Nerudia poma, Huber & Meng & Král & Ávila Herrera & Izquierdo & Carvalho, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M., Izquierdo, Matias A. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, High and dry: integrative taxonomy of the Andean spider genus Nerudia (Araneae: Pholcidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 198, pp. 534-591 : 546-550

NERUDIA POMA HUBER SP. NOV.

( FIGS 1B , 9–12 )

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 425882CF-A239-4258-BADC-CD03F44F3C54.

Nerudia atacama (misidentification; see Note below) – Torres et al., 2015: 5, fig. 4C, D.

Diagnosis: Distinguished from known congeners by shapes of procursus ( Fig. 9A–C ; distally slender, slightly bent towards dorsal and divided into sclerotized dorsal and transparent ventral part; similar to N. hoguera ) and by armature of male chelicerae ( Fig. 9G, H ; frontal apophyses with wide, flattened tip; set with strong hairs); also by shapes of bulbal processes ( Fig. 9D–F ; ventral apophysis short, slightly curved towards ventral, same length as embolar process) and by epigynum and female internal genitalia ( Figs 9I , 10 ; epigynal plate rectangular, posterior margin weakly curved; internal genitalia with cylindrical ‘receptacle’, with median sclerite similar to N. hoguera ).

Type material: ARGENTINA – Salta: • ♂ holotype; ~ 15 km NW Campo Quijano ; 24.7918° S, 65.7297° W; 2020 m a.s.l.; 19 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; LABRE-Ar 585 • 7 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ , paratypes (one male used for SEM; two male abdomens used for karyotype study; two males and three females used for µ-CT study); same data as holotype; ZFMK Ar 23884 .

Other material examined: ARGENTINA – Salta: • 9 ♀♀, in pure ethanol (one female used for SEM; three prosomata used for molecular study); same data as holotype; ZFMK Arg 184 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Cabra Corral , ‘site 3’, ~ 3.5 km SE of dam; 25.2907° S, 65.3057° W; 1000 m a.s.l.; 21 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; ZFMK Ar 23885 • 3 ♀♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; ZFMK Arg195 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (one male and one female used for µ-CT study); Cabra Corral, ‘site 4’, W end of bridge; 25.2837° S, 65.3939° W; 1050 m a.s.l.; under rocks; 21–22 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; ZFMK Ar 23886 • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 3 juvs, in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; ZFMK Arg 197 • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, 9 juvs; same data as preceding; LABRE-Ar 540, 565 . Catamarca: • 1 ♂; ~ 5 km NW Chumbicha, near Balneario El Caolín , ‘site 2’; 28.8109° S, 66.2500° W; 640 m a.s.l.; steep rock field in forest; 28–29 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; ZFMK Ar 23887 . La Rioja: • 1 ♂, in pure ethanol; SE Aimogasta, ‘site 2’; 28.9015° S, 66.6538° W; 755 m a.s.l.; under rocks; 10 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; LABRE-Ar 558 .

Assigned tentatiƲely (only females aƲailable, identity uncertain): ARGENTINA – Salta: • 2 ♀♀; ~ 5 km W Cafayate , ‘site 1’; 26.0641° S, 66.0294° W; 2060 m a.s.l.; on rocks in small shelters; 24 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; ZFMK Ar 23888 • 5 ♀♀, in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; ZFMK Arg 208 • 4 ♀♀, 5 juvs, in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; LABRE-Ar 557 • 1 ♀, 1 juv.; Chuscha , 6 km NW Cafayate; ~ 26.035° S, 66.017° W; ~ 1900 m a.s.l.; 17 Jul. 1995; M. Ramírez and P. Goloboff leg.; MACN 20094 .

Note: We have not re-examined the two male specimens from Salta Province assigned to N. atacama by Torres et al. (2015). However, the types of the new species described herein originate from 6.5 km SE of the locality reported in Torres et al. (2015), in the same river valley at a similar elevation. In addition, the procursus shown in Torres et al. (2015: fig. 4D) agrees well with the one shown in Figure 9C .

Etymology: The species epithet poma (Spanish for ‘apple’) is taken from Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Vírese’; noun in apposition.

Description

Male (holotype). Measurements: Total body length 1.44, carapace width 0.64. Distance PME–PME 80 µm; diameter PME 60 µm; distance PME–ALE 20 µm; distance AME–AME 15 µm; diameter AME 35 µm. Leg 1: 5.26 (1.45 + 0.20 + 1.43 + 1.53 + 0.65), tibia 2: 1.20, tibia 3: 1.00, tibia 4: 1.40; tibia 1 L/d: 20.

Colour (in ethanol): Prosoma and legs pale ochre-yellow; with darker Y-mark on carapace; legs without dark rings; abdomen light grey.

Body: Habitus as in Figure 1B . Ocular area barely raised. Carapace with indistinct thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified, only at rim slightly sclerotized. Sternum wider than long (0.48/0.38), with pair of low anterior processes near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

Chelicerae: As in Figure 9G, H ; with pair of short frontal apophyses slightly pointing downward and set with strong hairs, with wide, flattened tip pointed in lateral view ( Fig. 11B–D ); stridulatory files on pair of low lateral protrusions ( Fig. 11B, C ).

Palps: In general, similar to N. colina (cf. Fig. 4 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter with indistinct ventral projection; femur cylindrical, slightly widened distally, proximally with indistinct retrolateral hump and prolateral stridulatory pick (modified hair), femur length/width: 1.91; patella short; tibia globular (length/ width: 1.15); procursus simple ( Fig. 9A–C ), distally slender, curved towards dorsal, divided into sclerotized dorsal and transparent ventral part; genital bulb with ventral apophysis short, slightly curved towards ventral; embolus partly membranous.

Legs: Without spines and curved hairs; with vertical hairs in two rows (prolateral, retrolateral) on tibia 1 only; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 67%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~six to seven pseudosegments, only distally distinct.

Variation (male): Tibia 1 in nine males from Salta (including holotype) : 1.27–1.50 (mean 1.41); in male from Catamarca: 1.47; in male from La Rioja: 1.35. The chelicerae and palps of the male from Catamarca appear indistinguishable from those from Salta.

Female: In general, similar to male but sternum without pair of anterior humps and tibiae with few vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in eight females: 1.30–1.50 (mean 1.42). Epigynum ( Fig. 10A ) anterior plate rectangular, posterior margin indented; posterior plate wide but short. Internal genitalia ( Figs 9I , 10B–D ) with median cylindrical ‘receptacle’ and median sclerite.

Distribution: Known from several localities in Salta Province, Argentina, and from one locality each in Catamarca and La Rioja ( Fig. 3 ).

Natural history: At the type locality ( Fig. 45B ), the spiders were found by turning large rocks. At disturbance they started to run over the rock surface but did not drop to the ground. They shared the microhabitat with Chibchea araona (?). At Cabra Corral ‘site 3’, the spiders were found sitting on the undersides of large boulders, i.e. on the ceilings of small cave-like spaces under the rocks. At Cabra Corral ‘site 4’, the spiders were found under small stones on the floor of a small cave/shelter. Near Chumbicha, the single male specimen was found at the same locality as N. ola .

Figures

Figure 1. Nerudia, live specimens from Argentina. A, N. colina sp. nov., female from Jujuy, between San Salvador and Purmamarca (type locality). B, N. poma sp. nov., male from Salta, NW Campo Quijano (type locality). C, D, N. centaura sp. nov., male and female from Catamarca, E Paso de San Francisco (type locality). E, N. trigo sp. nov., female from Salta, SW Alemania. F, N. guirnalda sp. nov., male from Catamarca, El Rodeo (type locality). G, N. ola sp. nov., male from San Juan, San Agustin de Valle Fertil (type locality). H, N. nono sp. nov., male from Cordoba, E Nono (type locality).

Figure 3. Known distribution of Nerudia in South America (inset) and of individual species. Regions in Chile: AT, Atacama; COQ, Coquimbo. Provinces in Argentina: CA, Catamarca; COR, Córdoba; JU, Jujuy; LR, La Rioja; SA, Salta; SJ, San Juan.

Figure 4. Nerudia colina sp. nov.; paratype male from Argentina, Jujuy, between San Salvador and Purmamarca (ZFMK Ar 23883). Left palp, prolateral (A) and retrolateral (B) views. Abbreviations: b, genital bulb; c, coxa; e, embolus; f, femur; p, procursus; pa, patella; ta, tarsus; ti, tibia; tr, trochanter; va, ventral apophysis. Scale line: 0.3 mm.

Figure 9. Nerudia poma sp. nov.; paratype male and paratype female from Argentina, Salta, 15 km NW Campo Quijano (ZFMK Ar 23884). A–C, left male palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. D–F, left male genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. G, H, male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. I, cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points at median sclerite). Scale lines: 0.2 mm.

Figure 10. Nerudia poma sp. nov.; paratype female from Argentina, Salta, 15 km NW Campo Quijano (ZFMK Ar 23884). A, abdomen and epigynum, ventral view. B, median structures in internal genitalia. C, D, cleared genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale lines: 0.2 mm (A, C, D), 0.1 mm (B).

Figure 11. Nerudia poma sp. nov.; male and female from Argentina, Salta, 15 km NW Campo Quijano (ZFMK Ar 23884, ZFMKArg184).A, female prosoma, frontal view.B, male clypeus and chelicerae, oblique distal view. C, D, right male chelicera, frontal views. E, male palpal tarsal organ. F, male gonopore. Scale lines: 100 µm (A), 20 µm (B), 10 µm (C, D, F), 2 µm (E).

Figure 12. Nerudia poma sp. nov.; male and female from Argentina, Salta, 15 km NW Campo Quijano (ZFMK Ar 23884, ZFMK Arg184). A, tip of female pedipalp, dorsal view; arrow points at tarsal organ. B, female palpal tarsal organ. C, left female ALS and PMS. D, left female PLS. E, male left tarsus 1 tip, prolateral view. F, male left tarsus 4 tip, prolateral view; arrow: comb-hair. Scale lines: 10 µm (A, C–F), 2 µm (B).

Figure 45. Sample of typical Nerudia habitats in Argentina. A, Jujuy, between San Salvador and Purmamarca (type locality of N. colina sp. nov.). B, Salta, NW of Campo Quijano (type locality of N. poma sp. nov.). C, Catamarca, near Paso de San Francisco (type locality of N. centaura sp. nov.). D, San Juan, W of Las Flores (type locality of N. rocio sp. nov.). E, La Rioja, SE of Aimogasta (N. ola sp. nov.). F, Córdoba, near Nono (type locality of N. nono sp. nov.).