Scytodes coltranei, Iost & Alayón & Rheims, 2025

Iost, Flora M., Alayón, Giraldo & Rheims, Cristina A., 2025, On the Antillean spiders of the genus Scytodes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae, Scytodidae), Zootaxa 5728 (3), pp. 496-530 : 500

Scytodes coltranei sp. nov.

Figs 10–13 , 36 , 135 .

Type material: Holotype: ♀, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Altagracia Province: Occidental, San Rafael de Yuma, Parque Nacional del Este , 18.3555º N, 68.6182º E, 46 mts., 7 June 2012, CarBio Team leg., USNM784968 , DR03 ( NMNH) . Paratypes: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Altagracia Province: 1 ♀, Occidental, San Rafael de Yuma, Parque Nacional del Este , Cueva del Puente , 18.3816ºN, 68.8017ºW, 25 mts., 6 June 2012, Team CarBio leg., USNM782402 , DR02 ( NMNH); 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM783144 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, Occidental, San Rafael de Yuma, Parque Nacional Los Haitises , Cueva La Arena , 19.0801ºN, 69.4649ºW, 17 mts., 12 June 2012, Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00006040A ( NMNH) .

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym honoring the late American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer John Coltrane ( 23 September 1926 – 17 July 1967), known for his major influence on genres such as Bebop, Modal Jazz and Hard Bop, and for his pioneering work at the forefront of Free Jazz.

Diagnosis. Females of S. coltranei sp. nov. resemble those of S. cubensis ( Figs 19–22 , 63–70 ), S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov. ( Figs 57–60 , 99 ), and S. joniae sp. nov. ( Figs 75–78 , 95, 96 ) by the vulva with S-shaped IS. It differs from all three species by the length of the IS, which is more than four times the length of the OS ( Fig. 13 ) (vs. twice as long in S. cubensis and S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov., and three times as long in S. joniae sp. nov.). It further differs from S. cubensis by the simple, untwisted PS (twisted and coiled in S. cubensis ), and from S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov. by the IS being the same width throughout ( Fig. 13 ) (vs. widened at the base in S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov.). Males are unknown.

Description. Female ( paratype, CarBio00006040A): prosoma dark brown, with light brown markings; chelicerae pale yellow with brownish margins; legs golden yellow with brown markings; labium dark brown; endites dark brown with a lighter base; sternum dark brown with a few light brown markings; opisthosoma gray with dorsal dark brown pattern ( Figs 10, 11 ). Measurements: total length 4.75; prosoma: 2.45 long, 1.7 wide; sternum: 1.1 long, 0.75 wide; labium: 0.31 long, 0.27 wide; opisthosoma: 2.3 long, 1.6 wide; eye diameters: PME 0.11, ALE 0.11, PLE 0.12, legs (1243): I: 9.95 (2.85, 0.45, 2.75, 3.15, 0.75); II: 7.6 (2.3, 0,4, 2.05, 2.2, 0.65); III: 7.3 (2.15, 0.4, 2.05, 2.1, 0.6); IV: 7.6 (2.25, 0.45, 2.05, 2.2, 0.65). Female genitalia: positioning ridges projected, hood-like, with rounded margins, separated from each other by twice their width; fovea short, postero-laterad, below positioning ridge ( Fig. 12 ). Vulva: IS tip wider and roughly cotton-swab shaped; OS much shorter than IS, with the same width throughout its entire length, distally rounded and covered in large pores; PS with mediad loop and rounded tip ( Figs 13 , 36 ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Females (n=4): total length 4.7−5.7; prosoma length 2.4−2.7; femur I length 2.8−3.6.

Distribution. Known from Parque Nacional del Este and Parque Nacional Los Haitises, in San Rafael de Yuma, La Altagracia Province, Dominican Republic ( Fig. 135 ).

Figures

FIGURES 10–13. Scytodes coltrainei sp. nov., female (USNM782402) 10, 11 habitus (10 dorsal, 11 prosoma, ventral); 12, 13 genitalia (12 ventral, 13 vulva, dorsal). IS = inner spermathecae; OS = outer spermathecae; PS = posterior spermathecae. Scale bars: 10, 11 = 1.0 mm; 12, 13 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 31–41. 31–35 Scytodes blanda Bryant. Male (CarBio00002265A), left palp (31 prolateral, 32 detail of tip, dorsal, 33 retolateral); 34, 35 female, vulva, ventral (34 USNM787380, 35 CarBio00001719A); 36 Scytodes coltrainei sp. nov. (USNM782402), female, vulva, ventral; 37, 38 Scytodes fusca Walckenaer, female, vulva, ventral (37 USNM788097, 38 786759); 39, 40 Scytodes darlingtoni Alayón (holotype), female, genitalia (39 ventral, 40 vulva, dorsal); 41 Scytodes harrisoni sp. nov. (holotype), female, vulva, dorsal. OS = outer spermathecae; PS = posterior spermathecae; UE = uterus externus. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 135–138. Geografic distribution maps for Scytodes spp. 135 (S. blanda Bryant, S. coltrainei sp. nov., S. cubensis Alayón, S darlingtoni Alayón); 136 (S. harrisoni sp. nov., S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov., S. joniae sp. nov., S. mingusi sp. nov.); 137 (S. nicksae sp. nov., S. reinhardti sp. nov., S. ritae sp. nov., S. sabbath sp. nov.); 138 (S. fusca Walckenaer, S. longipes Lucas).

FIGURES 14–22. Scytodes cubensis Alayón. 14–18 male (USNM782692) 14, 15 habitus (14 dorsal, 15 ventral, prosoma); 16–18 left palp (16 prolateral, 17 retrolateral, 18 dorsal) 19–21 female 19, 20 (USNM784548) habitus (19 dorsal, 20 ventral, prosoma); 21, 22 (USNM783136) genitalia (21 ventral, 22 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 15, 15, 19, 20 = 1.0 mm; 16–18, 21, 22 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 61–70. Scytodes cubensis Alayón. 61, 62 male (USNM784798), left palp (61 prolateral, 62 retrolateral); 63–70 female, vulva, dorsal 63 (CarBio00003984A); 64 (CarBio00003416); 65 (CarBio00006197A); 66 (USNM784369); 67 (CarBio00003781); 68 (USNM785349); 69 (USNM784761); 70 (USNM786974). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 53–60. 53–56 Scytodes harrisoni sp. nov., female (holotype) 53, 54 habitus (53 dorsal, 54 prosoma, ventral); 55, 56 genitalia (55 ventral, 56 vulva, dorsal). 57–60 Scytodes jimmorrisoni sp. nov., female (USNM392951) 57, 58 habitus (57 dorsal, 58 prosoma, ventral); 59, 60 genitalia (59 ventral, 60 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 53, 54, 57, 58 = 1.0 mm; 55, 56, 59, 60 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 95–105. 95–98 Scytodes joniae sp. nov. 95, 96 female, vulva, dorsal (95 USNM782490, 96 USNM784365); 97, 98 male (USNM782341), left palp (97 prolateral, 98 retrolateral); 99 Scytodes jimmorrisoni sp. nov., female, vulva, dorsal (USNM392951); 100–105 Scytodes mingusi sp. nov. 100, 101 male (USNM783525), left palp (100 prolateral, 101 retrolateral); 102–105 female, vulva, dorsal (102 USNM783526, 103 USNM786689, 104 USNM786649, 105 USNM786789). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 71–78. Scytodes joniae sp. nov. 71–74 male (USNM782341) 71, 72 habitus (71 dorsal, 72 prosoma, ventral); 73, 74 left palp (73 prolateral, 74 retrolateral); 75–78 female (USNM 785538) 75,76 habitus (75 dorsal, 76 prosoma, ventral); 77, 78 (USNM 785252) genitalia (77 ventral, 78 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 71, 72, 75, 76 = 1 mm; 73, 74, 77, 78 = 0.5 mm.