Neostasina elverde, Rheims & Alayón, 2016

Rheims, Cristina Anne & Alayón, Giraldo, 2016, Neostasina gen. nov., a new genus of huntsman spiders from the Neotropical region (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparianthinae), Zootaxa 4079 (3), pp. 301-344 : 318

Neostasina elverde sp. nov.

Figs 53−56 , Map 2

Type material: Holotype: ♂, Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, El Verde Field Station [18°19’N, 65°49’W], 21 April 1982, R.W. Garrison leg. ( MCZ 61716).

Paratype: 1♂, same locality as holotype, L. Woolbright leg. ( MCZ 69726).

Etymology. The specific name is a noun and refers to the type locality.

Diagnosis. Males of N. elverde sp. nov. are distinguished from those of the other species of the genus by the vRTA cylindrical and distally blunt, almost as long as dRTA, and by the TBE straight, with the same width throughout its entire length and main branch with dorsal groove, flanked by short subdistal keel to accommodate the embolus ( Figs 54, 56 ). Females are unknown.

Description. Male (MCZ 61716, holotype): Prosoma orange with very thin brown lines along thoracic striae and lateral margins of cephalic region. Chelicerae orange. Legs and pedipalps orange. Leg tibiae ventrally mottled with brown spots. Sternum yellow with orange margins. Endites yellow. Labium yellow, orange at base. Opisthosoma cream colored; dorsally with gray pattern of irregular marks scattered on anterior half and chevronlike marks on posterior half; ventrally mottled with gray spots. Total length 10.4. Prosoma: 4.9 long, 4.3 wide. Opisthosoma: 5.4 long, 2.7 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.30, 0.26, 0.18, 0.24; interdistances: 0.24, 0.14, 0.48, 0.38, 0.22, 0.08. Legs (2/143): I: 22.5 (5.9, 2.6, 6.4, 6.1, 1.5); II: 22.5 (6.2, 2.6, 6.1, 6.0, 1.6); III: 16.8 (5.1, 2.0, 4.0, 4.6, 1.1); IV: 19.2 (5.6, 2.0, 4.4, 5.8, 1.4). Palp: VTA large, displaced retrolaterally; dRTA triangular in retrolateral view; eRTA absent; median apophysis arising from tegulum at 3 o’clock position; conductor distally widened; TBC long, almost four times longer than wide; embolus filiform, arising from tegulum at 8 o’clock position; TBE bifid, with secondary branch short and gently curved ( Figs 53−56 ).

Female: unknown.

Variation. Males (n = 2): total length 10.4−11.6; prosoma length 4.9−5.1; femur I length 5.9−6.3.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Puerto Rico (Map 2).

Figures

FIGURES 53 − 56. Neostasina elverde sp. nov., male, left palp (53 prolateral, 54 ventral, 55 retrolateral, 56 detail of embolus and TBE). dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; E = embolus; TBC = tegular projection at base of conductor; TBE = tegular projection at base of embolus; tk = dorsal keel of TBE; vRTA = ventral branch of RTA; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale lines: 1 mm.