Masteria barona (Chickering, 1966)

(Figs 6B, 9, 29B, 33)

Accola barona Chickering, 1966: 162, figs 9–11.

Masteria barona: Brignoli, 1983: 126 .

Type. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. ♂ holotype, William Beebe Tropical Research Station (10°41'1"N; 61°17'W), Arima Valley, Arima, Saint George County, Trinidad and Tobago, 23.IV.1964, A. M. Chickering leg., deposited in MCZ, examined.

Additional material examined: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO . Saint George County, Arima, Las Lapas Road (10°37’0”N; 61°16’0”W), 23.VII.1979, 2♂, L.N. Sorkin leg. (AMNH) ; Andrew’s Trace (10°37’0”N; 61°16’0”W), 16.VII.1979, 2♀, L.N. Sorkin leg. (AMNH) ; Arima Valley (10°37’0”N; 61°16’0”W), 10–22. II.1964, 1♂, 4♀, P. Wygodzinsky, D. Rosen leg. (AMNH) .

Diagnosis. Males of Masteria barona resemble those of M. petrunkevitchi and M. soucouyant n. sp. in the elongated shape of the palpal bulb. They differ from those of M. petrunkevitchi in the presence of only six eyes (Fig. 9A), and from M. soucouyant n. sp. in the absence of spines on the retrolateral palpal tibia. Females differ from those of the other species in the bilobed spermathecae, with similar height and not sinuous (Fig. 9F–G).

Description

Male (Trinidad, Saint George County, Arima, Las Lapas road, AMNH). Color: Carapace in dorsal and ventral views and legs yellowish brown, whitish abdomen. Total length 4.56. Carapace 2.04 long, 1.48 wide. Abdomen 2.52 long. Fovea 0.09. Clypeus 0.03. Ocular tubercle 0.12 long, 0.24 wide. Eyes: six, posterior row slightly recurved (Fig. 9A). AME absent, ALE 0.11, PME 0.07, PLE 0.09. Basal segment of chelicerae with 11 prolateral teeth, and 11 smaller mesobasal teeth. Labium 0.19 long, 0.32 wide. Sternum 0.96 wide, 0.76 long. Palp: femur 1.14/ patella 0.60/ tibia 1.08/ tarsus 0.30/ total 3.12; Legs I: femur 1.74/ patella 0.72/ tibia 1.56/ metatarsus 1.32/ tarsus 0.84/ total 6.18; II: 1.74/ 0.72/ 1.02/ 1.14/ 0.84/ 5.46; III: 1.56/ 0.72/ 1.08/ 1.20/ 0.84/ 5.40; IV: 1.98/ 0.90/ 1.80/ 1.68/ 0.96/ 7.32; Leg formula 4123; Spination: Legs I: tibia v2, p1, metatarsus v1-1 ap; II: patella v1 ap, tibia v1-1 -1ap, p1, metatarsus v1-1 -1, p1; III: patella v1 ap, r1, tibia v1-1 - 2ap, p1-1, r1-1-1, metatarsus d1, v2-2 -1, p1-1-1, r1-1-1; IV: patella v2 ap, r1, tibia d1-1, v1-1 -1-1-1-2ap, p1-1, r1-1-1, metatarsus d1-1, v2-2 -3ap, p1-1, r1-1. Tibia I: P3 more apical with two strong apical spines with projected base, P2 a robust spine with normal base just below P3, and a rounded apical spur, P1 (Figs 9D, 29B). Palpal tibia three times length of cymbium. Cymbium as wide as long, with five apical spines. Palpal bulb with short tegulum, embolus twice length tegulum, with slight median curvature and narrowed distally (Fig. 9B, C, E). PLS: basal, medial and apical segments 0.62, 0.57, 0.52 long.

Female (Trinidad, Saint George County, Arima, Andrew’s Trace, AMNH). Color: Carapace in dorsal and ventral views yellowish brown, legs light brown and whitish abdomen. Total length, 3.35. Carapace 1.60 long, 1.33 wide. Abdomen 1.75 long. Fovea 0.11. Clypeus 0.04. Ocular tubercle 0.20 long, 0.28 wide. Eyes: six, posterior row slightly recurved. AME absent, ALE 0.12, PME 0.07, PLE 0.11. Basal segment of chelicerae with 11 prolateral teeth, and 10 smaller mesobasal teeth. Labium 0.26 long, 0.28 wide. Sternum 0.76 wide, 0.86 long. Palp: femur 0.90/ patella 0.46/ tibia 0.70/ tarsus 0.68/ total 2.74; Legs I: femur 1.20/ patella 0.62/ tibia 1.02/ metatarsus 0.80/ tarsus 0.62/ total 4.26; II: 1.02/ 0.52/ 0.80/ 0.72/ 0.50/ 3.56; III: 1.10/ 0.57/ 0.87/ 0.90/ 0.57/ 4.01; IV: 1.42/ 0.70/ 1.30/ 1.12/ 0.75/ 5.26; Leg formula 4132; Spination: Palp: tarsus v1 b; Legs I: patella v1, tibia v1-1 -3ap, p1, r1, metatarsus v1-1 ap; II: patella v1, tibia v1-1 -3ap, p1, metatarsus v1 ap, p1; III: femur r1, patella p1, r1-1, tibia d1, v1-1 -1-2ap, p1-1-1, r1-1, metatarsus d1, v1-1 -3ap, p1, r1; IV: patella v1-1, p1, tibia d1, v1-1 -3ap, p1-1-1-1, r1-1, metatarsus d1, v1-1 -3ap, p1-1, r1-1. Palpal claw with 16 teeth. Genitalia with two bilobed spermathecae, each pair over a glandular region slightly elevated, external lobe elongated with globose apex, ental lobe high and uniform (Fig. 9F–G). PLS: basal, medial and apical 0.60, 0.45, 0.55 long.

Variation. 2 males: total length 4.56–4.62. 6 females: total length 2.84–3.72.

Distribution. North of Trinidad and Tobago (Fig. 33).