Sympolymnia shinahota, Perger & Rubio, 2020

Perger, Robert & Rubio, Gonzalo D., 2020, Sympolymnia, a new genus of Neotropical ant-like spider, with description of two new species and indirect evidence for transformational mimicry (Araneae, Salticidae, Simonellini), Zoosystematics and Evolution 96 (2), pp. 781-795 : 781

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zse.96.55210
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CCDFA5BA-6E71-4D10-8808-7D39DBB92210
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/ABAC0D71-01A5-4E81-A1EB-C037E9888747
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:ABAC0D71-01A5-4E81-A1EB-C037E9888747
treatment provided by	Zoosystematics and Evolution by Pensoft
scientific name	Sympolymnia shinahota
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Sympolymnia shinahota sp. nov. Figs 3C View Figure 3 , 4B View Figure 4 , 5A-D View Figure 5 , 8A-D View Figure 8 , 9 View Figure 9

Type deposit.

Holotype ♀; Bolivia: Santa Cruz Department, Buena Vista, Cafetal; 17.4658°S, 63.6969°W; 342 m a.s.l.; beating tray sampling; 21 Jan 2016; R. Perger leg.; IBSI-Ara 0726. Paratypes 1 ♂; Brazil: Amazonas State, Manaus, Taruma Mirím; 26 Feb 1988; SMNK-ARA 00364 • 2 ♀; Bolivia: Cochabamba Department, Villa Tunari; 16.9844°S, 65.4094°W; 335 m a.s.l.; beating tray sampling; 6 Dec 2017; R. Perger leg.; IBSI-Ara 1033 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; CBF.

Diagnosis.

Sympolymnia shinahota sp. nov. is distinguished from congeners by a distinct dorsal constriction in the basal half of the abdomen (Figs 3C View Figure 3 , 4B View Figure 4 , 8A-C View Figure 8 ); male palp (Fig. 9C-F View Figure 9 ) with small cymbium, bulb about 80% of cymbium length, tibial apophysis in retro-lateral view narrow, apex evenly tapering (Fig. 9C, D View Figure 9 ); copulatory opening in female very small and quadrangular (width: ~ 0.05 mm) (Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ).

Comparisons.

The male palp of S. shinahota sp. nov. (Fig. 9C-F View Figure 9 ) resembles that of S. lucasi. However, the latter is distinguished by a male palp tibial apophysis with a spine-like apex (evenly tapering in S. shinahota sp. nov.), the thoracic part narrower than the cephalic region in dorsal view and distinctly concave posteriorly in lateral view and the epigyne opening transversely elliptical. In the other two species with known males, the tibial apophysis of the male palp is either broader ( S. lauretta ) or narrower ( S. edwardsi ) than in S. shinahota sp. nov. In all four congeners, the abdomen is not or only indistinctly constricted anteriorly.

Description.

Female holotype (Figs 3C View Figure 3 , 4B View Figure 4 , 5A-D View Figure 5 ). Total length: 4.25 mm. Carapace length: 2.27 mm; width: 0.90 mm. Integument slightly shiny, orange yellowish with dark bands around eyes of last three rows, dorsum with sparse, simple, moderately long, whitish-yellow setae, denser and longer on anterior half of cephalic area and posterior half of abdomen; without pubescence. Carapace slender and elongated, cephalic portion a little longer than wide (width: 0.85 mm), as wide as widest thoracic part, smooth, marked constriction (width 0.52 mm) between cephalic and thoracic part, two translucent white areas at each side of constriction, separated by narrow black area (imitating part of femora I), constriction followed by globular, somewhat wrinkled knob, which is terminated behind by short pedicle which is more slender than the anterior constriction, evenly tapering when seen in lateral view and concave in dorsal view. Eyes arranged in four rows, quadrangle formed by the second and fourth rows of eyes wider than long, anterior eyes large, in contact, occupying entire front of vertical inclination of face; second pair placed on back behind eyes of first pair, but a little further from each other than distance between external borders of first ones, directed sideways; posterior eyes larger, separated by the same distance as those of second row, eyes of the third pair halfway between second and fourth. Chelicerae light brown, with three teeth on promargin and two on retromargin. Anterior half of sternum yellow and posterior half light brown. Abdomen length: 1.80 mm; width: 1.10 mm, of same length as carapace, broader, commencing by short pedicle that appears to constitute prolongation of that of thoracic part, dorsally completely covered by scutum, integument smooth, constriction in anterior portion. Slender and comparably long legs, in order 4, 3, 1, 2, third and fourth pair stouter, light brown. Epigyne (Fig. 5A-C View Figure 5 ): epigynal plate forming part of the epigastric sclerite, copulatory opening in very small and quadrangular (width: ~ 0.05 mm), copulatory ducts long, starting in a chamber, forming a spiral with one loop and entering the spermathecae posteriorly; spermatheca lung-shaped; copulatory ducts anterior to spermathecae.

Male paratype (Fig. 9 View Figure 9 ). Total length: 3.81 mm. Carapace length: 1.94 mm; width: 0.74 mm. Cephalic portion a little longer than wide (width: 0.71 mm), thoracic constriction 0.50 mm wide. General form of carapace, chelicerae and sternum as female, colouration dark brown. Abdomen length: 1.70 mm; width: 0.83 mm, covered dorsally and completely by a scutum, with a conspicuous constriction in the anterior portion; colouration dark brown. Palp (Fig. 9C-F View Figure 9 ): small cymbium, bulb about 80% of cymbium length, irregularly shaped spherical, embolus long, arising at the basal side of the bulb, without complete circular revolution and is accommodated on a slight retro-lateral concavity of cymbium, lacking pars pendula, tibial apophysis tooth-like, narrow, moderately tapering, tip directed forward.

Variation.

Juvenile females had a shiny, dark brown-blackish body surface with dark orange to light brown cephalic part and a pointed abdomen (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ). The constriction in the proximal half of the abdomen was marked by a relatively broad, light transverse band. Adult females had a matt, blackish body surface with a dark orange or completely black cephalic part, the bright band in the abdominal constriction indistinct or absent (Fig. 8B, C View Figure 8 ). The holotype (BL 4.25 mm), collected in Cafetal, Buena Vista (Santa Cruz Department), had a matt, orange yellowish body except for some darker patches around the second and third eyes and the abdominal apex (Figs 3C View Figure 3 , 4B View Figure 4 ). The abdominal constriction becomes less pronounced with increasing body length.

Etymology.

The specific epithet, shinahota , refers to a place with many ants or an ant nest in the Yuracaré language ( Querejazu 2005), spoken by the Yuracaré people living along the Chapare River in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia.

Geographical and ecological distribution (Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ).

Sympolymnia shinahota sp. nov. is known from Brazil, Amazonas State, Manaus and from the Bolivian Departments of Cochabamba (Villa Tunari) and Santa Cruz (Buena Vista). The collection locations of this species were situated in moist Amazonas forest regions, including Uatuma-Trombetas moist forest (Amazonas State, Manaus) and pre-Andean Southwest Amazon rainforest (Villa Tunari, Cochabamba Dept. and Buena Vista, Santa Cruz Dept.). However, in all areas that were surveyed in the present study, S. shinahota sp. nov. was exclusively collected in early successional forests in large tree-fall gaps or secondary forest from isolated, small trees that were densely overgrown with climbing plants, several metres away from the edge of primary forest.

Remarks.

Photographs of two individuals ( Maddison 2018) suggest that this species also occurs in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador (Yasuni National Park). Light variants were also reported in S. lauretta and S. lucasi ( Galiano 1967). However, these reports refer to specimens that were stored in alcohol or formaldehyde for a longer time and may have faded due to the preservative ( Galiano 1967). This study reports for the first time an in situ observation of an orange variant of Sympolymnia.