Mecolaesthus cachapa Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 145-149

Mecolaesthus cachapa Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D71C641C-65D5-4019-9FF0-F8167340859A

Figs 508–509 , 523–531 , 548–550 , 1046

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by details of male pedipalp ( Figs 523–528 ; procursus slender and simple, with widened transparent tip; embolar division of genital bulb distally with large flat sclerite and three small ventral processes), by armature of male chelicerae ( Figs 529–530 ; pair of small frontal apophyses), by epigynum ( Fig. 548 ; anterior plate small, narrowing posteriorly with strong lateral margins; posterior plate wide but short), and by internal female genitalia ( Figs 531 , 550 ): pore plates on distinctively shaped sclerite with pair of rounded anterior sclerites (similar M. trampa Huber sp. nov.); lateral wing-shaped structures.

Etymology

The species name refers to cachapa , a Venezuelan dish made from maize flour, traditionally eaten with a soft, mozzarella-like cheese; noun in apposition.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Aragua • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21945), Henri Pittier National Park , forest near La Cumbre (10.3575° N, 67.5771° W), 1450 m a.s.l., 20 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – Aragua • 2 ♀♀, together with holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21945), same collection data as for holotype • 1 ♀, ZFMK (Ar 21946), Henri Pittier National Park , NW of Rancho Grande (10.358° N, 67.695° W), ~ 1100 m a.s.l., 11 Dec. 2002 (B.A. Huber) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.6, carapace width 1.6. Distance PME–PME 140 µm; diameter PME 140 µm; distance PME–ALE 130 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm; diameter AME 30 µm. Leg 1: 45.7 (10.7 +0.5+10.7 + 19.7 +4.1), tibia 2: 6.2, tibia 3: 4.7, tibia 4: 6.1; tibia 1 L/d: 82.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace mostly dark ochre to black, with pair of pale bands from behind ocular area to posterior margin; sternum light, with dark brown lateral marginal bands widening and connected posteriorly; legs brown, with darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally, subdistally), tips of femora and tibiae light; abdomen gray, dorsally and laterally with dark bluish marks, ventrally

with dark mark in gonopore area and dark bluish median mark behind gonopore widening posteriorly; book lung covers not darkened; abdomen without ventral and dorsal anterior modifications.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 508–509 . Ocular area moderately raised. Carapace strongly inflated, only anteriorly with deep thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (1.1/0.75), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, pointed at spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 529–530 , with pair of small frontal apophyses.

PALPS. In general similar to M. longipes Huber sp. nov. (cf. Figs 399–400 ); coxa apophysis slightly less prominent; small ventral projection on trochanter slightly wider; distal ventral process of femur slightly more slender; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia not in very distal position; tarsal dorsal process bifid, proximal part indistinct; procursus ( Figs 523–525 ) slender and simple, with widened transparent tip; embolar division of genital bulb complex, distally with large flat sclerite and three small ventral processes ( Figs 526–528 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with short vertical hairs in higher than usual density on all femora and tibiae; coxa 4 unmodified; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsus 1 with ~60 pseudosegments, mostly distinct.

Female

In general similar to male but carapace not inflated, leg femora and tibiae with low density of short vertical hairs, sternum lateral dark margins less distinct; tibia 1 in three females: 7.1, 7.6, 8.5. Epigynum ( Fig. 548 ) anterior plate relatively small, narrowing posteriorly, with strong lateral margins; posterior plate wide but short. Internal genitalia ( Figs 531 , 549–550 ) with pore plates on distinctively shaped sclerite, pair of rounded anterior sclerites, and lateral wing-shaped structures.

Distribution

Known from two localities in Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela , Aragua (Fig. 1046).

Natural history

At La Cumbre, this species could not be distinguished in the field from the more abundant M. graphorn Huber sp. nov.; the observations described there may thus also apply to this species.

Figures

Figs 506–509. Mecolaesthus Simon, 1893; live specimens. 506–507. M. graphorn Huber sp. nov.; male and female from Aragua, Henri Pittier National Park, near La Cumbre. 508–509. M. cachapa Huber sp. nov.; male from Aragua, Henri Pittier National Park, near La Cumbre.

Figs 523–531. Mecolaesthus cachapa Huber sp. nov.; from Henri Pittier National Park, near La Cumbre (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21945). 523–525. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 526–528. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 529–530. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 531. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.

Figs 545–553. Mecolaesthus Simon, 1893; epigyna, ventral views and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. 545–547. M. graphorn Huber sp. nov.; from Aragua, Henri Pittier National Park, near La Cumbre (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21944). 548–550. M. cachapa Huber sp. nov.; from Aragua, Henri Pittier National Park, near La Cumbre (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21945). 551–553. M. guasacaca Huber sp. nov.; from Falcón, Curimagua (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21948).

Figs 399–400. Mecolaesthus longipes Huber sp. nov.; from Mérida, Mucuy (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21916); left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. Scale line: 0.5 mm.