Canaima Huber, 2000

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 19-20

Canaima Huber, 2000

Notes

Only two species were previously known in this genus, the type species C. arima ( Gertsch, 1982) from Trinidad and C. merida Huber, 2000 from Mérida, Venezuela . Below, we describe six further Venezuelan species, closing to some degree the geographic gap between Trinidad and Mérida (Fig. 1034). All species

are known from very limited geographic areas, suggesting that these small spiders may be considerably more diverse than suggested by the low number of described species.

The assignment of the new species to Canaima is not obvious. Most new species share the main synypomorphy of Canaima (very short cheliceral entapophyses; e.g., Figs 60 , 65 , 70 , 83 , 87 ) and have similar male cheliceral armatures and general male palpal morphologies. In addition, none has an inflated male palpal tibia like Blancoa Huber, 2000 , the only Modisiminae genus in Venezuela with superficially similar species. For most new species, the assignment to Canaima appears thus like a plausible solution, even though based on limited evidence. Most problematic is C. guaraque Huber sp. nov., a species with a highly unique pedipalp that may well end up in a separate (new) genus.

During our 2018 trip we made a major effort to recollect C. merida but could not find it at the type locality (15 km NE Mérida, El Valle, 2400 m a.s.l., approximately 8.689° N, 71,100° W). Only two specimens of this species are known to exist in collections: the male holotype (in AMNH) and a newly examined male with poorly specified locality data (only “ Mérida ”), deposited in SMF (RII/5626).

Figures

Figs 58–61. Canaima perlonga Huber sp. nov.; from Lara, Yacambú National Park (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21826). 58–59. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow: ventral femur apophysis). 60. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 61. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow: tongueshaped posterior process). Abbreviations: p=procursus; r= receptacle. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figs 62–67. Canaima loca Huber sp. nov.; from Trujillo, Laguna Negra (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21828). 62–63. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 64. Left genital bulb, dorsal view. 65–66. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 67. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow: tongue-shaped posterior process). Abbreviations: p =procursus; r =receptacle. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figs 68–71. Canaima zerpa Huber sp. nov.; from Mérida, Monte Zerpa (type locality; male: ZFMK Ar 21831, female: ZFMK Ar 21830). 68–69. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 70. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 71. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrows: anterior and posterior membranous sacs/receptacles). Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figs 81–84. Canaima avila Huber sp. nov.; from Miranda, El Ávila National Park (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21833). 81–82. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow: distinctive dorsal widening of procursus). 83. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 84. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrows: anterior pockets/folds). Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figs 85–88. Canaima guaquira Huber sp. nov.; from Yaracuy, Guaquira (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21835). 85–86. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views (arrow: dorsal process on genital bulb). 87. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 88. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrows: anterior bilobed sclerite). Abbreviation: r =receptacle. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.