Mysmenopsis alvaroi, 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 : 36

Mysmenopsis alvaroi new species

Figs 97–106 , map 1 (black star).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Cotopaxi Province, San Ramon (-01.14891 -79.12135) 1052m, 6 Mar. 2019, ex: Linothele sp. E. Tapia . Paratypes: 4♀, same data ( QCAZ, ZMH-A 0001909, 1910).

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Imbabura Province: Communidad de Junín (00.30158 -78.64083) 1868m, 2♂, in Linothele web., 4 Apr. 2016, E.E. Tapia ( ZMH-A0001888 ) .

Etymology. The specific name is in honor of Ecuadorian entomologist Álvaro Barragan for his work in forensic entomolgy, ecology and evolution of insects.

Diagnosis. Males are differentiated from all species by the large, square retrolateral ledge of the palpal tibia with four cusps and the strongly angular embolus tip ( Figs 102, 104 ). Females resembles M. onorei and M. pululahua n. sp., but can be distinguished from M. onorei by the more acutely pointed anterior margin of epigynum ( Fig. 105 ; Dupérré & Tapia 2015, fig. 6) and from both species by the wide sclerotized posterior margin of the epigynum ( Fig. 105 ), not sclerotized in the latter two species ( Fig. 79 ; Dupérré & Tapia 2015, fig. 6).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.65; carapace length: 0.8; carapace width: 0.76; abdomen length: 0.85. Cephalothorax: carapace dark brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 97 ). Sternum light brown suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark 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 radius. Abdomen: oval, dark grey with foliate pattern medially and white patches laterally ( Fig. 98 ). Legs: femur I light brown with basal and apical darker brown band; femora II-IV light brown with basal, median and apical dark bands; tibiae I-IV light brown with dark band medio and apico-ventrally; metatarsi I-IV light brown with dark band apically, tarsi light yellow; femur and tibia I enlarged, metatarsus I curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs and one macroseta; metatarsus I with row of six macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and two clasping spurs apically (small one not visible on image) ( Fig. 100 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorsoproximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.06 (1/0.32/0.81/0.43/0.5). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; ventral ledge squared, bearing four cusps, ventral ledge small with three cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 102 ). Cymbium apically truncated, with shallow excavation; paracymbium triangular, not excavated prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 93 ). Tegulum oval ( Fig. 102 ). Embolus short, spine-like, with strongly curved tip and small sharply pointed embolic apophysis ( Figs 102, 104 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.17; carapace length: 0.88; carapace width: 0.77; abdomen length: 1.29. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 97 ), chelicerae and sternum: as in male Clypeus dark brown; low (3x AME). Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately of equal size; ocular region on lower protuberance; AME separated by their diameter, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their radius. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 97, 99 ). Legs: coloration pattern as in male, slightly darker; femur I enlarged with medial, short and pointed tubercle ( Fig. 101 ). 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: 2.9 (0.8/0.32/0.74/0.56/0.48). Genitalia: epigynum protruding, anterior margin not well delimited, posterior epigynal margin well sclerotized and strongly pointed ( Fig. 105 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with wing-like anterior margin ( Fig. 106 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae large and rounded; copulatory ducts not observed; fertilization ducts oblique, well sclerotized basally, apically transparent and curved ( Fig. 106 ).

Distribution. Cotopaxi and Imbabura Provinces.

Natural history. Male holotype and females were collected in an evergreen seasonal foothill forest of the western Andes at 1052m (BePn01) (Morales, 2013) in Linothele sp. web (in sympatry with M. corazon n. sp.) Two additional males were collected in an evergreen low mountain forest of the western Andes (BsBn04) ( Iglesis, Santiana & Chinchero, 2013; in sympatry with M. junin n. sp.)

Figures

FIGURES 97–101. Mysmenopsis alvaroi n. sp., 97, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 98, Male abdomen, posterior view. 99, Female abdomen, posterior view. 100, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 101, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 97–99: 0.5mm; 100, 101: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 102–106. Mysmenopsis alvaroi n. sp., 102, Male palp, retrolateral view. 103, Male palp, prolateral view. 104, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 105, Epigynum, ventral view. 106, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 76–80. Mysmenopsis pululahua n. sp., 76, Male palp, retrolateral view. 77, Male palp, prolateral view. 78, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 79, Epigynum, ventral view. 80. Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 91–93. Mysmenopsis hunachi n. sp., 91, Male habitus, dorsal view. 92, Male abdomen, posterior view. 93, Leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. Scale bar: 91, 92: 0.5mm; 93: 0.1mm.