Boconita yacambu Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 17-19

Boconita yacambu Huber gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B51C7D75-61FC-4F5A-AFE6-4323641085D6

Figs 35–43 , 47–49 , 1033

Diagnosis

Distinguished from the very similar B. sayona Huber gen. et sp. nov. by more slender frontal processes on male chelicerae (compare Figs 32 and 41 ), by much smaller prolateral apophysis distally on male genital bulb (asterisk in Fig. 39 ), and by epigynal plate not narrower posteriorly than anteriorly and without anterior indentation (i.e., not V-shaped; Fig. 47 ).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Lara • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21823), Yacambú National Park, Sendero Ecológico (9.709° N, 69.578–69.582° W), ~ 1550 m a.s.l., 15–16 Dec. 2002 (B.A. Huber, A. Pérez González, O. Villarreal, B. Striffler, A. Giupponi) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – Lara • 11 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 21824), and 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven02/100-64), same collection data as for holotype .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 4.5, carapace width 2.0. Distance PME–PME 170 µm; diameter PME 170 µm; distance PME–ALE 130 µm; distance AME–AME 25 µm; diameter AME 40 µm. Leg 1: 58.6 (14.9 +0.8+13.7 + 26.0 +3.2), tibia 2: 8.6, tibia 3: 6.7, tibia 4: 8.1; tibia 1 L/d: 76; femur 3 slightly thicker than other femora (femur 1 diameter: 270 µm; femur 3 diameter: 300 µm).

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow with slightly darker radial marks, ocular area and clypeus brown, clypeus at rim medially whitish; sternum ochre yellow posteriorly, light brown anteriorly; legs brown, tips of femora and tibiae whitish, with indistinct darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally and subdistally); abdomen pale greenish gray, dorsally and laterally with dark bluish marks, ventrally with large indistinct light brown plates in front of gonopore and in front of spinnerets, with dark internal mark behind gonopore.

BODY. Habitus as in B. sayona Huber gen. et sp. nov. (cf. Figs 20–22 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Carapace with shallow but distinct thoracic groove, not inflated posteriorly. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (1.40/1.00), unmodified. Abdomen oval, slightly pointed at spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 41–42 , with pair of frontal processes with several short modified hairs each and pair of small frontal apophyses; with distinct whitish area around frontal apophysis.

PALPS. In general very similar to B. sayona Huber gen. et sp. nov. (cf. Figs 24–25 ); very small relative to body size; coxa with large retrolateral apophysis, trochanter barely modified, femur proximally with large retrolateral-ventral apophysis, with low dorsal hump, distally widened and with prominent rounded ventral process; patella dorso-distally slightly protruding; procursus ( Figs 35–37 ) at basis with bifid dorsal process, without retrolateral apophysis, distally with bifid process, large retrolateral sclerite connected to membranous prolateral process by transparent membrane; genital bulb complex ( Figs 38– 40 ), with several distinctive sclerites embedded in whitish membrane.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; femora densely covered with small cuticular cusps, with unusually thin and short hairs; femur 3 enlarged at basis; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3.5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsus 1 with 36 pseudosegments, all very distinct.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in ten males (including holotype): 12.4–14.1 (mean 13.5). Paler males without radial marks on carapace and with ochre-yellow legs.

Female

In general similar to male but leg femora with regular hairs and without cusps; femur 3 not enlarged at basis; sternum color as in male. Tibia 1 in seven females: 9.7–10.9 (mean 10.3). Epigynum very short but wide dark brown plate ( Fig. 47 ); light brown and very short posterior plate. Internal genitalia ( Figs 43 , 48–49 ) with strong median transversal sclerite connected to pore plates, and pair of sclerites (pockets? receptacles?) ventral of uterus externus.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Venezuela , Lara (Fig. 1033).

Natural history

This species was very abundant at the type locality where it was collected from dense, unusually flat webs close to the forest floor; at disturbance the spiders fled towards the back, i.e., towards a sheltered place among roots or logs or leaf litter.

Figures

Figs 35–43. Boconita yacambu Huber sp. nov.; from Lara, Yacambú National Park (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21824). 35–37. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 38–40. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views (arrow: prolateral-ventral sclerite set with small cones; asterisk: distinctive prolateral apophysis). 41–42. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 43. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.

Figs 44–49. Boconita Huber gen. nov., epigyna, ventral views and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views (arrows: possible pockets or receptacles). 44–46. B. sayona Huber sp. nov.; from Trujillo, Laguna Negra (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21822). 47–49. B. yacambu Huber sp. nov.; from Lara, Yacambú National Park (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21824).

Figs 26–34. Boconita sayona Huber sp. nov.; from Trujillo, Laguna Negra (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21821–22). 26–28. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 29– 31. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views (arrow: prolateral-ventral sclerite set with small cones; asterisk: distinctive prolateral apophysis). 32–33. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 34. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrows: possible pockets or receptacles). Scale lines: 0.3 mm.

Figs 20–23. Boconita sayona Huber sp. nov., live males (20–22) and female (23) from Trujillo, Laguna Negra.

Figs 24–25. Boconita sayona Huber sp. nov.; from Trujillo, Laguna Negra (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21821); left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. Scale line: 0.5 mm.