Masteria lasdamas Dupérré & Tapia, 2021

Dupérré, Nadine, Tapia, Elicio, Quandt, Dietmar, Crespo-Pérez, Verónica & Harms, Danilo, 2021, From the lowlands to the highlands of Ecuador, a study of the genus Masteria (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Dipluridae) with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 5005 (4), pp. 538-568 : 557-560

Masteria lasdamas Dupérré & Tapia , new species

Figs 16A, B , 17A–D , 21A , 23B , map 1.

Type material. Male holotype from Santo Domingo de los Tsachilás, OTONGA Biological Reserve, Las Damas (-00.39506 -78.98100) 1290m, 05–16 August 2014, pitfall trap, E. Tapia, I. Tapia, N. Dupérré ( QCAZ). Paratypes: same locality as holotype : 1♂, 12–23 July 2014, pitfall trap, E.E. Tapia, C. Tapia & N. Dupérré ( ZMH-A0015054 ) ; 1♂, 28 June–12 July 2014, pitfall trap, E.E. Tapia, C. Tapia & N. Dupérré ( QCAZ) ; 1♂, 23 Jul.–5 Aug. 2014, pitfall trap, E. Tapia, C. Tapia & N. Dupérré ( QCAZ) .

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality Las Damas in the OTONGA Biological Reserve.

Diagnosis. Male most resemble M. otongachi n. sp. but can be distinguished by their much smaller size (2.69 vs. 4.41); prolateral process of leg I, P1 inconspicuous ( Fig. 23B ) vs. P1 well sclerotized and triangular in M. otongachi n. sp. ( Fig. 23 C ).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 2.69; carapace length: 1.32; carapace width: 1.01; abdomen length: 1.37. Carapace light brown; pars thoracica with long setae ( Fig. 16A ). Chelicerae yellow; promargin with 10 teeth and ~15 smaller mesobasal teeth. Endites yellow without cuspules. Labium yellow without cuspules. Sternum yellow ( Fig. 16B ). Eyes: six eyes grouped; AME absent, ALE the largest; PLE oval; PME small, rounded; posterior eye row recurved ( Figs 16A , 21A ). Abdomen elongated, whitish-gray, covered with long setae ( Fig. 16A ). Spinnerets: missing. Leg formula 4123; leg measurements: I 4.59 (1.17/0.60/1.09/0.93/0.80); II 3.53 (0.95/0.45/0.74 /0.71/0.68); III 2.32 (0.92/0.41/0.68/0.68/0.53); IV 4.44 (1.23/0.41/0.99/1.09/0.72). Leg spination: I: d1-1-1-1-; tibiae v1; II: femur d1-1-1; tibia v1-1, p1; metatarsus v1-1, p1; III: femur d1-1-1-1; patella d1, p1; tibia d1, v1-1-2, p2-2, r2-2; metatarsus d1-2, v1-2ap, p1, r1-1; IV: femur d1-1-1; patella p1; tibia d1-1-1, v1-1-1ap, p1-1-1, r1-1-1, metatarsus d1, v1-1, p1-1, r1-1. Tibia I: P1 inconspicuous; P2 with an apical strong spine; P3 with a with two apical spines, one slightly curved apically ( Fig. 23B ). Metatarsus I with rounded basal spine ( Fig. 23B ). Palp: palpal tibia 2x the size of cymbium, 3.5x longer than wide ( Fig. 17A ); cymbium 2.5x longer than wide, with four apical spines ( Fig. 17A, B ); palpal bulb elongated-oval, embolus short, straight with bend tip ( Fig. 17C ).

Female: unknown.

Distribution. Ecuador: only found at the type locality.

Natural History. Specimens were collected by pitfall trap at 1290m in an evergreen foothill forest of the occidental Andean mountain range ( Guevara & Morales 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 16A, B. Masteria lasdamas n. sp. (holotype). A. Male habitus, dorsal view. B. Male habitus, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5mm.

FIGURES 17A–D. Masteria lasdamas n. sp. (holotype). A. Male palp, prolateral view. B. Male palp, retrolateral view. C. Male palpal bulb, prolateral view. D. Male leg I, prolateral view. Scale bars: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 21A, B. Cephalothorax, dorsal view. A. Masteria lasdamas n. sp. (male holotype). B. Masteria otongachi n. sp. (male holotype).

FIGURES 23A–C. Prolateral processes of leg I, male. A. Masteria pasochoa n. sp. (holotype). B. Masteria lasdamas n. sp. (holotype). C. Masteria otongachi n. sp. (holotype).