Tupigea maza Huber, 2000

Huber, Bernhard A. & Rheims, Cristina A., 2011, Diversity and endemism of pholcid spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, with descriptions of four new species of the Atlantic Forest endemic genus Tupigea (Araneae: Pholcidae), Journal of Natural History 45 (5 - 6), pp. 275-301 : 296

Tupigea maza Huber, 2000

( Figures 4I,J , 6 I–N, 10A,B)

Tupigea maza Huber 2000: 321 , figs. 1299–1302.

Note

This species was previously known from two male specimens from Teresópolis, without further locality information. The new material below was collected about 20 km east of Teresópolis and appears indistinguishable from the type specimens.

Updated diagnosis

Males are easily distinguished from congeners ( Huber 2000); females are fairly distinctive by large trapezoidal frontal epigynal plate ( Figure 6L ) and pair of receptacle-like structures clearly visible through cuticle ( Figures 4J , 10A ).

Male

See Huber (2000). The habitus of this species is very similar to that of T. angelim and T. penedo , but the clypeus lacks a distinct median band. Modified hairs on chelicerae as in Figure 6I,J . Tibia 1 in four males: 3.5–4.1.

Female

In general similar to male; tibia 1 in four females: 2.1–2.2. Epigynum simple externally, with large trapezoidal frontal plate ( Figure 6L ), internal receptacle-like structures visible through cuticle ( Figures 4J , 10A ), posterior plate simple and narrow; internal genitalia as in Figures 6M and 10B , with pore plates restricted to cuticular folds ( Figure 6N ).

Distribution

Known from two localities in Rio de Janeiro state ( Figure 2 ).

New record

BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Cachoeiras de Macacú, Reserva Ecológica Guapiaçú (22 ◦ 24.3 ′ S, 42 ◦ 44.1 ′ W), ∼ 300–400 m a.s.l., 24 September 2009 (B.A. Huber, A. Giupponi), 4♂, 4♀ in MNRJ (1♂, 1♀) and ZFMK (3♂, 3♀) ; same data, 3♀ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK .

Figures

Figure 2. Known distribution of Tupigea. Grey shade in inset: extension of Atlantic Forest in Brazil (inset modified from Ribeiro et al. 2009). Grey shade in main map: extension of Serra do Mar biogeographic sub-region, from Silva and Casteleti (2003) in Ribeiro et al. (2009).

Figure 4. Preserved specimens of Tupigea species showing habitus, epigynum and genital plugs. (A–C) T. angelim, male (A), epigyna without (B) and with (C) genital plug. (D–H) T. penedo sp. nov., male (D, E), female (F), epigyna without (G) and with (H) genital plug. (I, J) T. maza, male (I) and epigynum (J). (K–N) T. teresopolis, epigynum (K), male (L, M), and female (N). (O, P) T. ale sp. nov., male.

Figure 6. Scanning electron micrographs of Tupigea angelim sp. nov. (A–H) and T. maza (I–N). (A, B) Male prosoma, frontal and dorsal views, showing ridges on clypeus; (C) right palp in dorsal view; (D) left palp in prolatero-dorsal view; (E) male palpal tarsal organ; (F) male gonopore; (G, H) epigynum without (G) and with (H) genital plug. (I) Modified hairs on male chelicerae; (J) male chelicerae, frontal view; (K) female prosoma; (L) epigynum; (M) cleared epigynum, dorsal view; (N) pore plate. Scale bars: 5 µm (E), 10 µm (I, N), 20 µm (F), 50 µm (M), 80 µm (D, J), 100 µm (C, G, H, L), 200 µm (A, B, K).

Figure 10. Tupigea maza (A, B) and T. teresopolis (C–E). Cleared female genitalia in ventral (A, D) and dorsal (B, E) views, and male chelicerae of male from Penedo (C). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.