Linothele quori, Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2015

Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2015, Descriptions of four kleptoparasitic spiders of the genus Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) and their potential host spider species in the genus Linothele (Araneae, Dipluridae) from Ecuador, Zootaxa 3972 (3), pp. 343-368 : 361-364

Linothele quori new species

Figs. 41–48 , 50 , 51

Material examined. Male holotype from Ecuador, Santo Domingo de Las Tsáchilas , Parroquia San José de Alluriquín, La Florida (00.25254°S 79.03043°W), 884m, 20.xi.2014, hand collected from female’s web, with 1♀ Mysmenopsis chiquita symbiont, E. Tapia, I. Tapia, A. Tapia and N. Dupérré ( QCAZ). Female paratype same data, collected with 1♂ 1♀ Mysmenopsis chiquita symbionts ( QCAZ).

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Santo Domingo de Las Tsáchilas : Parroquia San José de Alluriquín, La Florida (00.25254°S 79.03043°W), 884m, 30.xi.2014, 1♀hand collected from web with 2 juvenile M. chiquita ( MECN);1♀ 1 juvenile hand collected from web with 1♀ M. chiquita (DTC), hand collected from web with 1♀ M. chiquita ( AMNH); 1♀juvenile hand collected from web with 4 juveniles of M. chiquita, E. Tapia, I. Tapia, A. Tapia and N. Dupérré (DTC); 17.xii.2014, 1♀ 2 juveniles hand collected from web, E. Tapia (DTC). Cotopaxi: San Francisco de Las Pampas, Casa César Tapia (00.42415°S 78.95719°W), 1426m, 25.xii.2014, hand collected from web attached to tree trunk, 2♀juvenile, E.Tapia, I. Tapia and C. Tapia (DTC); February 2012, 1 ♂1♀, hand collected, César Tapia ( AMNH).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ quori ” is taken from the Kichwa language and means golden.

Diagnosis. Males and females are diagnosed by their unique gold and purple colour ( Fig. 41 ). Males are further distinguished by the straight embolus with slightly bent tip ( Fig. 44 ); females by their wide and short spermathecae ( Fig. 42, 43 ), elongated and tapering apically in all other species.

Description. Male: Total length: 11.5; carapace length: 5.0; carapace width: 5.0; abdomen length: 6.5; abdomen width 6.3. Cephalothorax: Carapace as long as wide, brown with black lateral bands, abundantly covered with golden setae, with long black setae at margin and scattered over the carapace; cephalic region elevated, delimited by weak furrow; fovea recurved and deep. Chelicerae brown, with a few golden setae and long black setae; promargin with nine teeth, fang furrow without denticles, retromargin without teeth. Labium with two cuspules, light brown. Maxillae light brown with ~22 cuspules, maxillary lyra absent. Sternum brown with median light band, covered with long, erect, black setae, flat, as long as wide, with three oval to rounded sigilla, weakly rebordered, border light yellow ( Fig. 45 ). EYES: eight on a tubercle; AME rounded, separated by half their width; LE-PME oval, LE touching, ALE the largest; PME oval the smallest, separated by four times their diameter; anterior row straight, posterior row recurved. Abdomen: Elongated oval, yellow-brown with purplish mesh pattern (purplish pattern appears dark brown in alcohol), covered with short golden and black erect setae; ventrally with purplish pattern covered with black setae. Spinnerets: PLS yellow-brown with dark purple mark, missing last segment; PMS light yellow with dark purplish tip, total length: 1.0. Legs: Light yellow-brown with dark brown bands medially on femora, apically on tibiae and basally and apically on metatarsi, covered with black setae, except coxae and trochanters covered with golden setae; leg I with tibial retrolateral megaspine apically ( Fig. 46 ); metatarsus I with small, basal tubercle ( Fig. 46 ); tarsi I–IV flexible and pseudosegmented, with well-developed scopulae; metatarsal preening combs absent; leg formula 4123; total length: I 24.0 II 23.8 III 21.5 IV 26.0; leg articles length (femur/patella/tibia/metatarsus/tarsus): leg I 6 /3/5/5.5/4.5; leg II 6 /3/4.8/5.5/4.5; leg III 5 /3/4/5.5/4; leg IV 6.5/3/5/7/4.5. Paired tarsal claws bipectinate, claws I–II with rows of 9 teeth, claws III–IV with row of 7 inner and row of 8 outer teeth; third claw bare. Legs spination: leg I: femur d1-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-0-1; tibia r0-1-0, v1- 1 -0; metatarsus v2-2 -2. Leg II: femur d1-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-0-1; tibia r1-1-0, v2-1 -2; metatarsus r1-0-0, v2-2 -2. Leg III: femur d1-1-1, p1-1-1, r0-1-1; tibia p1-1-0, r1-1-0, d1-0-0, v2-2 -2; metatarsus p1-1-1, r1-1-1-1, d0-1-2, v2-2 -3. Leg IV: femur d1-1-1, p1-1-1, r1-1-1; tibia p1-1-0, r1-1-0, d1-1-0, v2-2 -2; metatarsus p1-1-1, r1-1-1-1, d1-1-2, v2- 2 -3. Genitalia: Palpal tibia long and slender; palpal cymbium pointed; bulb pyriform; embolus long and thin, half the length of the tibia ( Fig. 44 ).

Female: Total length: 14.5; carapace length: 6.0; carapace width: 5.5; abdomen length: 8.5; abdomen width 6.7. Cephalothorax: Carapace slightly longer than wide, brown with black lateral bands, abundantly covered with golden setae, with long black setae at margin and scattered over the carapace ( Fig. 41 ); cephalic region elevated, delimited by weak furrow; fovea recurved and deep ( Fig. 41 ). Chelicerae brown, with a few golden and long black setae; promargin with nine teeth, fang furrow without denticles, retromargin without teeth. Labium with two cuspules, brown. Maxillae light brown with ~25 cuspules, maxillary lyra absent. Sternum as in male. Eyes: As in male. Abdomen: Elongated oval, dorsally yellow-brown with purplish mesh pattern (purplish sheen appears dark brown in alcohol), covered with short golden and black erect setae ( Fig. 41 ); ventrally with purplish pattern covered with black setae ( Fig. 47 ). Spinnerets: PLS yellow-brown with dark purplish pattern, total length: 6.0, basal median apical: 1.5/2/2.5 respectively ( Fig. 47 ); PMS light yellow with dark purplish tip, total length: 1.2. Legs: Light yellow-brown with dark brown bands medially and apically on all segments, covered with black setae, except coxae and trochanter covered with golden setae ( Fig. 41 ); tarsi I–IV not flexible and weakly pseudosegmented, with weak scopulae; leg formula 4123; total length: I 16.0 II 15.0 III 14.0 IV 18.8; leg articles length (femur/patella/tibia/metatarsus/tarsus): leg I 4.5/2.5/3.5/3/2.5; leg II 4 /2.5/3/3/2.5; leg III 3.5/2/3/3/2.5; leg IV 5 /2.5/4/4.8/2.5. Paired tarsal claws bipectinate, claws I–II with row of 8 inner and row of 9 outer teeth, claws III–IV with row of 5 inner and row of 7 outer teeth; third claw bare. Palpal claw unipectinate with 11 teeth. Legs spination: leg I: femur d1-1-1, p0-0-1, r0-0-1; tibia r0-1-0, v1-1 -2; metatarsus v2-2 -2. Leg II: femur d1-1-1, r0-0-1; tibia r1-1-0, v1-1 -2; metatarsus r1-0-0, v2-2 -2. Leg III: femur d1-0-0, p0-0-1, r0-1-1; tibia p1-1-0, r1-1-0, d1-0-0, v2-2 -2; metatarsus p1-1-1-1, r1-1-1, d1-1-2, v2-2 -2. Leg IV: femur d1-0-0, r0-0-1; tibia p1-1-0, r1-1-0, d1-0-0, v2- 2 -2; metatarsus p1-1-1-1, r1-1-1, d1-1-2, v1-1 -2. Genitalia: Spermathecae joined at base, wide and short, with small vesicles medially, with or without stalks ( Figs. 42, 43 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de las Tsàchilas Provinces.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in foothill forest. This species builds webs approximately 30 x 20 cm ( Fig. 50 ), with a central funnel that is almost always 1m from the ground, attached to epiphyte bases or tree trunks. The specimens collected live in sympatry with L. tsachilas and L. zaia , but in a very distinctive micohabitat. Two juveniles females were collected in a lowevergreen forest at 1426m, where they build webs of 30 x 20 cm from 1m to 3m from the ground, attached to epiphytes bases or tree trunks ( Figs. 50 , 51).

Figures

FIGURES 41 – 43. Linothele quori n. sp. Female. 41, Female, lateral view. 42, Female holotype internal genitalia, dorsal view. 43, Female paratype internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 44 – 47. Linothele quori n. sp. Male 44 – 46. Female 47. 44, Palp, retrolateral view. 45, Sternum, ventral view. 46, Leg I, prolateral view. 47, Abdomen, ventral view.

FIGURES 49, 50. 49, Web of female Linothele yanachanka n. sp. 50, Web of juvenile Linothele quori n. sp.