Mysmenopsis guanza, 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 : 46

Mysmenopsis guanza new species

Figs 129–138 , map 2 (green rectangle).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Tepuy Guanza (-04.14633 -78.67509) 1527m, 5 March 2016, E. Tapia ( QCAZ) . Paratypes: 1♂ 3♀ same data ( QCAZ, ZMH- A0001562 , ZMH-A0001883 ) .

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Zamora-Chinchipe Province: Tepuy Guanza (-04.14633 -78.67509) 1527m, 5♀, 1 juv., 5 March 2016, E. Tapia ( DTC, ZMH-A0001561 , ZMH-A0001884 ) .

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality, Tepuy Guanza.

Diagnosis. Males are differentiated from all species by their long embolus, wide basally, tapering apically and curving prolaterally ( Figs 134–136 ). Females can be differentiated from most species by the absence of a tubercle on femur I ( Fig. 133 ), and the presence of two macrosetae ( Fig. 133 , arrows); from M. archeri by their large oval spermathecae ( Fig. 138 ), spermathecae smaller and triangular in the latter species ( Platnick & Shadab 1978, fig. 53).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.5; carapace length: 0.73; carapace width: 0.68; abdomen length: 0.77. Cephalothorax: carapace dark brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 129 ). Sternum dark brown; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark brown; high (5x AME). Chelicerae dark brown; 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 brownish-grey with six white spots anteriorly in circular pattern ( Fig. 129 ), followed by C-shaped white patches and six white, smaller spots dorsally ( Fig. 130 ). Legs: femora I-II dark brown; femora III-IV orange-brown with darker bands medially and apically; tibiae and metatarsi I-IV light orange-brown with dark band apically, tarsi light orange; femur and tibia I slightly enlarged, metatarsus I not curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with one prolateral clasping spur; metatarsus I without macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and with one clasping spur apically ( Fig. 132 ); femur I with one macroseta prolaterally; tibia I with five macrosetae retrolaterally, tibia I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.66 (0.84/0.29/0.69/0.45 /0.39). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; retrolateral and ventral ledge without projection or cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 134 ). Cymbium short, apically truncated; paracymbium hook-shaped ( Fig. 135 ). Tegulum excavated ( Fig. 134 ). Embolus relatively long, twisted, strongly curved, embolic apophysis large and curved not visible in retrolateral view ( Figs 134, 136 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 1.67; carapace length: 0.82; carapace width: 0.69; abdomen length: 0.85. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 129 ), 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 diameter. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 129, 131 ). Legs: coloration as in male; femur I enlarged without tubercle ( Fig. 133 ). Legs spination: femur I with two macrosetae prolaterally ( Fig. 133 , arrows); patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.51 (0.78/0.27/0.6 /0.46/0.4). Genitalia: epigynum rather flat, anterior epigynal margin not well delimited, posterior epigynal margin pointed ( Fig. 137 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with curved, well sclerotized anterior margin ( Fig. 138 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae large and oval; copulatory ducts long, C-shaped; fertilization ducts wide, looping, semitransparent ( Fig. 138 ).

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Zamora-Chinchipe Province.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele sp. web at 1527m in a low evergreen mountain forest of the Cordillera del Condor-Kutuku (BsBa03) ( Morales, Chinchero & Medina-Torres, 2013). A female Faiditus sp. was also collected with the type material. M. guanza n. sp. lives in sympatry with M. baerti n. sp. and M. tepuy n. sp.

Figures

FIGURES 129–133. Mysmenopsis guanza n. sp., 129, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 130, Male abdomen, posterior view. 131, Female abdomen, posterior view. 132, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 133, Female leg I, prolateral view (arrows point to macrosetae). Scale bar: 129–131: 0.5mm; 132, 133: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 134–138. Mysmenopsis guanza n. sp., 134, Male palp, retrolateral view. 135, Male palp, prolateral view. 136, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 137, Epigynum, ventral view. 138, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.