Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1871

Bertani, Rogério, 2023, Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Lasiodora C. L. Koch, 1850 (Araneae, Theraphosidae) with notes on related genera, Zootaxa 5390 (1), pp. 1-116 : 105-106

Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1871 comb. rev.

( Figs 285 ─288)

Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1871: 194 ; 1875: 178; Simon, 1892a: 143; 1903: 931; Petrunkevitch 1911: 55; 1928: 77; Bonnet 1956: 1261; Gabriel 2016: 80, f. 70.

Pamphobeteus isabellinus : Mello-Leitão 1923: 227, 235; Petrunkevitch 1939: 243.

Proshapalopus anomalus Mello-Leitão, 1923: 146 , figs 60─62; Bertani 2001: 289, figs 70─73, 177. New Synonymy.

Type material. Holotype female of Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1871 , from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, v. Tschudi col., 1867.II.1, deposited at NHMW Nº109, examined ( Figs 285 ─288). Holotype male of Proshapalopus anomalus Mello-Leitão, 1923 , from Brazil, state of Rio de Janeiro, Pinheiro (now Pinheiral), deposited at MNRJ, examined.

Remark. The type label of C. isabellinus indicates the specimen was collected in Rio de Janeiro by Von Tschudi. Johann Jakob von Tschudi was a Swiss naturalist who travelled the South America and visited Brazil in two occasions, 1857─59, and 1860─68, as a Swiss Embassador. He travelled from the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro by the valley of Paraiba do Sul River, by the cities of Campos, São Fidelis, Nova Friburgo, Cantagalo, until Rio de Janeiro, the Capital. Posteriorly, he travelled to the state of São Paulo and Southern Brazil ( Tschudi 1953). As in the label there is only the indication of “ Rio de Janeiro ”, probably the holotype was collected in the Rio de Janeiro Capital or in neighboring cities. The species previously identified as Proshapalopus anomalus , presently synonymized with C. isabellinus , has records from Rio de Janeiro (pers. obs.).

Images recently obtained of the C. isabellinus holotype ( Figs 285 ─288) show the spermathecae shape of C. isabellinus is more rounded than those of Lasiodora spp. , and has no sclerotized area between them, even though small specimens of Lasiodora also can have weakly slerotized area between the two spermathecae (Fig. 287). The C. isabellinus holotype has the spermathecae well sclerotized, but not the space between them, showing they are really separated. It was also possible to see modified type I urticating setae, with the region “b” longer than region “a” (Fig. 288). This is an apomorphy for Proshapalopus anomalus and P. multicuspidatus ( Bertani 2001) , not found in any Lasiodora species.

Proshapalopus multicuspidatus female lacks type III urticating setae, whereas P. anomalus have them. As the holotype of C. isabellinus has type III urticating setae, I consider the two species synonyms and, as Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1875 has priority over P. anomalus , I remove Crypsidromus from the synonymy with Lasiodora and consider it a senior synonym of Proshapalopus and the species Crypsidromus isabellinus a senior synonym of Proshapalopus anomalus .

Figures

FIGURES 285─288. Crypsidromus isabellinus Ausserer, 1871, holotype female (NHMW). 285, habitus. 286, chelicerae, sternum, labium, coxae and abdomen, ventral. 287, spermathecae, dorsal. 288, urticating setae of type I. Scale bar = 285, 286 = 5 mm, 287 = 1mm. 288 = 0.1 mm. Photos: Christoph Hörweg, NHMW.