Wendilgarda Keyserling, 1886

Wendilgarda Keyserling, 1886: 129 .

Type species Wendilgarda mexicana Keyserling, 1886 .

Diagnosis

Males and females of Wendilgarda can be distinguished from those of other genera by the uniform orangish-yellow coloration on the prosoma and opisthosoma (Figs 61A–C, 62A–C; see also Coddington 1986) (absent in most genera, except in some species of Ogulnius) and by their unique web architecture with a dendritic pattern of not-sticky horizontal lines, which hold sticky vertical lines that attach to the water surface of a moving stream (Coddington & Valerio 1980; Coddington 1986; Cotoras et al. 2021). Males of Wendilgarda can also be distinguished from those of other genera by the mesal embolic apophysis branch elongated, protruding from beneath the conductor and lying along the prolateral side of the conductor itself (Fig. 61E, see also Coddington 1986) (in contrast with embolic apophysis branches not lying on the conductor in other genera). Females of Wendilgarda can also be distinguished from those of other genera by the fluted (i.e., crumpled in cross-section), double-pointed eggsacs (Coddington 1986: figs 200–201) (in contrast with squared or rounded eggsacs in other genera).

Description

Males of Wendilgarda have tripartite embolic apophysis, retrolaterally finger-printed conductor, and sub-rectangular median apophysis with denticles (Fig. 61D–F; Coddington 1986: figs 196–197). Females of Wendilgarda have dorsal scape protruding from beneath epigynal plate posterior margin (Fig. 62C–D; Coddington 1986: figs 206, 213, 219), irregular membranous proximal copulatory ducts, convoluted and heavily sclerotized distal copulatory ducts, inserting ventromedially posteriorly into spermathecae (Fig. 62D). For genus description details, see Coddington (1986) and Labarque & Griswold (2014).

Remarks

Females of the type species Wendilgarda mexicana Keyserling, 1886 present separated spermathecae (Coddington 1986: fig. 207).