Mysmenopsis guayaca, 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 : 9-12

Mysmenopsis guayaca new species

Figs 11–20 , map 1 (black circle).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Guayas Province: Rio Chilcaplaya (- 02.60989 -79.43625) 287m, 17 Jul. 2016, secondary road, dirt talus, N. Dupérré, E.E. Tapia, A.A. Tapia ( QCAZ ). Paratypes 4♂, same data; Cañar Province: La Troncal (-02.46862 -79.26930) 330m, 17 July 2016, 3♀, in Linothele sp. web, side of road, dirt talus, E. Tapia, N. Dupérré, A. Tapia ( ZMH-A 0001921).

Additional material examined. Ecuador: El Oro Province: Valle Hermoso (-03.51525 -79.83190) 253m, 17 July 2016, 1♂, Linothele sp. web., E. Tapia, A. Tapia, N. Dupérré ( DTC) .

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition derived from the Guayas Province, reffereing to the name given to its inhabitans, “Guayacas”, where the type specimens were collected.

Diagnosis. Males most resemble M. choco n. sp. but can be distinguished by the triangular retrolateral ledge of the palp with thin cusps ( Fig. 16 ); whereas the ledge is excavated with broad cusps in the latter species ( Fig. 36 ). Females most resembles M. cube n. sp. and M. cienaga , but can be distinguished by the spermathecae closer together not touching the margin of the epigynum ( Fig. 19 ), whilst touching in M. cube n. sp. ( Fig. 9 ); from M. cienaga by the femur I with a triangular tubercle ( Fig. 15 ) absent in M. cienaga ( Baert 1990) .

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.72; carapace length: 0.87; carapace width: 0.84; abdomen length: 0.85. Cephalothorax: carapace brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 11 ). Sternum light brown suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus light brown; low (3x 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 diameter. Abdomen: rounded, dark with white patches in a circular pattern anteriorly ( Fig. 11 ) followed by semi-circular pattern of white patches ( Fig. 12 ). Legs: femora I-IV light brown; tibiae and metatarsi I-IV light yellow with dark band apically, tarsi light yellow; 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 six macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and two clasping spurs apically (small one hidden behind, not visible on image) ( Fig. 14 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.16 (1.0/0.26/0.92/0.52/0.46). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; retrolateral ledge triangular with eight cusps, ventral ledge with two cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 16 ). Cymbium apically rounded, slightly excavated, paracymbium large and rectangular, deeply excavated prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 17 ). Tegulum oval ( Fig. 16 ). Embolus short, curved apically, with wide plate-like base, embolic apophysis absent ( Figs 16, 18 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.12; carapace length: 0.89; carapace width: 0.80; abdomen length: 1.23. Cephalothorax dark brown ( Fig. 11 ), chelicerae and sternum: as in male. Clypeus dark brown; low (2x 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 almost their diameter. Abdomen: as in male but darker ( Figs 11, 13 ). Legs: coloration as in male but darker, femur I enlarged with triangular, medial tubercle ( Fig. 15 ). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with four to five macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.99 (0.99/0.31/0. 75/0.54/0.40). Genitalia: epigynum slightly protruding, anterior epigynal margin sinuous, posterior epigynal margin rounded ( Fig. 19 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with deeply curved anterior margin ( Fig. 20 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae large and rounded; copulatory ducts thick, directed inward; fertilization ducts horizontal, well sclerotized basally, semi-transparent and curved apically ( Fig. 20 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Cañar, Guayas and El Oro Provinces.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele sp. webs, the species inhabit the littoral region and was found between 287– 330m. Specimens were found in a deciduous lowland forest of the southern Ecuadorian Chocó (BdTc01) ( Santiago, Morales, Aguirre, Chinchero & Iglesias, 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 11–15. Mysmenopsis guayaca n. sp., 11, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 12, Male abdomen, posterior view. 13, Female abdomen, posterior view. 14, Male leg I, prolateral view. 15, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 11–13: 0.5mm; 14, 15: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 16–20. Mysmenopsis guayaca n. sp., 16, Male palp, retrolateral view. 17, Male palp, prolateral view (arrow points to excavated base of paracymbium). 18, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 19, Epigynum, ventral view. 20, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 36–40. Mysmenopsis choco n. sp., 36, Male palp, retrolateral view. 37, Male palp, prolateral view (arrow points to cymbium excavation). 38, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 39, Epigynum, ventral view. 40, 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.