Nerudia guirnalda, Huber & Meng & Král & Ávila Herrera & Izquierdo & Carvalho, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M., Izquierdo, Matias A. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, High and dry: integrative taxonomy of the Andean spider genus Nerudia (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 198, pp. 534-591 : 563-566

NERUDIA GUIRNALDA HUBER SP. NOV.

( FIGS 1F , 25 , 26 )

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 7EF740D6-19C7-4A45-97BA-2FB853B8FB 2F.

Diagnosis: Distinguished from most known congeners by shape of procursus ( Fig. 25A–C ; wide in lateral view, with prolateral–ventral ridge proximally), from the similar N. trigo by armature of male chelicerae ( Fig. 25G, H ; strong frontal apophyses pointing downward, with flattened tip; set with strong hairs), from some congeners also by bulbal processes ( Fig. 25D–F ; ventral apophysis slender, weakly curved, same length as embolus), and by epigynum and female internal genitalia ( Figs 25I , 26 ; epigynal plate trapezoidal, medially light, much narrower than posterior plate; internal genitalia with posteriorly wide open receptacle; similar to N. colina and N. trigo ).

Type material: ARGENTINA – Catamarca: • ♂ holotype; El Rodeo, trail to Cristo Redentor; 28.2229° S, 65.8677° W; 1460 m a.s.l.; 11 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; LABRE-Ar 590 • 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, paratypes; same data as holotype; ZFMK Ar 23896 .

Other material examined: ARGENTINA – Catamarca: • 5 ♀♀, in pure ethanol (two prosomata used for molecular study); same data as holotype; ZFMK Arg 166, 167 • 1 ♀; same data as holotype; LABRE-Ar 538 • 1 ♂; El Rodeo; Jan. 1957; M.E. Galiano leg.; MACN 20015 part • 2 ♂♂ , 2 ♀♀, 1 juv.; Mutquin; ~ 28.32° S, 66.13° W; 2000 m a.s.l.; Jan. 1966; O. de Ferrariis leg.; MACN 20050 part.

Etymology: The species epithet guirnalda (Spanish for a ‘garland’) is taken from Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Sed de ti’; noun in apposition.

Description

Male (holotype). Measurements: Total body length 1.40, carapace width 0.60. Distance PME–PME 70 µm; diameter PME 60 µm; distance PME–ALE 20 µm; distance AME–AME 15 µm; diameter AME 45 µm. Leg 1: 4.80 (1.37 + 0.23 + 1.23 + 1.40 + 0.57), tibia 2: 1.03, tibia 3: 0.87, tibia 4: 1.27; tibia 1 L/d: 18.

Colour (in ethanol): Prosoma and legs pale ochre-yellow; with indistinct Y-mark on carapace; legs without dark rings; abdomen ochre-yellow to light grey, with indistinct internal marks.

Body: Habitus as in Figure 1F . Ocular area barely raised. Carapace with indistinct thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified, only at rim slightly sclerotized. Sternum wider than long (0.44/0.38), with pair of low anterior processes near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

Chelicerae: As in Figure 25G, H ; with pair of short frontal apophyses pointing downward, with flattened tip, i.e. wide in frontal view, pointed in lateral view; set with strong hairs; stridulatory files on pair of low lateral protrusions.

Palps: In general, similar to N. colina (cf. Fig. 4 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with indistinct ventral projection; femur cylindrical, slightly widened distally, proximally with indistinct retrolateral hump and prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), femur length/width: 1.81; patella short; tibia globular (length/width: 1.05); procursus simple ( Fig. 25A–C ), wide but mostly semi-transparent in lateral view, with prolateral–ventral ridge proximally; genital bulb ( Fig. 25D–F ) with weakly curved ventral apophysis, embolus partly membranous.

Legs: Without spines and curved hairs; with vertical hairs in two rows (prolateral, retrolateral) proximally on tibia 1 only; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 62%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~six pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Variation (male): Tibia 1 in six males (including holotype): 1.22–1.47 (mean 1.33).

Female: In general, similar to male but sternum without pair of anterior humps. Tibia 1 in ten females: 1.08–1.33 (mean 1.22). Epigynum ( Fig. 26A ) anterior plate weakly protruding, trapezoidal, medially light; posterior plate wide but short. Internal genitalia ( Figs 25I , 26B–D ) with posteriorly wide open receptacle.

Distribution: Known from two localities in the Cerro el Manchao region in Catamarca, Argentina ( Fig. 3 ).

Natural history: At the type locality the spiders were found by turning rocks along the trail in low forest.

Figures

Figure 1. Nerudia, live specimens from Argentina. A, N. colina sp. nov., female from Jujuy, between San Salvador and Purmamarca (type locality). B, N. poma sp. nov., male from Salta, NW Campo Quijano (type locality). C, D, N. centaura sp. nov., male and female from Catamarca, E Paso de San Francisco (type locality). E, N. trigo sp. nov., female from Salta, SW Alemania. F, N. guirnalda sp. nov., male from Catamarca, El Rodeo (type locality). G, N. ola sp. nov., male from San Juan, San Agustin de Valle Fertil (type locality). H, N. nono sp. nov., male from Cordoba, E Nono (type locality).

Figure 3. Known distribution of Nerudia in South America (inset) and of individual species. Regions in Chile: AT, Atacama; COQ, Coquimbo. Provinces in Argentina: CA, Catamarca; COR, Córdoba; JU, Jujuy; LR, La Rioja; SA, Salta; SJ, San Juan.

Figure 4. Nerudia colina sp. nov.; paratype male from Argentina, Jujuy, between San Salvador and Purmamarca (ZFMK Ar 23883). Left palp, prolateral (A) and retrolateral (B) views. Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter; va, ventral apophysis. Scale line: 0.3 mm.

Figure 25. Nerudia guirnalda sp. nov.; paratype male and paratype female from Argentina, Catamarca, El Rodeo (ZFMK Ar 23896).A–C, left male palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views; arrow points at prolateral– ventral ridge. D–F, left male genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. G, H, male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. I, cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figure 26. Nerudia guirnalda sp. nov.; paratype female from Argentina, Catamarca, El Rodeo (ZFMK Ar 23896). A, abdomen and epigynum, ventral view. B, median structures in internal genitalia. C, D, cleared genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale lines: 0.2 mm (A, C, D), 0.1 mm (B).