Chrysometa rosarium, Salgueiro-Sepúlveda & Álvarez-Padilla, 2018

Salgueiro-Sepúlveda, F. Javier & Álvarez-Padilla, Fernando, 2018, New species of the orb-weaving spider genus Chrysometa (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) from oak forests near of the Pico de Orizaba National Park (Veracruz, Mexico), Zootaxa 4450 (3), pp. 301-330 : 309-311

Chrysometa rosarium new species

Figures 5 , 6 , 19

Type material. Holotype ( CNAN-T1189 ). Female from Pico de Orizaba National Park, Atotonilco Calcahualco, Veracruz, Mexico. Plot I: 19° 8' 17.4" N, 97° 12' 16.2" W, 2,300 m . , October 4–14, 2012. Allotype ( CNAN-T1190 ). Male from same locality. Paratypes. 23 females and 70 males. Types are deposited in the Colección Nacional de Arácnidos ( CNAN) at the Instituto de Biología ( IBUNAM).

Etymology. The species epithet is from the Latin noun rosarium (rosary). This species is named in honor of Ms. Rosario, mother of the first author.

Diagnosis. Females of C. rosarium can be distinguished from all sympatric species by the following features: transverse bar with thin, short and deep arms and copulatory openings completely rounded and protruding over the transverse bar ( Figs. 5D , 6D ). Males of C. rosarium are distinguished from C. puya and all sympatric species by the following features: globular and membranous paracymbium median prong, short and rounded lower prong and thin and large triangular cymbial ectomedian process apophysis ( Figs. 5I , 6A, B, C ). Chrysometa puya males have a thinner and larger paracymbium median prong, pointed lower prong and a shorter and wider cymbial ectomedian process apophysis.

Description. Female. Total length 3.4. Cephalothorax: length 1.6, width 1.3. Carapace pale-yellow, brown rectangular pattern over the cephalic region narrowing towards the fovea, with darker margins ( Fig. 5A ). Ocular area pale-yellow. Eyes subequal in size ( Fig. 5G ). AME diameter 0.08, PME 0.1, ALE and PLE 0.1. Chelicerae pale-yellow, with few scattered setae and smooth cuticle ( Fig. 5G ). Endites longer than wide, pale-yellow. Labium wider than long, same color as the endites. Sternum white, wider between the first and second legs ( Fig. 5C ). Abdomen: dorsally greenish yellow, covered with guanine silvery patches, uniformly distributed and without pattern defined ( Fig. 5A, B ); ventrally gray, without guanine patches, darker between spinnerets and epigynum ( Fig. 5C ). Leg lengths: I 8.9, II 6.4, III 3.5 and IV 5. Legs pale-yellow, white femur in the second pair and darker in other segments. Tarsi brown. Epigynum: epigynal plate oval, wider than long, transverse bar with thin, short and deep arms, rectangular septum. Copulatory openings completely rounded and protruding over the transverse bar, with sclerotized margins ( Figs. 5D , 6D ). Spermathecae, copulatory ducts and fertilization ducts as shown in Figure 5E, F .

Male. As in female except as noted. Total length 2.9. Cephalothorax: length 1.5, width 1.1. Carapace: dorsal coloration dark-yellow, with the pattern extended to the pedicel. Ocular area brown below the eyes. Eyes subequal in size, same as female ( Fig. 5H ). Chelicerae yellow, larger and narrower, with large teeth. Cuticle rugose, setae bases enlarged and more abundant at cheliceral base ( Fig. 5H ). Abdomen: bright-yellow, with few small separated guanine patches, laterally larger and more abundant. Ventrally bright gray, with few guanine patches. Leg lengths: I 9.3, II 7.9, III 3.4 and IV 4.9. Leg I completely brown, leg II darker. Pedipalp: CEBP small and triangular, curved prolaterally. CEMP large and flattened, with a thin and large apophysis. Paracymbium straight, small and wide, with a large, globular and membranous median prong ( Figs. 5I , 6A, B, C ); upper prong rectangular, lower prong rounded. Embolus thin and short, tubular; EBA short and curved in apical region, conductor small and flattened ( Figs. 5I , 6A, B, C ). Conductor, embolus and EBA in ventral view as in Figures 5I , 6A .

Variation. Female total length 3.1–3.8, cephalothorax length 1.5–1.6, cephalothorax width 1.1–1.3. Male total length 2.8–3.5, cephalothorax length 1.4–1.8, cephalothorax width 1.1–1.4.

Material examined. N=95. Mexico: Veracruz, Atotonilco Calcahualco, three males Plot I: 19° 8' 17.4" N, 97° 12' 16.2" W, 2,300 m., May 21–30, 2012; 19 females , 47 males Plot I: 19° 8' 17.4" N, 97° 12' 16.2" W, 2,300 m., October 4–14, 2012; five females, 21 males Plot I: 19° 8' 17.4" N, 97° 12' 16.2" W, 2,300 m., February 15–24, 2013. Colección Nacional de Arácnidos ( CNAN) at the Instituto de Biología ( IBUNAM) .

Distribution. Veracruz, Mexico. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 19 ).

Biology. Specimens were collected in a Quercus forest with secondary plant growth. All specimens were found only in plot I during all three expeditions (expedition I: May 21–30, 2012; expedition II: October 4–14 2012 and expedition III: February 15–24 2013). Most specimens were captured by direct collecting at night followed by beating vegetation; only six specimens were found in cryptic search.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Chrysometa rosarium n. sp., female. A, habitus dorsal view. B, lateral view. C, ventral view. D, epigynum ventral view. E, epigynum ventral view (cleared). F, dorsal view (cleared). G, prosoma anterior view. Male. H, prosoma anterior view. I, pedipalp ventral view. Scale bars, A, B, C, 1.0 mm; D, I, 0.2 mm; E, F, 0.1 mm; G, H, 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Chrysometa rosarium n. sp., male. A, pedipalp ventral view, B retrolateral view. C, dorsal view. Female. D, epigynum ventral view. E, posterior view. Scale bars, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 19. Species Distribution Map. Atotonilco Locality: Chrysometa citlaltepetl, C. triangulosa, C. rosarium, C. atotonilco and C. sagicuta.. Xamaticpac Locality: C. xamaticpac, C. puya and C. chipinque.