Euthycaelus Simon 1889

Valencia-Cuéllar, Dayana, Perafán, Carlos, Guerrero, Roberto J. & Guadanucci, José Paulo Leite, 2019, Schismatothelinae spiders (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) from Colombia: four new species and an approach to their diversity, Zootaxa 4545 (4), pp. 548-562 : 551

Euthycaelus Simon 1889

Euthycaelus Simon 1889: 200 ; Rudloff 1997: 7 (removed from the synonymy with Holothele , contra Raven 1985: 153); Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 276 . Type-species. Euthycaelus colonica Simon 1889

Composition. Euthycaelus amandae Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014 , Euthycaelus colonica Simon 1889 , Euthycaelus norae Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014 and Euthycaelus guane Valencia-Cuellar, Perafán & Guadanucci sp. nov.

Distribution. Colombia and Venezuela.

Species from Colombia. E. amandae , E. guane sp. nov. and E. norae

Diagnosis. Males and females resemble those of the genus Schismatothele but males differ by the palpal bulb being elongated with subtegulum separated from the tegulum ( Figs 2–3 ) and by the swollen palpal tibia with two oblique rows of several thick spines on the distal retrolateral surface ( Fig. 7 ) ( Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014). Females are unusual in the spermathecae being composed of a pair of heavily sclerotized single receptacles ( Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: figs 1G–H, 2G–H, 3G–H). Males of Euthycaelus can also be recognized by the cymbium having two asymmetric lobes ( Fig. 6 ), the retrolateral being larger and the prolateral elongated and laterally flattened; and the spur on tibia I with two branches, the retrolateral branch being slender and long ( Fig. 8 ).

Distribution in Colombia. Euthycaelus has a wide latitudinal distribution in Colombia from the south from Cerro Azul (Guaviare) to La Donjuana and Bochalema to northeastern (Norte de Santander); it is also found in Boyacá (Santa María), Meta (Guamal) and Santander (Suaita) Departments. The genus is present in eastern Colombia, with a cis-Andean distribution on the Eastern Cordillera and its foothills, between 300 and 1700 masl, mainly inhabiting forests of Andean influence ( Fig. 36 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Euthycaelus guane sp. nov., holotype male (ICN-Ar 8045). 1–4. Palpal bulb: ventral (1), prolateral (2), retrolateral (3), dorsal (4) views. 5. Carapace, dorsal view. 6. Cymbium, ventral view. 7. Palpal tibia, retrolateral view. 8. Leg I, tibial spur, ventro-prolateral view. Black arrows indicate ventral keels; grays arrows dorsal keel. Scales bars = 1mm.

FIGURES 36–37. Distribution of Schismatothelinae in Colombia. 36. Euthycaelus. 37. Schismatothele and Neoholothele.