Mysmenopsis awa, Dupérré & Tapia, 2020

Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2020, Megadiverse Ecuador: a review of Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) of Ecuador, with the description of twenty-one new kleptoparasitic spider species, Zootaxa 4761 (1), pp. 1-81 : 18-21

Mysmenopsis awa new species

Figs 41 – 50 , map 1 (green circle).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Esmeraldas Province, Alto Tambo, Sector Palo Amarillo , (00.97681 -78.56061) 620m, 17 Mar. 2019, in Linothele sp. web, E.E. Tapia, I. Tapia ( QCAZ). Paratypes: 2♀, same data (ZMH-A0001887) .

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Esmeraldas Province: Alto Tambo, Reserva Otokiki (00.91271 - 78.57110) 735m, 5 oct. 2015, 3♂ 1♀, in Linothele sp. web, E.E. Tapia ( DTC, ZMH-A0001893 ) .

Etymology. The specific name is in honor of the ancestral Awá indigenous community from Esmeraldas Province, protector of the biodiverse Chocó tropical rain forest where the species was found.

Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from most species by their palp with long and thin cusps, and curved and pointed embolic apophysis ( Figs 46, 48 ); from M. cube n. sp. by their wider and well sclerotized embolic apophysis ( Fig. 48 ), long and transparent in the latter species ( Fig. 8 ). Female most resemble M. viracocha but can be distinguished by the swollen femur I with tubercle ( Fig. 45 ) and shorter fertilization ducts ( Fig. 50 ); femur I slightly swollen and much longer fertilization ducts in the latter species ( Baert 1990, fig. 4).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.67; carapace length: 0.81; carapace width: 0.66; abdomen length: 0.86. Cephalothorax: carapace dark brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 41 ). Sternum dark brown suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark brown; high (4x AME). Chelicerae brown suffused with black; promargin with three teeth; retromargin not observed. Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately equal size; ocular region on protuberance; AME separated by their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their radius. Abdomen: oval, dark grey, with white patches in a sinuous pattern dorso-laterally ( Figs 41, 42 ). Legs: femora I-II dark orange-brown; femora III-IV orange-brown with dark patches ventrally; tibiae I-IV orange-brown with dark brown patches medio and apico-ventrally; metatarsi I-IV light orange-brown with dark band apically, tarsi light orange; femur and tibia I enlarged, metatarsus I slightly curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs and two macrosetae; metatarsus I row of four macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and two clasping spurs apically (small one hidden behind, not visible on image) ( Fig. 44 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.11 (0.98/0.31/0.81/0.48/0.53). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; retrolateral ledge short and chisel, bearing four cusps, ventral ledge protruding, bearing three cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 46 ). Cymbium apically rounded, not excavated (arrow in Fig. 47 ); paracymbium low and rounded prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 47 ). Tegulum rounded ( Fig. 46 ). Embolus short, spine-like, basal apophysis with wide triangular base, sharply pointed ( Figs 46, 48 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.29; carapace length: 1.04; carapace width: 0.82; abdomen length: 1.25. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 41 ), chelicerae and sternum: as in male. Clypeus dark brown; high (4x AME). Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately of equal size; ocular region on lower protuberance; AME separated by their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their radius. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 41, 43 ). Legs: coloration pattern as in male, slightly darker; femur I enlarged with medial, short tubercle ( Fig. 45 ). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with five to six macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.5 (1.12/0.28/0.94/0.63/0.53). Genitalia: epigynum protruding, anterior margin not well delimited, posterior epigynal margin mostly straight ( Fig. 49 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with straight ventral margin ( Fig. 50 ). Internal genitalia: spermathecae large and rounded; copulatory ducts short, straight; fertilization ducts well sclerotized basally, apically transparent and curved ( Fig. 50 ).

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Esmeraldas Province.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele web, the species inhabit the Andean region and was found in an evergreen foothill forest on the western side of the Andes (BsPn01) ( Guevara & Morales 2013) at 620m. M. awa n. sp. is found in sympatry with M. choco n. sp. at its type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 41–45. Mysmenopsis awa n. sp., 41. Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 42, Male abdomen, posterior view. 43, Female abdomen, posterior view. 44, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 45, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 41–43: 0.5mm; 44, 545: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 46–50. Mysmenopsis awa n. sp., 46, Male palp, retrolateral view. 47, Male palp, prolateral view (arrow points to cymbium excavation). 48, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 49, Epigynum, ventral view. 50, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 6–10. Mysmenopsis cube n. sp., 6, Male palp, retrolateral view. 7, Male palp, prolateral view. 8, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 9, Epigynum, ventral view. 10, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.