Galapa Huber, 2000

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 58

Galapa Huber, 2000

Notes

The genus Galapa was established for two species endemic to the Galapagos Islands ( Huber 2000). A third species was described in 2014, also from the Galapagos Islands ( Baert 2014). The new Venezuelan species below is assigned to Galapa because it shares two specific similarities: (1) unique (among Ninetinae ) armature of the male chelicerae (processes on male cheliceral fangs but otherwise unmodified; compare Huber 2000: fig. 384 and Fig. 181 ); (2) dorsal (in the new species below slightly prolateral) process of the procursus (compare Huber 2000: figs 383, 387 with Fig. 180 ). In addition, the general morphology of the proximal palpal segments is similar (slender femur, large tibia), and the genital bulb of the new species below strongly resembles the bulb of G. baerti ( Gertsch & Peck, 1992) (compare Huber 2000: fig. 381 with Fig. 178 ).

This suggests that Galapa may in fact be a widespread genus. An undescribed species from Costa Rica (Guanacaste, no precise locality data; deposited in ZFMK) may also belong in this group and thus support this view. It seems to lack a dorsal process on the procursus but shares the unique cheliceral morphology and is also otherwise very similar. A formal test of the monophyly of the genus does not exist.

Figures

Figs 178–182. Galapa spiniphila Huber sp. nov.; from Falcón, near Cueva del Guano (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21860). 178–179. Left male pedipalp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 180. Left procursus and genital bulb, dorsal view. 181. Male ocular area, clypeus, and chelicerae, frontal view (arrow: process on male cheliceral fang). 182. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Abbreviations: b= genital bulb; p=procursus. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.