Neostasina bicolor ( Banks, 1914 ) 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 : 313-314

Neostasina bicolor ( Banks, 1914) comb. nov.

Figs 3−4 , 33−39 , Map 2

Olios bicolor Banks, 1914: 641 , plate 43, figs 5, 9 (Male holotype from Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Desecheo Island [18°35’N, 67°16’W], deposited in AMNH, examined; Paratypes: 3♂, Puerto Rico, San Juan, San Juan [18°27’N, 66°06’W], Mayagüez, Desecheo Island [18°35’N, 67°16’W] and Mona Island [18°04’N, 67°53’W], all deposited in AMNH, examined). Petrunkevitch 1930: 18, figs 12−13; World Spider Catalog 2015.

Stasina portoricensis Petrunkevitch, 1930: 28 , figs 19−20 ( Juvenile holotype from Puerto Rico, Adjuntas, Adjuntas [18°09’ N, 66°43’W], 8 June 1915, deposited in AMNH, examined). World Spider Catalog 2015. Syn. nov.

Olios darlingtoni Bryant, 1942: 11 , plate 2, figs 14, 16 (Male holotype from Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, El Yunque [18°18’N, 65°47’W], May 1938, P.J. Darlington Jr. leg, deposited in MCZ 21003, examined). World Spider Catalog 2015. Syn. nov.

Additional material examined. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Monti Cristi : 3♂, 1♀, 1 juvenile, Valle Nuevo, Villa Elisa [19°41’N, 71°16’W] , 23 June 2012, Team CarBio leg. ( NMNH). Pedernales: 1♂, Carretera Oviedo- Pedernales km 18 (17°55’N, 71°30’W) , 1 February 2005, A. Sanchez leg. (MHNHCu). HAITI: Damiens: 1♂, Port-au-Prince [18°33’N, 72°13’W] , 9 November 1959, A.M. Nadler leg. ( AMNH). JAMAICA: 1♀, Oatley Montain trail (18°05’N, 76°43’W) , 17 November 2013, Team CarBio leg. (NMNH). PUERTO RICO: Mayagüez: Mona Island [18°04’N, 67°53’W]: 1♀, May 2012, Team CarBio leg. ( NMNH) ; 1♀, 5 juveniles, Bajura, Team CarBio leg. (NMNH); 1♀, 1 juvenile, Bosque Cesuarina, 21 May 2012, Team CarBio leg. (NMNH).

Diagnosis. Males of N. bicolor comb. nov. are distinguished from those of the other species of the genus by the vRTA fang-shaped, more than half the length of dRTA, and by the TBC slender and conical ( Figs 34−35 ). Females are distinguished by the anterior rim divided, oblique and median septum shaped as an irregular pentagon with posterior margin strongly procurved ( Fig. 37 ).

Description. Male (AMNH, Haiti): Prosoma orange brown with dark brown stripes extending posteriorly along lateral margins of cephalic region, from between PME and concentrically from fovea on thoracic region. Fovea brown. Eye borders black. Chelicerae brown. Legs and pedipalps orange brown ( Fig. 3 ). Sternum orange with slightly darker margins. Endites orange, distally pale yellow. Labium slightly darker than endites. Opisthosoma yellowish cream colored; dorsally with black pattern of spots laterally and on anterior half and faint chevron-like marks on posterior half ( Fig. 3 ); ventrally with few scattered black spots. Total length 11.9. Prosoma: 4.9 long, 4.2 wide. Opisthosoma: 6.7 long, 4.0 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.38, 0.26, 0.18, 0.26; interdistances: 0.24, 0.12, 0.40, 0.38, 0.18, 0.06. Legs (2143): I: 19.5 (5.2, 2.6, 5.1, 5.5, 1.1); II: 20.2 (6.1, 2.7, 5.0, 5.3, 1.1); III: 15.2 (4.6, 2.1, 3.5, 4.0, 1.0); IV: 18.8 (5.4, 2.0, 4.6, 5.6, 1.2). Palp: VTA large, displaced retrolaterally; dRTA triangular in retrolateral view; eRTA absent; median apophysis arising from tegulum at 3 o’clock position; conductor with the same width throughout its entire length; embolus arising from tegulum at 9 o’clock position, gently narrowing towards filiform tip; TBE single, with dorsal groove to accommodate the embolus ( Figs 33−36 ).

Female (NMNH, Mona Island): Coloration pattern as in male ( Fig. 4 ). Total length 9.6. Prosoma: 4.1 long, 3.4 wide. Opisthosoma: 5.4 long, 3.1 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.26, 0.24, 0.17, 0.24; interdistances: 0.26, 0.17, 0.40, 0.43, 0.23, 0.15. Legs (21/43): I: 13.4 (3.7, 2.1, 3.6, 3.3, 0.7); II: 13.7 (4.0, 2.0, 3.7, 3.3, 0.7); III: 10.6 (3.4, 1.7, 2.5, 2.4, 0.6); IV: 13.4 (3.9, 1.6, 3.3, 3.6, 1.0). Epigyne: epigynal field roughly rectangular 1.5 times longer than wide; median septum with anterior margin gently procurved ( Fig. 37 ). Vulva: glandular projections elongate, two times longer than wide; spermathecae with anterior twist, packed within a roughly oblong sclerotized structure ( Figs 38−39 ).

Variation. Males (n = 4): total length 8.0−11.9; prosoma length 4.2−5.2; femur I length 4.6−5.9. Females (n = 5): total length 9.1−12.1; prosoma length 4.1−5.4; femur I length 3.7−5.2.

Distribution. Known from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica (Map 2).

Figures

FIGURES 1 − 6. Habitus, dorsal view. 1 − 2 Neostasina amalie sp. nov. (1 male, 2 female); 3 − 4 Neostasina bicolor (Banks) comb. nov. (3 male, 4 female); 5 − 6 Neostasina taino sp. nov. (5 male, 6 female). Scale lines: 2 mm.

FIGURES 33 − 39. Neostasina bicolor (Banks) comb. nov. 33 − 36 Male, left palp (33 prolateral, 34 ventral, 35 retrolateral, 36 detail of embolus and TBE); 37 − 39 Female (37 epigyne, 38 vulva, 39 schematic course of internal duct system). at = anterior twist of spermathecae; CD = copulatory duct; dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; E = embolus; FD = fertilization duct; GP = glandular projection; 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.