Scytodes piroca, Rheims & Brescovit, 2000

Rheims, Cristina A. & Brescovit, Antonio D., 2000, Six new species of Scytodes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae, Scytodidae) from Brazil, Zoosystema 22 (4), pp. 719-730 : 721-724

Scytodes piroca n. sp.

( Fig. 1 )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Piroca. Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, 9.XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 1 holotype (IBSP 8943) and 1 allotype (IBSP 8943).

Morro Queimado. Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, 8.XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 1 and 2 paratypes (IBSP 9083).

Juazeiro. Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, 23. XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 2 paratype (MNHN).

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor. Acre, Brazil, 14.III.1997, L. Resende & R. S. Vieira, 2, 4 juvs (IBSP 9040); 16.III.1997, 3, 1 juv. (IBSP 12221); 15. III.1997, 1 (IBSP 12386); 14.III.1997, 3, 4 juvs (IBSP 12629).

Várzea Gibralta-Pedro. 21.XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 1 (IBSP 9446); 20. XI.1996, 1 (IBSP 9352).

Juazeiro. 23. XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 5 (IBSP 9020).

Pedernal. 13. XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 4 (IBSP 9143).

Travessa Baixa. 16. XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 2 (IBSP 9402).

Camp. 15. XI.1996, R. S. Vieira, 1 (IBSP 9390).

Reserva Extrativista de Catuaba. Rio Branco, 9. IV.1996, Eq. IBSP/SMNK, 1 (IBSP 8688).

Reserva Florestal Adolfo Ducke. Manaus, Amazonas, 30. IX.1991, T. Gasnier & H. Höfer, 1 (IBSP 6932); 4.I.1994, M. Christopher, 2 (INPA; IBSP 23706).

DISTRIBUTION. — Acre and Amazonas, Brazil.

DIAGNOSIS. — Scytodes piroca n. sp. is distinguished from the other species, described in this paper, by the male palp with a slender needle-like embolus covered by a wide concave distal projection ( Fig. 1B, C ). The female external genitalia is similar to those of S. gertschi Valerio, 1981 and S. diminuta Valerio, 1981 (Valerio 1981: figs 14; 15) but differ in the presence of two pairs of seminal receptacles ( Fig. 1E ).

DESCRIPTION

Male (IBSP 9083)

Carapace yellow with black U-shaped pattern. Pedipalps yellow with black stains, except on tarsus. Labium and endites yellow with brownish base. Sternum yellow with brown margins on base of legs and along slight grooves extending toward centre. Legs yellow with two ventral black longitudinal stripes on femur and single black longitudinal dorsal stripe on tibia and metatarsus, except on leg I. Irregular black stains on the prolateral face of femur. Abdomen cream coloured with three or four black transversal markings in median region.

Total length 2.75. Carapace, 1.62 long, 1.37 wide. Eye diameters: pme 0.14, ale 0.14, ple 0.14. Lateral eyes on tubercle. Chelicerae with subapical hyaline keel and inconspicuous stridulatory ridges. Labium 0.28 long, 0.26 wide. Sternum 0.86 long, 0.80 wide.

Bulb 0.30 long, distally narrowed ( Fig. 1B, C ). Abdomen 1.12 long, 1.00 wide, rounded, covered with large feathery hairs. Cymbium with long, slender distal spine.

Legs. I, femur 3.87; patella 0.50; tibia 3.75; metatarsus 5.62; tarsus 0.62; total 14.36. II, 2.50; 0.50; 2.62; 3.25; 0.62; 9.49. III, 1.75; 0.37; 1.50; 1.75; 0.50; 5.87. IV, 2.87; 0.37; 2.50; 2.75; 0.62; 9.11. Palpal femur with short and narrow stridulatory pick with round, projected socket.

Female (IBSP 12221)

Coloration pattern ( Fig.1A ) as in male.

Total length 5.00. Carapace slightly arched, 2.25 long, 1.75 wide. Eye diameters: pme 0.10, ale 0.14, ple 0.16. Lateral eyes on tubercle. Chelicerae as in male. Labium 0.20 long, 0.28 wide. Sternum 1.20 long, 0.90 wide.

Abdomen 2.75 long, 2.50 wide. Fovea inconspicuous, widely separated. Positioning ridges semicircular ( Fig. 1D ). Internal genitalia with two pairs of seminal receptacles, one with short, slen- der stalk and adjacent globous one with inconspicuous stalk ( Fig. 1E ).

Legs. I, femur 2.50; patella 0.50; tibia 3.00; metatarsus 3.38; tarsus 0.62; total 10.00. II, 1.88; 0.50; 2.00; 2.25; 0.50; 7.13. III, 1.50; 0.38; 1.13; 1.25; 0.38; 4.64. IV, 2.00; 0.50; 2.25; 2.00; 0.63; 7.38. Palpal femur with stridulatory pick as in male.

Variation

Two males. Total length 2.75-2.77; carapace 1.62-1.75; femur I 3.87-4.12; bulb 0.30-0.38.

Ten females. Total length 4.25-5.25; carapace 1.88-2.50; femur I 2.25-3.00. A single female presented a coloration pattern as shown in Figure 1F .

Figures

FIG. 1. — Scytodes piroca n. sp.; A, female body, dorsal view; B, male left palpus, retrolateral view; C, male left palpus, prolateral view; D, female epygine, ventral view; E, female epygine, dorsal view; F, female carapace, dorsal view, variation. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.