Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1895

Rodrigues, Everton Nei Lopes, 2024, On the little-known comb-footed spider genus Audifia Keyserling, 1884 (Araneae, Theridiidae), Zootaxa 5453 (4), pp. 595-600 : 596-598

Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1895

Figs. 1–9

Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1894: 526 , figs 533–535 (nomen nudum).

Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1895: 132 (Female holotype from Tefé , Amazonas, Brazil, deposited in the Muséum National d’Historie Naturelle, Paris, not examined).

Audifia semigranosa Levi, 1963: 125 , figs 5–6.

Diagnosis. The genus Audifia is close to Dipoena and Euryopis , but males differ by the median apophysis very developed, originating retrolaterally on the tegulum and extends dorsally through the palp ( Figs 1–4 ), while is positioned prolaterally in Dipoena (see Agnarsson et al., 2007, figs 4–7: D. melanogaster type species) and the median apophysis attached to tegulum in Euryopis (see Agnarsson et al., 2007, figs 8–11: E. flavomaculata type species); also differ by the presence of a sclerotized apophysis on the median apophysis ( Figs 1–3 ), absent in Dipoena and Euryopis and by the presence of pedicel very long ( Figs 5, 6 ), while is short in Dipoena and Euryopis . Females of Audifia semigranosa resemble to Audifia laevithorax (see Levi 1963, figs 1, 2) by the presence of two pairs of spermathecae, but differ by the shape of spermathecae, elongated ( Figs 7, 8 ), while circular in A. laevithorax ; the copulatory opening is large and anterior ( Figs 7, 8 ), while is small and posterior, near of epigastric furrow in A. laevithorax ; second pair of spermathecae distant to each other ( Fig. 8 ), while closer to each other in A. laevithorax (see Levi, 1963, fig. 1).

Description. Male from Resende, RJ, Brazil (IBSP 28734). Total length 2.96. Carapace ( Fig. 5 ) length 1.56, width 0.98, height 0.46. Clypeus height 0.52. Sternum length 0.57, width 0.46. Abdomen length 1.3, width 0.93, height 0.88. Leg formula I/IV/II/III; segment length (I/II/III/IV): femora 1.09/0.88/0.72/0.98; patellae+tibiae 1.19/0.83/0.72/1.14; metatarsi+tarsi 1.19/0.93/0.88/1.14; total 3.47/2.64/2.32/3.26. Circular carapace yellow brown, pronounced eye region, but not high in median and posterior area ( Fig. 6 ). Dorsal grooves on carapace well pronounced. Chelicerae small, lighter than carapace. Eyes with black margins, AME larger than the others. Eye diameter and interdistances: AME 0.10, PME 0.06, ALE 0.07, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.04, PME– PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.10. Sternum darker than the carapace, with blackened edges. Legs long and thin. Coxae pale yellow, other articles yellow with dark longitudinal stripe. Pedicel long and sclerotized, ant-like. Pedicel with longitudinal blackish bands, in lateral view with small bulge ( Figs 5, 6 ). Abdomen dorsally oval ( Fig. 5 ), darker. Colulus with a pair of setae. Spinnerets pale yellow. Cymbium oval in dorsal view, embolus sclerotized and hooked, conductor in the expanded palp is possible to be visualized, membranous, Theridiidae tegular apophysis distally is hooked and embedded in the tegulum, median apophysis is very developed ( Fig. 1 ), hooked, and sclerotized with an apophysis ( Figs 2, 3 ). Subtegulum membranous and tegulum globular ( Fig. 4 ). Tegulum and subtegulum can be seen on the expanded palp ( Fig. 4 ).

Female from Resende, RJ, Brazil (IBSP 28734). Total length 3.06. Carapace length 1.56, width 0.83, height 0.46. Clypeus height 0.26. Sternum length 0.78, width 0.46. Abdomen length 1.5, width 1.19, height 0.78. Leg formula I/IV/II/III; segment length (I/II/III/IV): femora 1.04/0.83/0.62/0.98; patellae+tibiae 1.09/0.83/0.72/1.04; metatarsi+tarsi 1.14/0.88/0.83/1.14; total 3.27/2.54/2.17/3.16. Elongated carapace, dark red-brown, darker than male. Chelicerae small, lighter than carapace. Ocular region not pronounced. Eyes with black margins, AME larger than the others. Eye diameter and interdistances: AME 0.10, PME 0.06, ALE 0.07, PLE 0.06, AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.04, PME–PME 0.08, PME–PLE 0.12. Sternum with blackened edges. Legs long and thin. Coxae pale yellow, other articles yellow with dark-brown longitudinal stripe. Pedicel long and sclerotized, dark red brown with longitudinal blackish bands. Abdomen dorsally oval, dark brown. Colulus with a pair of setae. Spinnerets dark olive-green. Epigynum with a slightly sclerotized plate, longer than wider ( Fig. 7 ); with a wide copulatory opening anteriorly on the plate ( Figs 7, 8 ). Internal genitalia with two pairs of oval spermathecae ( Fig. 8 ), copulatory ducts long and the short and uncoiled fertilization ducts at the base of the first pair of spermathecae ( Fig. 8 ).

Remarks. Males and females were collected at the same locality.

Material examined. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Resende, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (22°23’S; 44°43’W), H. F. Japyassú , 08.VI.2001, 1 female ( MCN 34013 ) ; 1 female ( IBSP 28721 ) ; 1 male, 1 female ( IBSP 28734 ) .

Distribution. Brazil (Amazonas and Rio de Janeiro). Previously known from state of Amazonas (type-locality). Herein newly recorded from states of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ( Fig. 9 ).

Natural history. There is no information about the biology of the species. They appear to be quite rare spiders, since in the Biota-Fapesp project material few individuals were collected, and they are almost absent in Brazilian spider collections.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Distribution of the genus Audifia in Brazil and Bolivia.

FIGURES 1–6. Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1894 (Male, IBSP 28734). 1–4, Male palp: 1, Ventral view. 2, Prolateral view. 3, Retrolateral view. 4, Retrolateral view, expanded. 5, 6, Male habitus: 5, Dorsal view. 6, Lateral view. Abbreviations: a, apophysis on the median apophysis; Cy, cymbium; Cyhk, cymbial hook; E, embolus; MA, median apophysis; Mahd, median apophysis hood; Pa, patella; ST, subtegulum; T, tegulum. Ti, tibia; TTA, Theridiidae tegular apophysis. Scale bars, 1–4: 0.25 mm; 5, 6: 0.5 mm

FIGURES 7, 8. Audifia semigranosa Simon, 1894 (Female, IBSP 28734). 7, 8, Female epigynum: 7, Ventral view. 8, Dorsal view, clarified. Abbreviations: CD, copulatory ducts; CO, copulatory openings; FD, fertilization ducts; FS, first pair of spermathecae; SS, second pair of spermathecae. Scale bars, 0.25 mm.