Selenops scitus Muma, 1953

Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, 2010, Two new species of spiders of the genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Araneae: Selenopidae) and redescription of Selenops scitus Muma, 1953 from Mexico, Zootaxa 2334, pp. 47-58 : 53-57

Selenops scitus Muma, 1953

S. scitus Muma, 1953: 19 , f. 32 (Description Ƥ). Figures 12–18

Type material: Female holotype (not examined) from Mexcala [sic], [Guerrero, Mexico], August 1946, C. J. Goodnight, deposited in the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Other material examined. Male and female from Cerro “La Víbora”, in front of Santa Cruz (deciduous thorn scrub), [lat 18.18298333°, lon -99.1174°, 1011 m; Municipio Atenango del Río, Guerrero, México], 5 July 2000, F. Álvarez, E. González ( CNAN 3223). Male and female from Atenango del Río (deciduous thorn scrub), [lat 18.1258°, lon -99.08988333°, 651 m; Municipio Atenango del Río, Guerrero, México], 14 June 2000, G. Montiel, F, Álvarez, E. González, O. Delgado, J. Castelo, E. Lira, C. Durán ( CNAN 3224).

Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished by the oval shape of the VTA ( Fig. 14 ). The RTA is short, bifurcated, the longer branch is claw-shaped, and the shorter one is oval (arrows in Fig. 14 ). The MA has only one hook-shaped projection ( Figs 14, 15 ). Females can be distinguished by the shape of the epigynum, the median portion forming a subsquared concavity near the epigastric furrow; and by the circular portion in anterior part ( Fig. 17 ).

Description. Male: Carapace brown, with dusky markings ( Fig. 12 ). Ocular region with fine white setae. Clypeus shorter than AME, equivalent to ¾ of their diameter. Chelicerae pale orange, with a J-shaped dark gray central pattern and curving on prolateral portion. Promargin of the chelicerae with three teeth; middle tooth closer to basal than to distal tooth, the middle one is bigger; retromargin with two teeth, the basal is bigger ( Fig. 13 ). Sternum round, and yellow. Labium brown, with two darker lateral notches basally; not fused to the sternum. Trapezoidal gnathocoxae pale brown, lighter distally. Opisthosoma gray dorsally, venter lighter. ALS and PLS gray retrolaterally.

Palps. RTA conical, bifurcated distally, shorter than tibia ( Figs 14, 15 ).

Legs. Pale orange, with two marked dusky bands on each segment, except on patellae and tarsi. Spine formula: Tibiae I–II: v2.2.2, III-IV: v2.2; metatarsi I–II: v2.2, III–IV: v2.1. Femora I–IV: d1.1.1.

Measurements. Total length: 6.4, prosoma: 3.2 long, 3.3 wide. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.21, ALE 0.13, PME 0.28, PLE 0.35. Leg lengths: I: femur 3.52/ patella 1.45/ tibia 3.10/ metatarsus 3.00/ tarsus 1.78/ total 12.85; II: 3.95/ 1.45/ 3.37/ 3.17/ 1.86/ 13.80; III: 4.05/ 1.45/ 3.45/ 3.30/ 1.76/ 14.01; IV- 4.27/ 1.25/ 3.65/ 3.75/ 1.86/ 14.78. Formula: 4321.

Female: Coloration similar to the male ( Fig. 16 ).

Epigynum. Wider than long, oval ( Fig. 17 ). Spermathecae with two anterior oval protuberances; CD long and curved, oval distally ( Fig. 18 ). Spine formula: Femora I–IV: d3.2.2. Measurements: Total length: 8.1, prosoma: 3.15 long, 3.2 wide. Diameter of eyes: AME 0.18, ALE 0.12, PME 0.28, PLE 0.34. Leg lengths: I: femur 3.05/ patella 1.43/ tibia 2.65/ metatarsus 2.25/ tarsus 1.36/ total 10.74; II: 3.52/ 1.46/ 2.87/ 2.5/ 1.4/ 11.75; III: 3.77/ 1.4/ 3.07/ 2.62/ 1.4/ 12.26; IV: 3.8/ 1.13/ 3.1/ 2.95/ 1.53/ 12.51.

Distribution. Known from several localities in the Mexican state Guerrero: Mezcala, Santa Cruz, Atenango del Río ( Fig. 20 ).

Remarks. Following Muma (1953), Selenops scitus Muma, 1953 belongs to the debilis group by having the leg formula 4321; by having spine formulae: tibiae I and II: v2.2.2, metatarsi I and II: v2.2; palp of the male by having RTA bifurcated; MA of palp with only one hook-shaped projection, located at the middle or in the distal half near the retrolateral margin; by having the embolus long and slender, extending at least onethird of the distance around the cymbium; by the median subquadrate guide in the epigynum of the female; and by the spermathecal openings located near the epigastric furrow.

Selenops scitus resembles Selenops debilis Banks, 1898 in the shape of the palps and epigynum, but in S. scitus the RTA of the palp is shorter than in S. debilis , furthermore the RTA is bifurcated in S. scitus and in S. debilis it is simple. The VTA in S. scitus is oval and wide, in S. debilis is shorter. The MA in S. scitus is wider than in S. debilis , in S. scitus it is situated in the median part of cymbium, whereas in S. debilis it is near to distal part. The epigynum in S. debilis has a vertical and thin median septum that S. scitus does not have; and S. scitus has a subsquared concavity near to the epigastric furrow that is lacking in S. debilis

Figures

FIGURE 20. Records of Selenops aztecus new species (˔); Selenops santibanezi new species (●); and Selenops scitus Muma, 1953 (♦).

FIGURES 12 – 15. Selenops scitus Muma, 1953. Male. 12 Habitus, dorsal view; 13 Left chelicera, teeth of promargin and retromargin; 14 Left male palp ventral view, 15 retrolateral view. Scales = 1 mm (Figs 12, 14, 15); 0.5 mm (Fig. 13).

FIGURES 16 – 18. Selenops scitus Muma, 1953. Female. 16 Habitus, dorsal view; 17 Epigynum, ventral view; 18 dorsal view. Scales = 1 mm (Fig. 16); 0.5 mm (Figs. 17, 18).