Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924

Poeta, Maria Rita M. & Teixeira, Renato Augusto, 2017, Description of the male of the spider Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924, the female of E. delasmata Bryant, 1945 and seven species of Eustala Simon, 1895 declared as nomina dubia (Araneae, Araneidae), Zootaxa 4273 (1), pp. 112-120 : 113-115

Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924

Figs 1–9 , 19

Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924: 279 , female holotype from Nova Iguaçu [22°45'22"S, 43°27'38"W], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ( MNRJ 351 , examined). Roewer 1942: 767; WSC 2017 .

Additional material examined. BRAZIL, Amazonas: Santa Isabel do Rio Negro ( Maturacá ), 0°16’21”S, 65°28’32”W, 1 ♂, 12.X.1990, A.A. Lise ( MCTP 28720 ) . Pará: Oriximiná ( Fazenda Recanto Oriental ), 1°45’42”S, 55°51’49”W, 1 ♀, 22.I.2009, E.L.C. Silva ( MCTP 28672 ) ; Itaituba ( Comunidade Santo Antônio ), 4°16’01”S, 55°59’35”W, 2 ♀, 07.VII.2003, J.G. Frota ( MCTP 14735 ) . Mato Grosso: ( Pantanal ), 3 ♀, 04–10.VIII.1992, A.A. Lise & A. Braul Jr. ( MCTP 2295 ) ; Chapada dos Guimarães, 15°27’29”S, 55°45’08”W, 1 ♂, M. Hoffmann (MCN 11988); Poconé , 16°15’59”S, 56°37’35”W, 1 ♂, A.A. Lise & A. Braul Jr. ( MCTP 2427 ) ; ( Estrada Porto Cercado ), 16°16’11”S, 56°37’06”W, 3 ♂, 1 ♀, 02.VIII.1993, A.A. Lise & A. Braul Jr. ( MCTP 2608 ) . Mato Grosso do Sul: Miranda (Pousada Caiman), 20°14’09”S, 56°22’30”W, 2 ♂, A.C. Meyer ( MCN 21001) . Minas Gerais: Varginha , 21°33’21”S, 45°26’12”W, 2 ♀, 28.VII.2011, R.C. Francisco ( MCTP 32066 ) . Rio Claro , 22°24'06"S, 45°16'32"W, 1 ♀, 03.V.2011, R.C. Francisco ( MCTP 32143 ) . Rio Grande do Sul: São Borja ( Reserva Biológica São Donato ), 29°01’16”S, 56°09’43”W, 1 ♀, 16.III.2013, M. Machado ( MCTP 36717 ) . PARAGUAY: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1895, Dr. Temetz ( NHMB 1074 a) . Concepción ( Fonciere ): 22°29’12”S, 57°50’17”W, 3 ♀, 2008 ( MHNG).

Diagnosis. The males of Eustala vellardi ( Figs 1–3 ) are similar to those of E. fuscovitatta (Keyserling, 1894) due to the elongated abdomen and dorsal color pattern. Eustala vellardi differs from this species by the acute terminal apophysis ( Fig. 1 ) and by the very short embolus, unlike E. fuscovitatta which have a laminar terminal apophysis and a large and exposed embolus (see Chickering 1955, figure 3). The female of this species ( Figs 4–9 ) resemble those of E. perfida Mello-Leitão, 1947 (see Poeta et al. 2010, figures 24–26) by the epigynum with smooth and rod-shaped scape ( Figs 4, 7 ). They can be separated by the elongated abdomen of E. vellardi ( Figs 6, 9 ), which is subtriangular in E. perfida , and by the epyginum with the copulatory openings forming a central septum on the median plate in E. vellardi ( Fig. 7 ).

Description. Male (MCTP 2608). Carapace orange. PME and LE dark bordered ( Fig. 3 ). LE with macrosetae. Sternum yellow. Abdomen elongated, projected above the cephalothorax, and pointed distally, dorsum whitish with dark brown longitudinal stripe ( Fig. 3 ), ventral surface discolored with a large light brown median band. Legs yellow, with patella I to tarsus I brown. Total length 7.75. Carapace length 3.30, width 2.05. Leg formula 1423. Length leg I: femur 3.46; patella+tibia 5.13; metatarsus 4.03; tarsus 1.21; total 13.83. Patella +tibia II 3.88; III 2.06; IV 4.36.

Female (MCTP 2608). Carapace colored as the male. Sternum dark grey. Abdomen as the male, dorsum whitish, inconspicuous longitudinal stripes ( Fig. 6 ), venter as the male. Legs orange. Total length 7.92. Carapace length 3.20, width 2.04. Total length 13.30. Leg formula 1243. Length leg I: femur 3.98; patella+tibia 6.13; metatarsus 4.64; tarsus 1.30; total 16.05. Patela+tibia II 5.69; III 2.79; IV 5.56.

Variation. Male (n=5): total length: 7.75–8.55; carapace length 3.15–3.50, width 1.95–2.25. Female (n=5): total length: 11.95–14.85; carapace length 3.45–4.40, width 2.35–2.75. Males and females may have the abdomen with dark-brown longitudinal stripes, and/or small dots laterally; yellowish; pale yellow with a continuous longitudinal black stripe; or yellowish with circular dark brown spots arranged in a longitudinal line (holotype, Fig. 9 ).

Distribution. Brazil: Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Sul. Paraguay: Concepción ( Fig. 19 ).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Distribution records of Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924 (blue circles) and E. delasmata Bryant, 1945 (red triangles).

FIGURES 1 – 9. Eustala vellardi Mello-Leitão, 1924. 1, 2, Male palp (1, mesal; 2, ventral). 3, Male habitus, dorsal. 4 – 7, Epigynum (4, 7, ventral; 5, posterior; 8, lateral). 6, 9 Female habitus, dorsal (9, holotype). Abbreviations: A, Terminal apophysis; C, Conductor; E, Embolus; LP, Lateral plate; M, Median apophysis; MP, Median plate; PME, Posterior median eyes; r, Radix; S, subterminal apophysis; Sc, Scape; st, Stipes; T, Tegulum. Scale bars, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 0.25 mm; 3, 6, 9, 0. 5 mm.