Epicadus tigrinus, Machado & Teixeira & Lise, 2018

Machado, Miguel, Teixeira, Renato Augusto & Lise, Arno Antonio, 2018, There and back again: More on the taxonomy of the crab spiders genus Epicadus (Thomisidae: Stephanopinae), Zootaxa 4382 (3), pp. 501-530 : 519-522

Epicadus tigrinus sp. nov.

Figs 10A–D , 11A–D

Type material: Holotype: female, Summit Municipal [9°3'54.80"N, 79°38'43.07"W, Panama City, Panama], A.M. Chickering ( MCZ 141839 ).

Paratypes: 2 males, Barro Colorado Island [9°9'7.57"N, 79°50'47.33"W, Panama], A.M. Chickering ( MCZ 141840 ) ; 1 male, Reserva Florestal Fortuna , [8°35'5.63"N, 82°23'18.88"W], 22 January 2006, R.J. Miranda ( MCTP 39867 ) .

Other material examined. COSTA RICA: Limon: 2 females, 1 juv., Siquirres , 10° 5'47.52"N, 83°32'3.60"W, March 2000, ( INBio 58588 ).

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin masculine adjective which refers to the body coloration of both males and females, whose yellow prosoma and legs (dark-orange in males), with black stripes, resembles the pattern of a tiger pelage.

Diagnosis. Females of E. tigrinus sp. nov. resemble those of E. pulcher in their body coloration pattern (yellowish/orange suffused with black stripes and stains), and those of E. rubripes in the stout and long median posterior opisthosomal projection. However, they can be recognized by a large rectangular guanine stain on the thoracic region, straight anterior border of the opisthosoma and by the absence of lower lateral opisthosomal projections ( Fig. 10A ), while E. rubripes and E. pulcher present two pairs of lateral opisthosomal projections. The epigynum differs in ventral view from those of other species of the genus by the depressed and reduced median field with deeply excavated copulatory openings ( Fig. 10C ). Males can be distinguished from those of other species by their opisthosoma with a long and acute median posterior projection, prosoma dark-orange with a bifid median black stain ( Fig. 11A ) (differing from other males, which may present just a single dark median line) and by the palp with TF and embolus emerging at twelve o’clock ( Fig. 11C ).

Description. Female (holotype): Anterior eye row recurved and posterior row slightly procurved; prosoma yellow with black stains randomly distributed ( Figs 10A, B ); Clypeus with upside down V-shaped black mark divided; a black stripe starts from each ALE to the margin of clypeus; chelicerae yellow with a diagonal black stripe in anterior view ( Fig. 10B ); Sternum yellow, scutiform and longer than wide. Labium yellow, cuneiform and wider than long. Endites yellow and longer than wide. Leg characteristics as in E. pulcher . Opisthosoma predominantly whitish-yellow dappled with tiny black spots; anterior border straight, dorsolateral opisthosomal projections conical and facing backwards, ventrolateral opisthosomal projections absent and median posterior opisthosomal projection single-tipped, stout and conical ( Fig. 10A ). Epigynal plate presents a deeply excavated median field, with curved and reduced lateral folds and inconspicuous median septum ( Fig. 10C ); secondary spermathecae long and strongly curved; primary spermathecae oval-shaped with rough surface ( Fig. 10D ).

Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.10, ALE 0.15, PME 0.13, PLE 0.12, AME–AME 0.29, AME–ALE 0.20, PME–PME 0.38, PME–PLE 0.20, MOQ length 0.58, MOQ width 0.38; leg formula: 1-2-4- 3: leg I—femur 4.25/ patella 2.25/ tibia 2.85/ metatarsus 2.02/ tarsus 1.45/ total 12.82; II—4.20/ 2.25/ 2.95/ 1.90/ 1.42/ 12.72; III—2.55/ 1.45/ 1.50/ 1.25/ 0.72/ 7.47; IV—2.50/ 1.35/ 1.80/ 1.45/ 0.60/ 7.70. Total body length 9.16; prosoma length 4.58, width 4.37; opisthosoma length 4.58; clypeus height 0.44; sternum length 2.03, width 1.60; endites length 1.28, width 0.47; labium length 0.78, width 0.72.

Male (Paratype; MCTP 39867): Anterior eye row recurved and posterior straight. Prosoma dark-orange with brown stains at the borders; clypeus and thoracic portion of prosoma also present darker stains ( Figs 11A, B ); chelicerae dark-orange, sternum dark-orange with brown margins, scutiform, as long as wide. Labium orange, cuneiform and wider than long; endites orange with brown margins and longer than wide. Tibiae and femora of legs I, II and IV orange with large brown taints; femora III and all patellae predominantly yellow ( Fig. 11A ). Opisthosoma whitish-yellow with large brown taints and dark-brown granules randomly distributed; opisthosomal projections conical and facing backwards; posterior median projection well developed and pointed ( Fig. 11A ). Male palp with RTA canoe-shaped and DTA curved upwards ( Fig. 11D ); embolus filiform, tegulum discoid with TF at twelve o’clock position ( Fig. 11C ). Measurements: eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.10, PME 0.06, PLE 0.05, AME–AME 0.10, AME–ALE 0.08, PME–PME 0.20, PME–PLE 0,10, MOQ length 0.24, MOQ width 0.19; leg formula: 1-2-4-3: leg I—femur 1.28/ patella 0.60/ tibia 0.86 / metatarsus 0.62/ tarsus 0.44/ total 3.80; II—1.20/ 0.58/ 0.79/ 0.54/ 0.44/ 3.55; III—0.70/ 0.39/ 0.48/ 0.32/ 0.30/ 2.19; IV—0.86/ 0.34/ 0.52/ 0.44/ 0.29/ 2.45. Total body length 2.98; prosoma length 1.42, width 1.32; opisthosoma length 1.56; clypeus height 0.20; sternum length 0.64, width 0.62; endites length 0.28, width 0.20; labium length 0.20, width 0.26.

Distribution. Costa Rica and Panama ( Fig. 17D ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Epicadus tigrinus sp. nov., female (MCZ 141839). A, B habitus (A dorsal, B frontal); C epigynal plate (ventral); D spermathecae and copulatory ducts (dorsal). Scale bars:2 mm (A), 1 mm (B), 0.1 mm (C, D).

FIGURE 11. Epicadus tigrinus sp. nov., male (MCTP 39867). A, B habitus (A dorsal, B frontal); C, D left palp (C frontal, D retrolateral). Scale bars: 1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (B), 0.2 mm (C, D).

FIGURE 17. Data of distribution records of Epicadus species compiled from Machado et al. (2015, 2017); Silva-Moreira and Machado (2016); present study.