Glenognatha gloriae ( Petrunkevitch, 1930 )

Jimmy Cabra-García & Antonio D. Brescovit, 2016, Revision and phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider genus Glenognatha Simon, 1887 (Araneae, Tetragnathidae), Zootaxa 4069 (1), pp. 1-183 : 135-140

Glenognatha gloriae ( Petrunkevitch, 1930)

( Figs. 110 –113, 138)

Diplocephalus gloriae Petrunkevitch, 1930: 224 , fig. 72–74 (male holotype from Luquillo Mountains , La Gloria, Puerto Rico, 30.i.1926, immature female paratype from El Yunque, Puerto Rico, 11.x.1925, both collected by A. Petrunkevitch, deposited in YPM, only the immature female paratype examined; male paratype from Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, 8.vi.1915, deposited in AMNH, not examined).

Mimognatha gloriae: Crosby & Bishop, 1933: 108 .

Glenognatha gloriae: Cabra et al. 2014: 1029 , figs. 1J, 2K, 4C, 5I, 8A; World Spider Catalog 2015.

Diagnosis. Males of G. gloriae resemble those of G. spherella and G. australis by the prominent Ret2 ( Figs. 111B– C ) and the absence of anterior tooth ( Fig. 111 A ). G. gloriae can be distinguished from the latter two species by the strongly projected clypeus in lateral view ( Fig. 110B ). Females can be distinguished from G. spherella by the absence of cheliceral bulge ( Figs. 111E ) and from G. australis by having three retromarginal teeth ( Fig. 111F ).

Description. Male described by Petrunkevitch (1930). Additional data.

Male (MCZ 125482). Habitus as in Figures 110 A –D . Abdomen with scattered silver guanine spots in the dorsal, lateral and ventral surfaces. Total length 1.70. Cephalothorax 0.75 long, 0.62 wide, 0.52 high. Abdomen 0.92 long, 0.72 wide, 0.7 high. Sternum 0.36 long, 0.42 wide. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.04. ALE 0.03. PME 0.06. PLE 0.03. AME-AME 0.04, AME-ALE 0.07, PME-PME 0.06, PME-PLE 0.07, ALE-PLE 0.01. Clypeus height 2.50. Chelicerae yellow-brownish. Three promarginal and three retromarginal teeth ( Figs. 111 A – C ). Ret2 enlarged ( Figs. 111B–C ). Leg measurements: I: femur 1.15, patella 0.25, tibia 1.00, metatarsus 0.87, tarsus 0.47, 3.75 total; II: 1.10, 0.25, 1.02, 0.87, 0.40, 3.65; III: 0.75, 0.20, 0.55, 0.52, 0.30, 2.32; IV: 0.97, 0.20, 0.77, 0.72, 0.37, 3.05. DTS 0.10. DTE 0.50. Palp as in Figures 112E–H . Conductor large enclosing almost totally the embolus ( Figs. 112 A , 113F–H). Embolus short, with coiled tip ( Figs. 112D , 113G).

Female (MCZ 125485) (Note: the female is described here for the first time). Habitus as in Figures 110E–H . Carapace pale yellow with two greyish longitudinal bands that join medially in the posterior region. Sternum dusky yellow, darker on edges. Abdomen greyish, dorsally with two diffused longitudinal black bands that join medially forming thin transverse bands. Silver guanine spots scattered in the dorsal and lateral surfaces Venter with two pale longitudinal bands covered with silver guanine spots. Legs pale yellow. Total length 1.55. Cephalothorax 0.67 long, 0.60 wide, 0.45 high. Abdomen 0.92 long, 0.72 wide, 0.65 high. Sternum 0.42 long, 0.42 wide. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.03. ALE 0.04. PME 0.07. PLE 0.04. AME-AME 0.05, AME-ALE 0.06, PME-PME 0.09, PME-PLE 0.04, ALE-PLE 0.01. Clypeus height 3.10. Chelicerae pale yellow. Three promarginal and three retromarginal teeth ( Figs. 111D–F ). Leg measurements: I: femur1.02, patella 0.30, tibia 0.87, metatarsus 0.82, tarsus 0.42, total 3.45; II: 0.90, 0.25, 0.87, 0.80, 0.37, 3.20; III: 0.65, 0.20, 0.52, 0.52, 0.30, 2.20; IV: 0.87, 0.22, 0.72, 0.67, 0.36, 2.86. DTS 0.07. DTE 0.32. Genitalia with well-developed spermathecae (Figs. 113 A –E). UE with a median projection (Fig. 113 A).

Variation. Male total length 1.5–2.0 (N = 7; average 1.7), cephalothorax length 0.5–0.9 (N = 7; average 0.7), femur I length 1.0–1.2 (N = 7; average 1.1). Female total length 1.5–2.3 (N = 4; average 1.9), cephalothorax length 0.6–0.9 (N = 4; average 0.7), femur I length 0.7–1.3 (N = 4; average 1.0).

Distribution. Known only from Puerto Rico ( Fig. 138).

Remarks. Some vials with male and female pairs captured near the collection sites of the type material were available for study. After comparison of the male specimens with the original description ( Petrunkevitch 1930) and the immature female paratype, they were identified as G. gloriae based on the following characters: 1) all the individuals have a conspicuously projected clypeus as the immature female paratype and the illustration of the male holotype ( Petrunkevitch 1930, fig. 73), 2) the conductor is as depicted by Petrunkevitch (1930, fig. 74) and finally 3), the specimens have the “spine-like” retromarginal teeth mentioned in the original description ( Petrunkevitch 1930). It is important to note that Petrunkevitch described the type of G. gloriae as having only one retromarginal tooth (Ret2). Nevertheless this condition was not observed in any of the Glenognatha here examined; probably the Ret1 and the Ret 3 were lost in that specimen.

F IGURE 113. Glenognatha gloriae . A –C, female genitalia. A, dorsal (arrow, median projection). B, ventral. C, lateral. D–E, spermathecae and copulatory duct. F, male left palp ventro-anterior. G–H, embolus and conductor. G, ventro-anterior. H, dorsal. Scale bars, 20 µm (A –C, F–H), 10 µm (D–E). C: conductor. CD: copulatory duct. CRa: conductor retrolateral apophysis. E: embolus. LSD: long-stem ducts. MC: membranous chamber. S: spermathecae. T: tegulum. UE: uterus externus.

Additional material examined (N = 10). New records: PUERTO RICO: Bosque Estatal de Maricao , [18º6´N, 66º58´W], elev. [319m], vii.1958, A. F. Archer leg., 1♀ 1♂ ( AMNH); [Parque Nacional el Yunque], Baño de Oro trail 1–2 Km West of Rd. 191, [18º17´N, 65º49´W], elev. 650m – 700m, vii.1958, P. leg., 1♀ 1♂ ( MCZ 125485 ) ; Toro negro forest, [18´´9´6.74´´N, 66º31´25.85´´W], elev. 1000m, 28.vii.1966, S. Peck leg., 1 immature ( AMNH) ; Cordillera Central, Area recreo Doña Juana N. of Villalba, [18º9´N, 66º29´W], elev. 1000m, 26.iii.1986, H. L. Levi leg., 1♀ 4♂ ( MCZ 125482 ).

Figures

FIGURE 110. Glenognatha gloriae from Puerto Rico (MCZ 125485). A – D, male habitus. A, dorsal. B, lateral. C, ventral. D, frontal. E – H, female habitus. E, dorsal. F, lateral. G, ventral. H, frontal. Scale bars, 200 µm. TS: tracheal spiracle.

FIGURE 111. Glenognatha gloriae from Puerto Rico (MCZ 125482). A – C, male left chelicerae. A, anterior. B, posterior. C, mesal. D – F, female left chelicerae. D, anterior. E, posterior. F, mesal. Scale bars, 100 µm. Prt: promarginal tooth. Ret: retromarginal tooth.

FIGURE 112. Glenognatha gloriae from Puerto Rico (MCZ 125485). A – D, male left palp, schematic. A, ventral. B, conductor, ventral. C, conductor, dorsal. D, embolus, ventral. E – H, male left palp. E, ventral. F, dorsal. G, prolateral. H, retrolateral. Scale bars, 100 µm. C: conductor. CB: cymbium. CRa: conductor retrolateral apophysis. E: embolus. ED: ejaculatory duct. EMg: embolic medial groove. P: paracymbium. T: tegulum. TO: tarsal organ.