs. 293, 296). Eyes: ALE circular, PME squared; ALE touching, ALE-PLE touching, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME touching (fig. 294). Sternum pale orange, without radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV, surface smooth, microsculpture absent (fig. 298). Chelicerae, endites, and labium pale orange. Abdomen ovoid; book lung covers large, ovoid; pedicel tube medium, ribbed, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel, small scutal ridge present above pedicel, with secondary ridge joining book lungs (figs. 301, 302); dorsal scutum pale orange, covering full length of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above, middle surface finely reticulate, sides finely reticulate; postepigastric scutum pale orange, sides finely striate, rugose (figs. 297, 299). PMS present, with one spigot (light microscope). Legs pale orange. Right palp consistently different from left palp, slightly larger, more robust (figs. 303–309), proximal segments pale orange; embolus dark; femur normal size; cymbium and bulb pale orange.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 26827): Total length 1.44 (figs. 300, 312, 314, 316). Abdomen with soft portions of dorsum white (figs. 310, 313); book lung covers small; margins of anterior part of epigastric scutum with small ridge and granulations (figs. 317, 318); postepigastric scutum with sides reticulate only along margins. Anterior epigynal sclerite not greatly widened posteriorly (figs. 311, 315).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: MEXICO: Chiapas: hillside 5 mi NE Chiapa , 16 ° 459N, 92 ° 589W, Aug. 22, 1966 (J., W. Ivie, AMNH PBI_OON 26827), 228, 36♀, Aug. 26, 1966 (J., W. Ivie, AMNH PBI_OON 36877), 98, 12♀ ; rim of canyon at Sumidero , 16 ° 509N, 93 ° 059W, July 30, 1966 (J., W. Ivie, AMNH PBI_OON 36880), 1♀ ; Tuxtla Gutiérrez , July 20, 1947 (C., M. Goodnight, AMNH PBI_OON 36878), 1♀ ; rim of gorge NE Tuxtla Gutiérrez , 2 mi S Sumidero, 16 ° 489N, 93 ° 049W, Aug. 17, 1966 (J., W. Ivie, AMNH PBI_OON 36879), 1♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Chiapas, Mexico (map 5).

Figures

Figs. 291–300. Escaphiella chiapa, new species. 291. Male habitus, dorsal view. 292. Same, ventral view. 293. Male carapace, dorsal view. 294. Male habitus, anterior view. 295. Same, lateral view. 296. Male carapace, lateral view. 297. Male epigastric region, ventral view. 298. Male cephalothorax, ventral view. 299. Male abdomen, ventral view. 300. Female carapace, lateral view.

Figs. 301–309. Escaphiella chiapa, new species, male. 301. Abdomen, anterior view. 302. Anterior portion of abdomen, lateral view. 303. Left palp, dorsal view. 304. Same, prolateral view. 305. Same, ventral view. 306. Same, retrolateral view. 307. Right palp, prolateral view. 308. Same, ventral view. 309. Same, retrolateral view.

Figs. 310–318. Escaphiella chiapa, new species, female. 310. Habitus, dorsal view. 311. Same, ventral view. 312. Carapace, dorsal view. 313. Habitus, anterior view. 314. Same, lateral view. 315. Epigynum, ventral view. 316. Cephalothorax, ventral view. 317. Abdomen, anterior view. 318. Anterior portion of abdomen, lateral view.