Scytodes blanda Bryant, 1940

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 : 498-500

Scytodes blanda Bryant, 1940

Figs 1–9 , 31–35 , 135 .

Scytodes blanda Bryant, 1940: 287 , figs 25, 29 ( Holotype: ♂, CUBA: Guantanamo : Maisi ( 20.2463ºN, 74.1522ºW), 15–16 July 1936, P.J. Darlington leg., MCZ-IZ 20541 , examined. Allotype : CUBA: Santiago de Cuba : 1 ♀, coast below Pico Turquino ( 19.9833ºN, 76.8333ºW), June 1936, P.J. Darlington leg., MCZ-IZ 26209 , not examined. Paratypes : CUBA: Ciego de Avila: 1 ♀, Soledad ( 21.7236ºN, 79.2363ºW), 1 April 1936, P.J. Darlington leg., MCZ-IZ 26211 , not examined ; 1 ♀, same collection locality as for previous specimen, 27 November 1927, W.S. Creighton leg., MCZ-IZ 26212 , not examined ; 1 ♀, Soledad, San Jose ( 21.6930ºN, 78.8188ºW), 31 July 1931, L.G. Worley leg, MCZ-IZ 26210 , examined ).

Additional material examined. CUBA. Camagüey Province: 1 ♂, Camagüey, Sierra de Cubitas, Cubitas , 21.5917ºN, 77.784ºW, 100 mts., 11 June 2012, Team CarBio leg., USNM787363 , CU20 ( NMNH); 1 ♂, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM785082 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♂, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM787432 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM787432 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM787391 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM783197 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM787380 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, USNM787498 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same localiy data as for previous specimen, 55 mts., 13–14 April 2012, Team CarBio leg., USNM787399 , CU23 ( NMNH). SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES. Grenadines Parish: 1 ♂, Union Island , 12.6029ºN, 61.4431ºW, 120 mts., 8 May 2013, Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00002233A, CarBio 79 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♂, Union Island , 12.5145ºN, 61.4461ºW, 100 mts. 10 May 2013, CarBio 00002265A, CarBio 80 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♀, same collection data as for previous specimen, CarBio 00002113A ( NMNH) ; 1 ♂, same locality data as for previous specimen, 12.5184ºN, 61.4418ºW, 90 mts., 10 May 2013, Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00002276A, CarBio 81 ( NMNH) ; 1 ♂, same locality data as for previous specimen, 12.4818ºN, 61.4481ºW, 135 mts., Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00002551A, CarBio 82 ( NMNH) . GRENADA. Saint George’s Parish: 1 ♀, Mount Hartman-Coastal Dry Scrub , 12.0141ºN, 61.7481ºW, 38 mts., Team CarBio leg., CarBio 00001719A, CarBio 44 ( NMNH) .

Diagnosis. Males of S. blanda resemble those of S. alayoi (Rheims, Brescovit & Durán-Barrón 2007: figs 44, 45), S. championi F.O. Pickard Cambridge, 1899 ( Brescovit & Rheims 2001, figs 14, 15) and S. farri ( Alayón 1985: fig. 3) by the tip of the embolus gutter-shaped flanked by small membranes. They are distinguished from those of S. championi by the shorter tip, reaching a fourth of the length of the palp ( Figs 3–5 , 31–33 ) (vs. more than a third in S. championi ) and by the absence of a triangular pocket at the base of the retrolateral membrane (vs. present in the other species) and from S. alayoi and S. farri by the larger bulb, roughly as wide as long and stronger constriction at the base of the embolus (Figs, 3, 4, 31, 33) (vs. bulb wider than long and weak constriction in the latter species). Additionally, they are distinguished from S. alayoi by the longer cymbium and embolus with anteriorly wider retrolateral membrane (Figs, 3, 4, 31, 33) (vs. cymbium short and stout and retrolateral membrane narrowed to a pointed tip in S. alayoi ) and from S. farri by the shorter tibia, half the length of the cymbium and shorter gutter tip, less than half of the length of the embolus (Figs, 3, 4, 31, 33) (vs. tibia more than half the length of the cymbium and gutter tip more than half the embolus length in S. farri ). Females resemble those of S. alayoi Alayón, 1977 (Rheims, Brescovit & Durán Barrón 2007: figs 46, 47), S. farri ( Alayón 1985: fig. 4); S. lorenzoi Alayón ( Alayón 1977: fig. 5B) and S. ritae sp. nov. ( Figs 120, 121 , 134 ) by the genitalia with straight or curved positioning ridges and vulva with IS hyaline, sac-like with small distal pore plate and IS with short stalk, rounded with scattered pores. They are distinguished from S. lorenzoi and S. ritae sp. nov. by the C-shaped positioning ridges ( Fig. 8 ) (vs. straight in the latter species) and from S. alayoi and S. farri by the positioning ridges separated from each other by four times the width of their fovea ( Fig. 8 ) (vs. twice the width in S. alayoi and eight times in S. farri ).

Redescription. Male (MCZ-IZ 20541, holotype): prosoma golden yellow, with brown markings behind the eyes and along the lateral margins; chelicerae golden yellow with brown margins; pedipalps pale yellow with a few brown markings; legs pale yellow with brown spots and stripes; labium pale yellow; endites pale yellow; sternum pale yellow with brown markings close to legs; opisthosoma pale yellow with brown dorsal pattern, and sparse brown ventral dots ( Figs 1, 2 ). Measurements: total length: 4.1; prosoma: 2.0 long, 1.6 wide; sternum: 0.9 long, 0.7 wide; labium: 0.25 long, 0.3 wide; eye measurements: PME 0.11, ALE 0.13, PLE 0.13; legs (1243): I: 15.5 (3.9, 0.7, 4.3, 5.9, 0.7); II: 10.5 (3.0, 0.6, 3.0, 3.1, 0.8); III: 7.0 (2.0, 0.6, 1.7, 2.3, 0.4); IV: 9.6 (2.8, 0.6, 2.5, 3.0, 0.7). Palp: cymbium with two strong apical spines; bulb distally hyaline, with prolateral extension with dorsal, elongate hyaline keel and retrolateral extension with hyaline, fan-like tip ( Figs 3–5 , 31–33 ); palp measurements: tibia 0.45; cymbium 0.72; bulb 0.90.

Female (CarBio787380): prosoma pale yellow with brown markings behind the eyes and along the lateral margins and abundant brown dots; chelicerae pale yellow with brown outlines; legs pale yellow with brown scattered brown dots; labium pale yellow; endites pale yellow with brown outlines along the anterior portion; sternum pale golden yellow with scattered brown dots; opisthosoma yellowish-gray with sparse brown dots ( Figs 6, 7 ). Measurements: total length: 5.2; prosoma: 2.5 long, 2.1 wide; sternum: 1.1 long, 0.9 wide; labium: 0.32 long, 0.36 wide; eye measurements: PME 0.14, ALE 0.13, PLE 0.14; legs: I: - (2.7, 0.5, 2.7, rest of leg absent); II: 8.2 (2.2, 0.6, 2.1, 2.7, 0.6); III: 5.5 (1.5, 0.5, 1.5, 1.6, 0.4); IV: 8.0 (2.5, 0.5, 2.2, 2.3, 0.5). Female genitalia: fovea laterad ( Fig. 8 ). Vulva: IS antero-mediad, rounded with a thick stalk (approximately one third of the rounded tip diameter); OS approximately the same size of IS ( Figs 9 , 34, 35 ).

Variation. Males (n=8): total length 3.4−4,0; prosoma length 1.8−2.0; femur I length 2.9−4.0. Females (n=8): total length 3.5–5.2; prosoma length 2.1–2.7; femur I length 2.4–2.7.

Distribution. Previously known from Cuba ( Bryant 1940) and newly recorded here from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada ( Fig. 135 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Scytodes blanda Bryant. 1–5 male (CarBio00002265A), 1, 2 habitus (1 dorsal, 2 prosoma, ventral); 3–5 left palp (3 prolateral, 4 retrolateral, 5 dorsal, detail of tip); 6–9 female 6, 7 (USNM787380), habitus (6 dorsal, 7 prosoma, ventral); 8, 9 (CarBio00001719A), genitalia (8 ventral, 9 vulva, dorsal). F = fovea; PR = positioning ridge. Scale bars: 1, 2, 6, 7 = 1.0 mm; 3–5, 8, 9 = 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 118–125. 118–121 Scytodes ritae sp. nov. (CarBio00000459A) 118, 119 habitus (118 dorsal, 119 prosoma, ventral); 120, 121 genitalia (120 ventral, 122 vulva, dorsal); 122–125 Scytodes sabbath sp. nov. (CarBio00000046A) 122, 123 habitus (122 dorsal, 123 prosoma, ventral); 124, 125 genitalia (124 ventral, 125 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 118, 119, 122, 123 = 1.0 mm; 120, 121, 124, 125 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 126–134. 126 Scytodes longipes Lucas (USNM786759) female, genitalia, ventral; 127 Scytodes nicksae sp. nov. (CarBio0004491A) female, vulva, dorsal; 128–132 Scytodes reinhardti sp. nov. 128, 129 male (USNM786788) left palp (128 prolateral, 129 retrolateral); 130–132 female, vulva, dorsal (130 USNM784746, 131 USNM786648, 132 USNM786780); 133 Scytodes sabbath sp. nov. (CarBio00000046A) female, vulva, dorsal; 134 Scytodes ritae sp. nov. (CarBio 00000459A), female, vulva, dorsal. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.