Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898)

Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Ixchela Huber, 2000 (Araneae: Pholcidae), with description of ten new species from Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 3608 (5), pp. 285-327 : 302-304

Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898)

Figures 72–84

Coryssocnemis simoni O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898: 237 , pl. 31, fig. 9 (description Ƥ). Coryssocnemis simoni F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902: 371 , pl. 35, fig. 7 (Ƥ). Ixchela simoni . Huber, 2000: 153 (Ƥ transfer from Coryssocnemis ).

Type data. MEXICO: Guerrero: 1 Ƥ holotype (BMNH) (not examined), from Omiltemi [~ lat 17.5564°, lon - 99.6882°], Municipio Chilpancingo [H. H. Smith].

Material examined. MEXICO: Guerrero: 2 3, 2 ƤƤ, 2 immatures (CNAN 3320) [25 January 2012; A. Valdez, O. Francke, D. Ortiz, J. Mendoza, G. Contreras] from 2 km W of crossroad Omiltemi-Chautipan (lat 17.5552°, lon - 99.7236°; 2448 m), Municipio Chilpancingo. 1 immature (CNAN 3321) [25 January 2012; A. Valdez, O. Francke, D. Ortiz, J. Mendoza, G. Contreras] from 1 km E of Omiltemi (lat 17.5561°, lon -99.6729°; 1985 m), Municipio Chilpancingo. 2 immatures (CNAN 3322) [25 January 2012; A. Valdez, O. Francke, D. Ortiz, J. Mendoza, G. Contreras] from 2 km W of Omiltemi (lat 17.5481°, lon -99.6956°; 2216 m), Municipio Chilpancingo. 4 immatures (CNAN 3328) [23 July 2009; A. Valdez, O. Francke, H. Montaño, C. Santibañez, T. López, C. Quijano] from Omiltemi (lat 17.5546°, lon -99.6853°; 2623 m), Municipio Chilpancingo. 1 Ƥ (TMM-UT Inv. Zoo. Coll. # 52,512) [29 December 2002; P. Sprouse] from Acahuizotla, Resumidero de San Juan Francisco (lat 17.3253°, lon -99.3909°; 1222 m).

Diagnosis. Close relative of I. huberi , distinguished by chelicerae with FAC rounded and smaller ( Figs 74, 75 ); rounded apically in lateral view ( Fig. 75 ); by the palp femur larger ( Figs 78, 79 ); by the embolus ventral-distal with long projection leaf-shaped ( Fig. 80 ); and by epigyna with prominent conical apophysis ( Fig. 82 ), slightly curved in lateral view ( Fig. 84 ).

Description. Male. (CNAN 3320). Prosoma: Carapace pale yellow, with lateral wide spots, olive color ( Fig. 73 ). Ocular region brown, with a wide longitudinal olive line; two shorts olive lines behind the posterior median eyes ( Fig. 73 ). Fovea with a wide spot aroud it, olive color ( Fig. 73 ). Clypeus with a wide trapezoidal region along, olive color ( Fig. 76 ). Chelicerae dark brown on prolateral and retrolateral parts; prolaterally small pale region on basal and distal parts. FAC brown, quelicerae with inconspicuous SAC ( Fig. 74 ). Sternum orange, labium and endites brown, pale distally, prolateral apophysis of endites orange. Legs: Coxae pale yellow. Trochanters brown. Femora orange, paler basally and distally, with a marked width ring sub-distally. Patellae dark. Tibiae light brown, with a dark wide ring basally and other one distally. Metatarsi and tarsi brown. Opisthosoma: Conical, pale blue, larger than high ( Fig. 72 ). Gonopore plate olive color, rounded. Palp: Femur pale orange, conical, thin basally and wide distally; with VAF small, projected upward ( Fig. 78 ). Patella pale orange. Tibia orange, paler basally. Procursus brown, paler basally; conical with distal curved spine; with two dorsal basal projections ( Fig. 77 ). VPP rounded, with numerous long setae ( Fig. 78 ). Embolus conical ( Figs 78, 79 ), with sclerotized spine small and sub-distal on the embolus (arrow Fig. 80 ). PAB long and wide ( Fig. 79 ). Embolus with long curved dorsal-distal spine; ventrally with sclerotized long projection leaf-shaped ( Fig. 80 ). Measurements: Total length 7.40. Carapace 2.85 long, 2.50 wide. Clypeus 1.07 long. Diameter AME 0.14, ALE 0.24, PME 0.20, PLE 0.22. Distance ALE-PME 0.18, PME-PME 0.26. Leg I: 40.19 (10.81+1.02+10.62+13.12+4.62). tibia II: 7.25, tibia III: 5.70, tibia IV: 7.40; tibia I l/d 21.50.

Female. (CNAN 3320). Similar to the male, differences: Prosoma: Chelicerae brown. Dorsal lateral spots darker than on males. Ocular region darker than on males. Spot around the fovea darker than on males. Clypeus with very maked long straight region, not trapezoidal. Sternum and endites darker than on males. Legs: femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi paler than on males. Epigynum: Slightly wider than long ( Figs 81, 82, 84 ). PP curved laterally; MSE with a marked Y-shaped upside down; long concavities sac-like between MSE and PP ( Fig. 83 ). Measurements: Total length 7.70. Carapace 2.65 long, 2.45 wide. Clypeus 0.90 long. Diameter AME 0.12, ALE 0.25, PME 0.22, PLE 0.26. Distance 0.23, ALE-PME 0.18. PME-PME 0.27. Leg I: 36.60 (9.62+1.10+10.00+11.75+4.13), tibia II: 6.70, tibia III: 5.30, tibia IV: 6.87; tibia I l/d 22.85.

Variation. Females have carapace yellow paler than the males. The carapace and clypeus pattern are darker olive on females than males. Sternum and legs darker orange on males than females. Labium markedly darker in females than males. Male tibia I: 10.62, missing. Female tibia I: 10.00, missing.

Natural History. The specimens were collected on their sheet webs in an oak-pine forest ( Fig. 4 ), among boulders and on walls along road-cuts in wet and shaded areas covered with roots ( Figs 17, 18 ).

Distribution. MEXICO: Guerrero (O. Pickard-Cambridge 1898, F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1902) ( Fig. 85 ).

Figures

FIGURE 85. Known distribution of Ixchela abernathyi (Gertsch, 1971), Ixchela furcula (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902), Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971), Ixchela placida (Gertsch, 1971) and Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898).

FIGURES 72 – 84. Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898). Male: 72, Habitus, lateral view. 73, Carapace, dorsal view. 74, Chelicerae, frontal view. 75, Chelicera, lateral view. 76, Carapace, frontal view. 77, Bulb and procursus, dorsal view. 78 – 79, Left palp, retrolateral and prolateral views respectively. 80, Embolus, dorso-distal view (arrow indicates the sclerotized spine small and sub-distal on the embolus). Female: 81, Epigynum, frontal view. 82, Epigynum, ventral view. 83, Epigynum, dorsal view. 84, Epigynum, left lateral view. Scales: 1 mm (Figs 72 – 74, 76, 78, 79, 81 – 84), 0.5 mm (Figs 75, 77, 80).

FIGURES 1 – 12. Living specimens of the genus Ixchela Huber, 2000, from Mexico. 1, Ixchela abernathyi (Gertsch, 1971), female from Km 227 Carretera Federal No. 70 Cd. San Luis Potosí-Rio Verde, San Luis Potosí. 2, Ixchela placida (Gertsch, 1971), female from Cueva de Atlahuilapa, Veracruz. 3, Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971), female from Cueva de Teopisca, Chiapas. 4, Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898) from 2 km W of crossroad Omiltemi-Chautipan, Guerrero. 5, Ixchela mixe new species, female with egg sac from cave near Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca. 6, Ixchela huberi new species, male from Santa Inés del Monte, Oaxaca. 7, Ixchela juarezi new species, female with egg sac from 2 km E of Guelatao, Oaxaca. 8, Ixchela taxco new species, female from Rancho La Soñadora, 6 km W of Taxco, Guerrero. 9, Ixchela franckei new species, male from Cueva del Borrego, 3.5 km E of Omiltemi, Guerrero. 10 – 11, Ixchela huasteca new species: 10, male from 1.5 km road to Microondas La Pingüica, Querétaro; 11, female with egg sac from Buenavista, near Ahuacatlan, San Luis Potosí. 12, Ixchela tzotzil new species, male from Grutas de Arcotete, Chiapas.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Typical habitats of spiders of the genus Ixchela Huber, 2000 from Mexico. 13, Oak-pine forest, from Km 227 Federal Highway # 70 Cd. San Luis Potosí-Río Verde, San Luis Potosí: Ixchela abernathyi (Gertsch, 1970). 14, Karstic zone in oak-pine forest, Cueva del Borrego 3.5 km al E of Omiltemi, Guerrero: Ixchela franckei new species. 15, Oak-pine forest from Grutas de Arcotete, Chiapas: Ixchela tzotzil new species. 16, Tropical rain forest outside of Cueva de las Abejas, Chiapas: Ixchela santibanezi new species. 17, Oak-pine forest 3 km E of turn-off to Santa Inés del Monte, Oaxaca: Ixchela huberi new species. 18, Oak-pine forest at “ Rancho La Soñadora ”, 6 km W of Taxco, Guerrero: Ixchela taxco new species. Red arrows indicate the specific locations or microhabitats where specimens of Ixchela can be collected in the field.