Lepthyphantes biospeleologorum Barrientos, 2020

Barrientos, José Antonio, Brañas, Neus & Mederos, Jorge, 2020, The high complexity of Micronetinae Hull, 1920 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) evidenced through ten new cave-dweller species from the Morocco, Zoosystema 42 (1), pp. 1-29 : 6

Lepthyphantes biospeleologorum Barrientos n. sp.

( Figs 3 ; 13C, D )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:87BA13BB-23F2-41C3-B5AA-1C7B1A5C6992

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Morocco. 1♀; Ifri Bouyzem, Aglefth, Taglefth, Azilal; 15.V.2004; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2017-0660 .

Paratypes. Morocco. 2♀; same locality and date as the holotype; MZB 2017-0661 .

OTHER MATERIAL. — Morocco. 4 juv.; same locality and date as the holotype; MZB 2017-0662 .

DIAGNOSIS. — The epigyne is broad and small, protruding on the ventral side of the epigastrum. The bursa copulatrix has a very short front edge; the lateral edges expand and separate to accommodate the scape; the posterior wall differentiates a median plate, narrow in the center and rounded on the sides. The proscape is wide and flattened, with rounded contour and a notch in the anterior part; a short and rounded strecher in the distal part of the scape, but flanked by two rounded expansions. By the morphology of its epigyne (and without information on the male copulatory bulb) this species has some affinities with L. brevihamatus , L. longihamatus and, in general, with the entire “ afer group”, in which probably it should be placed.

ETYMOLOGY. — This species is dedicated, in a general way, to all the biospeleologists. Anonymously they use part of their time to develop an exciting and hard (sometimes risky) activity, in pursuit of the forms that inhabit the caverns. Without their generous dedication, this small job would not have been possible.

DISTRIBUTION. — This species is exclusively known from the type locality.

DESCRIPTION

Female (holotype)

Body. Total body length 2.30. Carapace: 0.93 long by 0.83 wide; yellowish brown color, and with a tenuous pigmentary pattern formed by five radial gray bands and one marginal in thoracic area. Cephalic part with some scattered hairs. Eyes developed and well pigmented; arranged in two transversal lines, with individual black areolas in each eye. Chelicerae: 0,39 long; coloration slightly more intense than the carapace; with three equidistant teeth on the promargin, the basal one somewhat smaller; retromargin unarmed. Legs long and thin; brown color, like the caparace; coloration gradually lost from the tibia towards apex. Measurements: leg I (1.47 + 0.27 + 1.57 + 1.35 + 0.86), leg II (1.30 + 0.29 + 1.22 + 1.27 + 0.83), leg III (1.00 + 0.27 + 0.98 + 0.91 + 0.64), and leg IV (1.37 + 0.29 + 1.20 + 1.27 + 0.93). Opisthosoma 1.42 long by 1.00 wide; gray-white color, without dorsal pattern, but entirely covered with a fine hairiness.

Female genitalia. Epigyne ( Figs 3 ; 13C, D ) with a transverse development, protruding little in ventral side of epigastrum. Its basal part showing a wide bursa copulatrix, with a very short anterior wall; lateral walls expanding and separate to accommodate the scape; posterior wall wide and reinforced by a sclerotized median plate, narrowed in the center and rounded on the sides. Anterior and lateral walls with a thick, sparse and well-arched hairiness. Scape starting from the anterior part of the bursa, and with a wide and flat proscape, rounded on the sides and with a notch on its distal part (connecting with the middle part); fertilization ducts visible in submarginal position. Median part of scape inflected and hidden under the proscape; the distal part, tourning towards it again, dilating and showing below the proscape; strecher short and rounded, but flanked by two rounded expansions. Distal part usually curved outwards, so that its distal part approaches the proscape.

Male

Unknown.

Figures

FIG. 3. — Lepthyphantes biospeleologorum Barrientos n. sp., genital organs: A-C, epigyne: ventral view (A), posterior view (B), lateral view (C). Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 13. — A, B, Epigyne of Lepthyphantes almoravidus Barrientos n. sp. in ventral (A) and lateral (B) views; C, D, epigyne of Lepthyphantes biospeleologorum Barrientos n. sp. in dorsal (C) and lateral (D) views; E, F, epigyne of Lepthyphantes fadriquei Barrientos n. sp. in lateral (E) and ventral (F) views; G, male copulatory bulb of L. fadriquei Barrientos n. sp. retrolateral views; H, I, epigyne of Lepthyphantes ensiferus Barrientos n. sp. in lateral (H) and dorsal (I) views; J, male copulatory bulb of Lepthyphantes ensiferus Barrientos n. sp. in retrolateral view.