Falconina brignolii, García & Bonaldo, 2023

García, Fabián & Bonaldo, Alexandre B., 2023, Taxonomic revision of the soldier spider genus Falconina Brignoli, 1985 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Corinninae), Zootaxa 5343 (3), pp. 201-242 : 236

Falconina brignolii sp. nov.

Figs 22C–D , 23C–D , 24

Type material. Holotype ♀: VENEZUELA: Sucre: Miranda, surroundings of the Universidad Metropolitana , [N10.50106°, W66.80087°, 1065 m], M.A. González-Sponga leg., 18.IV.1981, 1 ♀ ( MPEG 37237 ).

Paratypes: same data, 1 ♀ ( IBSP 332413 ), 1 ♀ ( MPEG 37238 ) .

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym after the Italian arachnologist Paolo Marcelo Brignoli, who discovered the homonymy of Falconia , honoring his great worldwide contributions to arachnology.

Diagnosis. Females of Falconina brignolii sp. nov. share with those of Falconina crassipalpis the M-shaped median notch in the posterior margin of the epigynal plate. They can be distinguished by the margins of the posterior vulvar plate being shorter than the margins of the epigynal plate in ventral view, and by the posterior vulvar plate without projections on the anterior margin in dorsal view ( Figs 22C , 23C ).

Description. Female (holotype). Carapace dark brown, with cephalic region darker. Chelicerae, labium, and endites reddish-brown. Sternum dark orange. Legs dark orange, with femora dark brown. Abdomen dark gray, with two pairs of spots in middle, first pair three to four times larger than second. Abdomen posterior end with two fused lines. Total length 6.504. Carapace 2.493 long, 1.914 wide. Clypeus height 0.179. Eye diameters AME 0.144, ALE 0.141, PME 0.131, PLE 0.099. Interocular distances AME-AME 0.093, AME-ALE 0.044, PME-PME 0.154, PME-PLE 0.120, ALE-PLE 0.032, PME-AME 0.042. Chelicerae with three promarginal teeth, the second two times longer, and seven retromarginal teeth, the two most proximal to fang three times smaller than others. Sternum 1.178 long, 1.087 wide. Leg measurements I—2.085, 0.678, 2.106, 1.575, 1.519, 8.963; II—1.944, 0.496, 1.587, 1.269, 0.931, 6.227; III—1.092, 0.373, 1.252, 1.181, 0.926, 4.824; IV—1.537 0.446, 1.888, 1.595, 1.441, 6.907. Abdomen: 3.486 long, 2.218 wide. I—femur d 1-0-1; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 0-0-0; tibia d 0-0-0; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 2-2-2-2-2; metatarsus d 0-0-0; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 2-2-2; II—femur d 1-0-1; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 0-0-0; tibia d 0-0-0; p 0-0-0- r 0-0-0; v 2-2-2-2; metatarsus d 0-0-0; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 2-2-0; III—femur d 1-0-1; p 0-0-0; r 0-0-0; v 0-0-0; tibia d 0-0-0; p 0-1-0; r 0-0-0; v 2-2-2; metatarsus d 2-0-2; p 1-0-0; r 0-1-1; v 2-2-2; IV—femur d 1-0-1; p 0- 0-0; r 0-0-0; v 0-0-0; tibia d 0-0-0; p 0-1-0; r 0-0-0; v 2-2-2; metatarsus d 2-0-2; p 1-0-0; r 0-1-1; v 2-2-2; Epigyne. Epigynal plate oval; copulatory opening positioned near posterior margin of epigynal plate, with M-shaped median notch ( Figs 22C , 23C ). Posterior vulvar plate extremely projected posteriorly, with large portion visible in ventral view, trapezoidal in dorsal view, shorter than margins of epigynal plate ( Fig. 22D ). Dorsally, posterior vulvar plate without projection on anterior margin; fertilization ducts short; globular secondary spermathecae, posteriorly placed in relation to primary spermathecae ( Fig. 23D ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. 3 (♀) total 6.201 –6.828. Carapace 2.619 –2.667 long, 1.844 –1.907 wide. Leg I—I 2.010–2.330, 0.709–0.776, 1.868–2.361, 1.561–1.752, 1.506–1.760, 7.654–9.979.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality ( Fig. 24 ).

Figures

FIGURE 22. Falconina spp. A, B Falconina andresi sp. nov., female holotype (MCZ): A epigyne, ventral view; B epigyne, dorsal view. C, D Falconina brignolii sp. nov., female holotype (MPEG 37237): C epigyne, ventral view; D epigyne, dorsal view. Abbreviations CO, Copulatory opening; FD, fertilization ducts; MnEP, median notch of the posterior vulvar plate; PVP, posterior vulvar plate; S1, primary spermathecae; S2, secondary spermathecae. Scale bar A–B 0.2 mm, C–D 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 23. Falconina spp.: A, B Falconina andresi sp. nov., female holotype (MCZ): A epigyne, ventral view; B epigyne, dorsal view. C, D Falconina brignolii sp. nov., female holotype (MPEG 37237): C epigyne, ventral view; D epigyne, dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 24. Known geographical distribution of Falconina species (except Falconina gracilis).