Austrohahnia melloleitaoi ( Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942 ) Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942

Rubio, Gonzalo D., Lo-Man-Hung, Nancy F. & Iuri, Hernán A., 2014, A revision of the Neotropical genus Austrohahnia Mello-Leitão (Araneae, Hahniidae), Zootaxa 3894 (1), pp. 106-116 : 110-111

Austrohahnia melloleitaoi ( Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1942) new combination

Figs 1 ; 3D–F; 4A–D; 5

Material examined. ARGENTINA: Córdoba: 1 ♀, Road to Pan de Azúcar hill, S31.23707°, W64.384198°, 761 m asl, 05.IV.2001, A. Ceballos leg. (MACN-Ar 30191); Entre Ríos: 1 ♂, 20 km south of Victoria, S32.759444°, W59.93558°, 31 m asl, 28.II.1982, S. Roig, A. Roig Alsina & P. Goloboff leg. (MACN-Ar 30190); Río Negro: 4 ♂, 13 ♀, 2 immatures, Viedma, S40.859706°, W63.006858°, 4 m asl, 15.I.2013, H.A. Iuri leg. (MACN-Ar 30197–30203).

Diagnosis. Females of A. melloleitaoi resembles A. praestans in having a slightly similar arrangement of copulatory duct and relatively advanced secondary receptacle close to copulatory opening ( Figs 3E, F ), but can be distinguished from the latter by the flared copulatory opening (not spherical) ( Fig. 3D ). Austrohahnia melloleitaoi differs from A. catleyi new species in having a different arrangement of copulatory duct, middle stretch of copulatory duct first converge and then diverge ( Figs 3E, F ; compare with 3H, I), secondary receptacle close to copulatory opening ( Figs 3E, F ), a granulated edge on male patellar apophysis ( Fig. 1F ), and a pale dorsal stripe along the abdomen in both sexes ( Figs 1A ; 4A, C–D).

Description. Female (MACN-Ar 30201) ( Figs 3D–F ; 4A). Total length 4.20. Carapace 1.85 long, 1.44 wide; abdomen 2.55 long, 1.71 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.11, ALE 0.12, PME 0.11, PLE 0.11. AME–AME 0.04, ALE–ALE 0.24, PME–PME 0.10, PLE–PLE 0.36, AME–PME 0.08, ALE–PLE 0.02. Clypeus height 0.16, clypeus height at AME 0.26. Chelicerae with weak stridulatory files laterally; three promarginal and five retromarginal teeth. Sternum slightly wider than long. Leg measurements: I 4.69 (1.32, 1.52, 1.10, 0.75); II 4.65 (1.30, 1.55, 1.05, 0.75); III 4.47 (1.30, 1.37, 1.05, 0.75); IV 5.93 (1.66, 1.87, 1.50, 0.90). Carapace dark brown, slightly lighter anterior to thoracic fovea and near the margins, borders black. Sternum dark brown, somewhat lighter in the center. Abdomen with a pale yellow stripe of sinuous edges dorsally along the abdomen, without chevrons; ventrally light brown with dark irregular spots. Legs pale yellow with dark brown spots and rings. Epigyne ( Figs 3D–F ): with two flared copulatory opening, not spherical, located in large atrium close to epigastric furrow; middle stretch of copulatory duct first converge toward the middle and then diverge. The secondary receptacle close to copulatory opening. Variation (n = 17): total length 3.10–4.90, mean 3.76.

Male (MACN-Ar 30199) ( Figs 1 ; 4C–D). Total length 3.62. Carapace 1.80 long, 1.39 wide; abdomen 2.12 long, 1.37 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.12, PME 0.10, PLE 0.10. AME–AME 0.02, ALE–ALE 0.22, PME–PME 0.09, PLE–PLE 0.36, AME–PME 0.07, ALE–PLE 0.01. Clypeus height 0.20, clypeus height at AME 0.29. Chelicerae as in female, except for three promarginal (middle largest) and four small retromarginal teeth. Sternum as in female. Leg measurements: I 5.56 (1.50, 1.75, 1.37, 0.94); II 5.23 (1.46, 1.65, 1.25, 0.87); III 5.11 (1.45, 1.50, 1.34, 0.82); IV 6.40 (1.75, 2.00, 1.70, 0.95). Other characters as in female. Palp ( Figs 1C–F ): patellar apophysis with a granulated edge; copulatory bulb and embolus with the configuration of the genus ( Fig. 1D ). Variation (n = 5): total length 3.10–4.40, mean 3.49.

Natural history ( Figs 4A–D ). Austrohahnia melloleitaoi primarily inhabits litter and builds a small horizontal sheet-web with a retreat in the centre ( Fig. 4B ), often close to areas with anthropogenic modifications, e.g. under bridges, along waysides. These spiders are very fast and hide rapidly at the slightest disturbance, so they are hard to find among the dry leaves on the ground.

Distribution ( Fig. 5 ). Central and southeast Argentina: in Córdoba, southern Entre Ríos, southern Buenos Aires and eastern Río Negro.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Records of Austrohahnia spp. in South America; A. praestans (circles), A. melloleitaoi (squares), A. catleyi new species (stars), A. isophthalma (triangle), and Austrohahnia sp. (blue dot [immature specimen]).

FIGURES 1 A – G. Austrohahnia melloleitaoi, male; A – B habitus in dorsal (A) and ventral (B) view; C – E left palp in prolateral (C), ventral (D) and retrolateral (E) view; F palpal patellar apophysis in ventral view (arrow: granulated edge); G patch of thick, short abdominal setae in ventral view. Em—embolus; MA—median apophysis; PA—patellar apophysis; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; T—tegulum. Scale bars: A – B 1 mm; C, E 0.5 mm; D, F, G 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 3 A – I. Austrohahnia spp., epigyne; A – C, A. praestans in ventral (A – B) and dorsal (C) view (B – C cleared); D – F A. melloleitaoi in ventral (D – E), and dorsal (F) view (E – F cleared); G – I A. catleyi new species in ventral (G – H), and dorsal (I) view (H – I cleared). At—atrium; CD—copulatory duct; CO—copulatory opening; FD—fertilization duct; msCD—middle stretch of CD; S—spermatheca (primary receptacle); SR—secondary receptacle. Scale bars: A – D 0.25 mm; E – I 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 4 A – H. Austrohahnia spp., habitus of live spiders; A – D A. melloleitaoi; E – H A. catleyi new species females in the four upper photos, males in the lower four.