Mesabolivar anseriformis (González-Sponga, 2011)

Huber, Bernhard A., 2018, The South American spider genera Mesabolivar and Carapoia (Araneae, Pholcidae): new species and a framework for redrawing generic limits, Zootaxa 4395 (1), pp. 1-178 : 36-38

Mesabolivar anseriformis (González-Sponga, 2011)

Figs 88–89 , 122–127 , 135–137

Mesabolivar sp. 4: Astrin et al. 2006: 444 (CO1 sequences).

Caruaya anseriformis González-Sponga, 2011b: 41 , pl. 2, figs 1–7 (♂, Venezuela). Mesabolivar anseriformis: Huber et al. 2014a: 418 .

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from known congeners by male pedipalp ( Figs 122–123 ; long and widely curved procursus with hinged tip, complex bulbal process with retrolateral apophysis), by armature of male chelicerae ( Fig. 124 ; pair of apophyses overhanging fangs), and by epigynum ( Figs 125–126 , 135–136 ; strongly protruding anterior plate with pair of shallow pockets on scape-like posterior process).

Type material. VENEZUELA: Bolívar: ♂ holotype, 1♂ paratype, MIZA ( MAGS 938), Municipio Gran Sabana, Salto Caruay (5°12.2’N, 62°23.2’W), 1000 m a.s.l., 30.iv.1986 (S. Callizo), not examined (but see Notes below).

Material examined. VENEZUELA: Bolívar: 8♂ 2♀ 2 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 19012), km 109 from El Dorado to Santa Elena de Uairen (6.013°N, 61.391°W), ~ 800 m a.s.l., domed webs from ground to ~ 2 m, 3.xii.2002 (B.A. Huber); 1♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven02/100-52), same data. 2♂ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven02/100-17), km 118 from El Dorado to Santa Elena de Uairen (5.965°N, 61.392°W), ~ 1250 m a.s.l., 3.xii.2002 (B.A. Huber). 1♂ 1♀, ZFMK (Ar 19013), km 126 from El Dorado to Santa Elena de Uairen (5.949°N, 61.439°W), ~ 1400 m a.s.l., 3.xii.2002 (B.A. Huber); 4♂ 2♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven02/100-14), same data.

Redescription. Male (ZFMK Ar 19012)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.9, carapace width 1.2. Distance PME-PME 150 µm, diameter PME 90 µm, distance PME-ALE 110 µm, distance AME-AME 30 µm, diameter AME 30 µm. Sternum width/length: 0.85/ 0.60. Leg 1: 51.4 (12.4 + 0.5 + 11.9 + 23.7 + 2.9), tibia 2: 7.1, tibia 3: 4.8, tibia 4: 6.3; tibia 1 L/d: 99. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.16, 0.26 (0.30 in distal third), 0.18, 0.15.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow, slightly orange medially, with dark median line and brown lateral marginal bands; ocular area and clypeus not darkened; sternum orange; legs brown, without light or dark rings, coxae 1 and 4 whitish; abdomen greenish gray, posteriorly with dark internal marks, ventrally with light orange plate in front of gonopore.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 88–89 ; ocular area slightly raised; carapace with shallow but distinct median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. With one pair of frontal apophyses overhanging fangs, not close to median line ( Fig. 124 ).

PALPS. As in Figs 122–123 ; coxa with small retrolateral apophysis; trochanter with large rounded retrolateroventral process; femur with retrolateral apophysis proximally and small unsclerotized ventral process distally; procursus widely curved, distal part hinged; bulbal process with distinctive retrolateral apophysis.

LEGS. Without spines; with curved hairs dorsally on all femora, tibiae, and metatarsi, on metatarsi 2 also ventrally and laterally; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~50 pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Male (variation). Tibia 1 in four other males: 10.8, 10.9, 11.2, 11.7. Femora 2 in smaller males barely wider than other femora. Some males with few dark marks also anteriorly on abdomen.

Female. In general similar to male but all leg femora approximately same width; without curved hairs on legs. Tibia 1 in 2 females: 7.3, 7.8. Epigynum as in Figs 125–126 , 135–136 ; anterior plate strongly protruding, with pair of shallow pockets on scape-like posterior process; posterior plate simple. Internal genitalia as in Figs 127 , 137 , with pair of small pore-plates.

Natural history. The type specimens were collected from between tree buttresses (González-Sponga 2011b).

Distribution. Known from several localities in Bolívar state, Venezuela ( Fig. 725 ).

Notes. I have not directly examined the two male type specimens in MIZA. However, photos of one of the specimens were kindly provided by Quintin Arias and all diagnostic structures seem to be identical.

In contrast to González-Sponga (2011b), it is not the femora 3 that are wider, but femora 2.

Figures

FIGURES 78–89. Live specimens and habitus photos, Mesabolivar aurantiacus group. 78–81. M. aurantiacus (Mello-Leitão, 1930), males from Tabatinga, Manaus, and Belém, female from Belém. 82–84. M. tabatinga sp. n., male, female, and mating pair from Tabatinga. 85–87. M. eberhardi Huber, 2000, males and female from Jamari. 88–89. M. anseriformis (González- Sponga, 2011), male in dorsal and lateral views (ZFMK Ar 19012).

FIGURES 122–127. Mesabolivar anseriformis (González-Sponga, 2011) (♂: ZFMK Ar 19012; ♀: ZFMK, Ven02/100-14). 122–123.Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow points at apophysis on bulbal process).124. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 125–126.Epigynum, ventral and lateral views. 127. Clearedfemale genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5.

FIGURES 128–137. Female epigyna in ventral and lateral views and cleared female genitalia, dorsal views, Mesabolivar aurantiacus group. 128–129. M. macushi sp. n. (ZFMK Ar 18962). 130–132. M. spinosus (González-Sponga, 2005) (MIZA MAGS 1176). 133–134. M. tabatinga sp. n. (ZFMK Ar 18992). 135–137. M. anseriformis (González-Sponga, 2011) (ZFMK, Ven02/100-14).

FIGURES 724–725. Known distribution of the Mesabolivar aurantiacus ‘group’.TL, type locality.