Loxosceles hupalupa, Planas & Ribera, 2015

Planas, Enric & Ribera, Carles, 2015, Description of six new species of Loxosceles (Araneae: Sicariidae) endemic to the Canary Islands and the utility of DNA barcoding for their fast and accurate identification, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 47-73 : 63-66

LOXOSCELES HUPALUPA SP. NOV. ( FIGS 11 , 12 )

Loxosceles rufescens ( Schmidt, 1981) Loxosceles sp. GM-HI ( Planas & Ribera, 2014)

Holotype

1♂, CRBA-LX1786 (MorphoBank: M326652−M326657), Playa de Ávalos , San Sebastián de la Gomera, La Gomera, 28.1147 N, 17.11317 W, 40 m a.s.l., 17.ii.2011, Espluga, R. & Planas, E. leg.

Paratype

1♂, CRBA-LX1787 , 1♀, CRBA-LX1789 (MorphoBank: M326658−M326663), same locality and data as holotype .

Other material examined

La Gomera: 1♀, CRBA-LX1785 , Tapagache, 28.08413 N, 17.28902 W, 758 m a.s.l., 16.ii.2011, Espluga , R. & Planas, E. leg. ; 2♀, CRBA-LX1778 , - LX1781 ), Igualero, 28.08762 N, 17.25687 W, 1161 m a.s.l., 15.ii.2011, Espluga , R. & Planas, E. leg. ; 1♀, CRBA-LX1774 , Barranco del Paijén, 28.08845 N, 17.19955 W, 888 m a.s.l., 15.ii.2011, Espluga , R. & Planas, E. leg. ; 1♂ subadult, SMF-29479, Santiago , 29.v.1905, Schmidt, G. leg. El Hierro : 4♀, ULL-DZUL-34165, -34166 ( LX2292 ), -34167 ( LX2293 ), -34168, Cueva del Linke , 27.65301 N, 17.98163 W, 16.xi.1985, Medina leg .

Etymology

The specific epithet is a noun in apposition that refers to the name of an ancient aborigine of the island of La Gomera.

Diagnosis

Differ from L. rufescens and L. mrazig by the same morphological combination as L. mahan sp. nov. (see above). Males of L. hupalupa sp. nov. can de distinguished from the remaining endemic Canary Island species by the shorter palpal tibia (in relation to CL; Fig. 11A ), and females by the wide and curved inner lobe of the apical part of the seminal receptacles. Loxosceles hupalupa sp. nov. also can be distinguished from the remaining Canary Island endemic species and from L. rufescens by two [450 (C); 531 ( T)] COI diagnostic nucleotide changes based on the alignment deposited in TreeBASE (accession number 15746; Fig. S1 ).

Description

Male (holotype)

Specimen preparation and condition: specimen collect- ed alive and preserved in 96% ethanol. Left pedipalp removed and conserved in a vial with specimen; left Leg 4 separated and left Leg 1 broken at patella. Coloration: carapace yellowish white, clypeus, pars cephalica, and median groove slightly darkened. Conspicuous dark V-mark posteriorly on pars cephalica ( Fig. 11D ). Carapace with dispersed, short, black setae. Eye tubercles black. Chelicerae reddish brown, darkened in its distal part. Sternum bright yellowish, paler than carapace. Labium and gnathocoxae pale reddish brown. Legs yellowish white with the apical segments slightly darkened. Sternum, labium, gnathocoxae, and legs covered by long setae interspersed with shorter, thicker setae. Abdomen pale yellowish to greyish, densely coated by short setae. Cephalothorax: carapace slightly longer (2.51) than wide (2.36), truncated behind, widely rounded on sides, narrowed in front. Carapace evenly convex, with median groove moderately deep, elongated, occupying roughly the posterior third. Pars cephalica elongated (1.66 long, 0.76 wide). Large setae or bristles in a single row on the side margin of the carapace pointing anteriorly. Most of larger setae of pars cephalica rubbed off to leave integument with conspicuous alveoli, forming seven parallel rows and six radial rows beginning at its posterior part, interspersed with shorter setae. Clypeus height 0.226. Eye sizes: ALE 0.19, ME 0.12, PLE 0.14. LE separated from ME by approximately the diameter of ME. Sternum longer (1.41) than wide (1.23). Labium 0.62 long, 048 wide at its base, apically narrowed and rounded. Gnathocoxae distally convergent, enclosing the labium. Abdomen: elongate oval (3.18 long, 2.32 wide) in dorsal view. Legs: leg formula 2 1 4 3; Leg 1 (19.51): femur 5.4/ patella 0.9/ tibia 5.94/ metatarsus 5.86/ tarsus 1.41; Leg 2 (21.53): 5.8/1.01/ 6.51/6.76/1.45; Leg 3 (16.56): 4.68/0.97/4.5/5.17/1.24; Leg 4 (17.88): 4.81/0.89/4.91/5.81/1.46. Male palp ( Fig. 11A– C, E ): femur cylindrical (1.29 long, 0.28 wide). Patella subglobular, roughly as long as wide (0.4). Tibia wider at the base (0.82 long, 0.52), paunchy ventrally, rounded more abruptly towards the patella than the tarsus, oval in dorsal view. Tarsus longer (0.5) than bulb (0.4). Bulb globular, slightly compressed dorsally. Maximum bulb width roughly five to six times wider than embolus base. Embolus long, approximately 1.9 times longer than bulb width, gently curved with an apparent bend at one third of the length and slightly sinuous towards the tip. Long, curved setae facing apically, distributed sparsely in femur, tibia, and tarsus, denser on retrolateral side. Variation (Table 1): CRBA-LX 1787: Leg 1: 20.61; Leg 2: 23.72; Leg 3: 18.67; Leg 4: 19.87; CL: 2.7; CW: 2.7.

Female (paratype, CRBA-LX1789 )

Specimen preparation and condition: specimen collect- ed alive and preserved in 96% ethanol. Genitalia removed and conserved in a vial with specimen. Chelicerae, right Leg 4 and left Leg 4 removed and missing. Coloration: similar as in male. Carapace yelloworange, with pars cephalica slightly darkened. Palps and chelicerae reddish. Dark V-shaped pattern in the posterior part of pars cephalica larger than in males. Cephalothorax: carapace slightly longer (3.71) than wide (3.35). Pars cephalica elongated (2.52 long, 1.15 wide). Eye sizes: ALE 0.27, ME 0.16, PLE 0.21. LE separat- ed from ME by 0.17. Sternum longer (2) than wide (1.6). Abdomen: elongate oval (5.42 long, 3.46 wide) in dorsal view. Legs: leg formula -; Leg 1 (23.09): femur 6.57/ patella 1.32/tibia 6.97/metatarsus 6.72/tarsus 1.51; Leg 2 (25.27): 7.15/1.35/7.72/7.6/1.45; Leg 3 (20.58): 6.01/ 1.39/5.5/6.31/1.37; Leg 4 (−):−/−/−/−. Female genitalia ( Fig. 12 ): atriobursal orifices situated in two large, rounded, almost contiguous pouches, slightly sclerotized around the edges. Base of seminal receptacles strongly conical and wide, reinforced laterally with a curved, dark, sclerotized band. Medium part short, cylindrical and strongly curved towards the centre. Subtle lobe protruding on its external side. Inner lobe wide, curved, directed towards the centre. Seminal receptacles not touching each other, separated at their closest point by more than the apical diameter of the inner lobes. Variation (Table 1): seminal receptacles may differ in the direction of the inner lobe curvature. Leg 1 (N = 4): 16.55−24.58 (mean: 21.22); Leg 2 (N = 5): 16.41–27.4 (mean: 22.65); Leg 3 (N = 4): 13.78–21.54 (mean: 17.75); Leg 4 (N = 5): 15.71–24.82 (mean: 19.69); CL (N = 5): 2.89–3.79 (mean: 3.41); CW (N = 5): 2.63−3.38 (mean: 3.1). General coloration ranges from pale-yellow to darker yellow-orange, depending on the time since the last moult. The shape of the dark V-mark also presents some variation in intensity and extent.

Distribution and natural history

Endemic to La Gomera and El Hierro. Known from localities situated in the southern part of La Gomera, where they can be found under big stones, and from a single cave in El Hierro.

Figures

Figure 1. A, geographical position of the Canary Islands, indicated by the inset box. B, phylogenetic relationships amongst the Canary Islands endemic Loxosceles species; lineages with more than one individual are collapsed (see Planas and Ribera, 2014 for further information). C, sampling localities of the Canary Islands endemic Loxosceles; colours correspond to B.

Figure 11. ♂ Loxosceles hupalupa sp. nov. A, palp, prolateral view; B, palp, retrolateral view; C, bulb and embolus; D, cephalothorax, dorsal view; E, palp, dorsal view. Scale bars: A, B, C, E = 0.5 mm; D = 1 mm.

Figure 12. ♀ Loxosceles hupalupa sp. nov. vulva: A, ventral view; B, dorsal view; C, anterior view; D, posterior view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.