Matta teteia, Brescovit & Cizauskas, 2019

Brescovit, Antonio D. & Cizauskas, Igor, 2019, Seven new species of the spider genus Matta Crosby from caves in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil (Araneae, Tetrablemmidae), Zootaxa 4559 (3), pp. 401-444 : 437

Matta teteia sp. n.

Figures 26 ̄29, 30B.

Types. Male holotype and female paratype from Gruta do Janelão (44°14'30''W 15°6'58''S), Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, Januária, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 22/VII2012, M.E. Bichuette, J.E. Gallão & P.P. Rizzato col., deposited in IBSP 183764.

Other material examined. Brazil, Minas Gerais: Januária, Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, Gruta do Janelão (44°14'30''W 15°6'58''S), 22/VII2012, M.E. Bichuette, J.E. Gallão & P.P. Rizzato col., 1♀ ( IBSP 183765 ; MEV) ; Gruta do Janelão (44°14'30''W 15°6'58''S), 22/VII2012, M.E. Bichuette, J.E. Gallão & P.P. Rizzato col., 1♂ ( IBSP 196165 ; MEV) .

Etymology. The specific name “tetéia” is a noun in apposition that refers to an expression used by people in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais meaning beautiful thing, since this is one of the most beautiful species from the valley of the Peruaçu River.

Diagnosis. Matta teteia is distinguished from other Matta species by having a combination of anterior medial eyes together on a common base ( Figs 27A, E , 29A, C ) in both sexes, the laminar projection short, triangular and convex ( Figs 26B ̄C, 28ĀH) in the male palp and oval, with sclerotized base of the dorsal fold of the uterus externus in females ( Fig. 26F ).

Description. Male (holotype, IBSP 183764). Carapace, chelicerae, labium, endites, and abdomen orange. Sternum yellow with orange borders. Legs yellow ( Fig. 26A ). Total length 1.11. Carapace elevated, 0.46 long, 0.38 wide, with rugose surface laterally, dorsally almost smooth ( Fig. 27A, C ). Sternal surface tenuously reticulate. Clypeus long, oblique, seven times the length of ocular area ( Fig. 27C ). Anterior eyes vestigial, contiguous ( Fig. 27A ̄E). Cheliceral apophysis conical, short, with long hairs and translucent median lamina (Fig. ĀD). Leg measurements: I—femur 0.38/ patella 0.14/ tibia 0.3/ metatarsus 0.23/ tarsus 0.25/ total 1.3; II—0.31/ 0.11/ 0.22/ 0.17/ 0.23/ 1.04; III—0.3/ 0.1/ 0.27/ 0.18/ 0.22/ 1.01; IV—0.41/ 0.13/ 0.38/ 0.19/ 0.26/ 1.37. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination: absent, metatarsus narrowed at base ( Fig. 27G ̄H), leg I with a strong spine on an elevated base ( Fig. 27G ̄H).

Abdomen ovoid, large sclerotized plate covering dorsal surface ( Fig. 26A ); ventrally covered by four sclerotized plates. Abdominal plates: large pulmonary plate with rounded anterior margin, surrounding pedicel and bearing oval book-lung plates, followed posteriorly by very narrow postgenital plate, rectangular preanal plate, and conical anal plate surrounding spinnerets, laterally with four pairs of narrow plates, most ventral pair very short than others, and a line of the four epiandrous spigots. Male palp: femur with three long setae, medially elevated, with 3-4 small projected plates; tibia strongly swollen, rounded posteriorly ( Fig. 27F ); cymbium small; bulbus pear-shaped, with conductor not involving the base of the sinuous embolus, flattened and having ɯ-shaped basal projection in the distal third and relatively short basal laminar projection, with apophysis at base ( Figs 26B ̄C, 28ĀH).

Female (IBSP 183764). Coloration pattern as in male ( Fig. 26D ). Total length 1.14. Carapace as in male, 0.46 long, 0.36 wide. Clypeus, sternum and eyes as in male ( Fig. 29B ̄C). Chelicerae with inconspicuous apophysis, with ventral translucent hyaline keel, as in male ( Fig. 29A ). Leg measurements: I—femur 0.47/ patella 0.12/ tibia 0.26/ metatarsus 0.18/ tarsus 0.22/ total 1.25; II—0.36/ 0.1/ 0.22/ 0.19/ 0.2/ 1.07; III—0.28/ 0.11/ 0.2/ 0.16/ 0.2/ 0.95; IV—0.42/ 0.11/ 0.34/ 0.22/ 0.26/ 1.35. Leg formula 4123. Leg spination absent. Pedipalpal tarsus ending in acuminate, smooth pit ( Fig. 29D ).

Abdomen with plates as in male ( Fig. 29E ). Vulvae externally with large V-shaped receptacle, visible by transparency ( Fig. 26E ); enlarged at middle post genital plate and wide copulatory opening ( Fig. 29F ). Internally with small distal area of the receptaculum and slender basal area of the copulatory ducts; central process oval at apex, with half-length of the receptaculum ( Fig. 26F ).

Natural history. Matta teteia sp. n. was collected in Janelão cave in the Peruaçu River Valley. It is a large tourist cave with carbonate rocks in the formation of Sete Lagoas (Grupo Bambuí). Based on its reduced and grouped eyes and long hairs of tricobothria we hypothesize that this species is a troglobite.

Distribution. Known only from Gruta do Janelão in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil ( Fig. 30B ).

Figures

FIGURE 26. Matta teteia sp. n., male IBSP 183764 (A–C), female IBSP 183764 (D‒F) A habitus, dorsal view B palp, prolateral view C same, retrolateral view D habitus, dorsal view E abdomen, ventral view F vulva, cleared, dorsal view.

FIGURE 27. Matta teteia sp. n., male IBSP 196165 A carapace, frontal view B same, chelicerae, lateral view C same, ocular area, dorsal view D palpal tibiae, lateral view E leg I, prolateral view F same, retrolateral view.

FIGURE 29. Matta teteia sp. n., female IBSP 183765 A carapace, frontal view B same, lateral view C same, ocular area D pedipalp, distal area E abdomen, ventral view F same, vulva plate.

FIGURE 30. A Matta nuusga = pentagon white, M. cambito = yellow star; B M. teteia = red star, M. humrrum = pentagon blue, M. pititinha = yellow spangle; C M. zuiuda = close white circle, M. humhum = yellow square.