Priscula taruma, HUBER, 2000

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 144-145

Priscula taruma , new species Figures 556 559

TYPE: Male holotype from Canje Ikuruwa River (Forest Savanna) (57°50'W, 5°70'N), East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana ; Aug. Dec. 1961 (G. Brentley), in AMNH .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition honoring the Taruma (see Metagonia taruma above).

DIAGNOSIS: Easily distinguished from congeners by the shape of the procursus, with its dorsal projection and simple distal flap (figs. 556 557).

MALE (holotype): Total length 3.8, carapace width 1.6; leg 1: 38.6 (9.6+0.5+9.5 +16.7+2.3), tibia 2: 6.4, tibia 3: 4.3, tibia 4: 6.1; tibia 1 l/d: 63. Habitus similar to P. ulai , including saddle behind eyes (cf. fig. 541), but tiny AME present (diameter ~ 0.025); distance PME-ALE about 80% of PME diameter; carapace light brown, speckled, with light areas at side of ocular area; ocular area, clypeus and sternum brown; sternum with pair of widely separated lobes posteriorly. Chelicerae light brown, with pair of frontal apophyses (fig. 559). Palps in general as in P. binghamae (cf. figs. 505 506), but femur without protruding ventral rim distally, and procursus and bulb significantly different (figs. 556 558). Legs light orange-brown, with dark rings on femora (subdistally, preceded by light ring), and tibiae (proximally, followed by light ring, and subdistally, preceded by light ring), and metatarsi (proximally); legs without spines and curved hairs, with few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 7%. Opisthosoma ochre-gray, with many dark spots, genital plate brown, wide; large brown area in front of spinnerets.

FEMALE: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: GUYANA: East Berbice-Corentyne: type above.

Figures

Figs. 556 559. Priscula taruma, n. sp., male holotype. 556. Left procursus, prolateral (slightly ventral) view. 557. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 558. Left genital bulb, ~ dorsal view. 559. Chelicerae, frontal view. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.