Wulfila phantasma, Rivera-Quiroz & Álvarez-Padilla, 2019

Rivera-Quiroz, F. Andrés & Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando, 2019, Description of five new Wulfila (Araneae, Anyphaenidae) species from Mexico with comments on the taxonomy of the genus, Zootaxa 4712 (2), pp. 269-289 : 283-285

Wulfila phantasma spec. nov.

Figures 12–13 , 14d

Type material: Holotype ♂: MEXICO: Xamaticpac , (19°07’30.1’’N, 97°04’0.1’’W, 1700 m), Feb. 9–17, 2014, L. Pérez-Miguel leg. ( CNAN-T01358 ).

Etymology: The species epithet, a noun in apposition, from the Greak phantasma (phantom, apparition, ghost) refers to the common name under which Anyphaenidae are known.

Diagnosis: Male pedipalp of W. phantasma spec. nov. differs from that of W. imacullelus ( Platnick 1974: fig. 87) by having a much wider PTV and ticker MA ( Figs 12f ; 13a ); and from W. conchamonile spec. nov. by having a longer PTV with a triangular tip on a ventral view ( Figs 3a ; 13a ), a shorter bifurcate MA and thicker PTP ( Figs 14 c–d).

Description: Male: Total length 4.0. Cephalothorax: length 1.62; width 1.25. Carapace glabrous, without pattern, slightly darker in ocular area, thoracic groove very difficult to see ( Fig. 12a ). Sternum glossy, color pale yellow. Precoxal triangles present, more visible on coxae III–IV, slightly darker than the sternum ( Fig. 12c ). Coxae without spurs, coxae III−IV with dark marks on the prolateral surface. Endites same color as sternum, labium almost black, longer than wide, labium length ca. 1/2 of endites. Chelicera: width 0.30, length 0.77; same color as the cephalic region; four promarginal and one retromarginal teeth; fang length 0.57. Eyes: AER straight, PER slightly procurved in dorsal view ( Fig. 12a ); ALE diameter almost twice as big as AME; posterior eyes subequal in size. Clypeus about 1 time the diameter of AME. Abdomen: pale yellow; dorsal surface with small grey patches; lateral surface with three elongated black spots ( Fig. 12b ); ventral surface with three black spots: near the pedicel, over the epigastric furrow and anterior of the tracheal spiracle ( Fig. 12c ). Legs: light yellow, tibiae and metatarsi with dark rings distally; leg I and II with two pairs of ventral macrosetae on tibiae and metatarsi; length: I 14.25; II 7.65; III 5.25; IV 8.75; formula I–IV–II–III. Pedipalp: light yellow, bulb pale brown ( Figs 12 d–f); length 2.70. Distal portion of the bRTA flattened and transparent, bifurcated on the tip ( Fig. 13d ). Bulb: PTV semi-triangular, long flat and transparent on a ventral view ( Fig. 13a ); PTP conical, almost as wide and long as the MA; PTs semitransparent, slightly longer than the PTP ( Fig. 14d ); MA bifurcated at its tip ( Fig. 14d ), projecting retrolaterally ( Fig. 13a ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 15b ).

Biology: The only known specimen was collected on vegetation in a Quercus mixed forest with secondary plant growth in February 2014

Figures

FIGURES 3a–f. Wulfila conchamonile spec. nov., genitalia. Male palp: a—ventral, b—prolateral, c—dorsal, d—retrolateral. Epigyne: e—dorsal, f—ventral. Scale bars: a–d = 0.3 mm, e–f = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 12a–f. Wulfila phantasma spec. nov., male. Habitus: a—dorsal, b—lateral, c—ventral. Palp: d—dorsal, e—retrolateral, f—ventral. Scale bars: a–c = 0.5 mm, d–f = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 13a–d. Wulfila phantasma spec. nov., male. Palp: a—ventral, b—prolateral, c—dorsal, d—retrolateral. Scale bar: a–d = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 14a–d. Expanded male copulatory bulbs, retrolateral view: a—Wulfila unguis spec. nov., b—W. luisi spec. nov., c—W. conchamonile spec. nov., d—W. phantasma spec. nov. Scale bars: a–b = 0.1 mm, c–d = 0.15 mm.

FIGURE 15. Distribution map of the new Wulfila species. Inset a—showing species collected in Xilitla, San Luis Potosí: ● W. conchamonile spec. nov., and ▲ W. xilitlensis spec. nov. Inset b—showing species collected in Atotonilco and Xamaticpac, Veracruz: ♦ W. luisi spec. nov., + W. unguis spec. nov., and ★ W. phantasma spec. nov. Scale bars: a = 50 km, b = 10 km.