Neostasina maroon, Rheims & Alayón, 2016

Rheims, Cristina Anne & Alayón, Giraldo, 2016, Neostasina gen. nov., a new genus of huntsman spiders from the Neotropical region (Araneae, Sparassidae, Sparianthinae), Zootaxa 4079 (3), pp. 301-344 : 332-334

Neostasina maroon sp. nov.

Figs 113−119 , Map 5

Type material: Holotype: ♂, Jamaica, Portland Parish, Blue Mountains , main range 1500–2130 m [18°08’N, 76°40’W], 17−19 August 1934, Darlington leg. ( MCZ 69576).

Paratypes: JAMAICA: Portland Parish: 1♂, 1 juvenile, same vial as holotype ( MCZ 69576); 1♂, Blue Mountains, Whitefield Hall (18°02’N, 76°37’W), 14 November 2013, Team CarBio leg. ( NMNH); 1♀, Oatley Mountain (18°05’N, 76°43’W), 17 November 2013, Team CarBio leg. ( NMNH).

Etymology. The specific name is a noun taken from the American Spanish word “cimarrón”, meaning "feral animal, fugitive, runaway". It refers to the enslaved people, known as Maroons, who escaped to the Blue Mountains to live independently, when Jamaica's economy was dominated by plantation slavery.

Diagnosis. Males of N. maroon sp. nov. resemble those of N. bryantae sp. nov. and N. gunboat sp. nov. ( Figs 42 , 70 ) in the vRTA bifid ( Fig. 115 ). They are distinguished from both species by the TBE bifid (single in the other species) and by the embolus with one long dorsal subdistal keel ( Fig. 116 ) (absent in the other species). Females resemble those of N. mammee sp. nov. ( Fig. 110 ) in the median septum pentagonal with posterior margin rounded and strongly procurved ( Fig. 117 ). They are distinguished from this species by the anterior rim strongly recurved and anterior margin of median septum procurved ( Fig. 117 ).

Description. Male (MCZ 69576, paratype): Prosoma brown, darker at eye area, with thin dark brown lines along thoracic striae, margins of cephalic region and extending posteriorly from PME. Fovea dark brown. Eye borders black. Chelicerae brown with longitudinal dark brown stripe. Legs and pedipalps brown. Leg femora ventrally mottled with brown spots. Tibiae and tarsi with scattered brown irregular marks. Sternum yellow with orange margins. Endites pale yellow. Labium orange, distally pale yellow. Opisthosoma cream colored; dorsally with dense pattern of gray marks; ventrally mottled with gray spots. Total length 9.1. Prosoma: 4.2 long, 3.6 wide. Opisthosoma: 4.7 long, 3.2 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.22, 0.20, 0.14, 0.20; interdistances: 0.26, 0.10, 0.36, 0.30, 0.22, 0.10. Legs (2143): I: 15.2 (4.1, 2.1, 4.1, 3.8, 1.1); II: 16.8 (4.3, 2.2, 4.2, 4.0, 1.1); III: 12.3 (3.8, 1.7, 2.9, 3.0, 0.9); IV: 14.8 (4.3, 1.6, 3.4, 4.3, 1.2). Palp: VTA triangular, displaced retrolaterally; dRTA massive and slightly bent in retrolateral view; vRTA with one branch laminar and distally wide and the other smaller, with rounded tip in ventral view; eRTA rounded; tegular protrusion arising from tegulum at 7 o’clock position; median apophysis arising from tegulum at four o’clock position; conductor slightly widened distally; TBC short, slightly longer than wide; embolus arising from tegulum at 9 o’clock position; TBE with one conical, straight branch and one slightly curved ( Figs 113−116 ).

Female (NMNH, paratype): Coloration pattern as in male. Total length 10.1. Prosoma: 5.0 long, 4.4 wide. Opisthosoma: 5.1 long, 3.2 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.31, 0.25, 0.19, 0.25; interdistances: 0.30, 0.22, 0.50, 0.50, 0.23, 0.20. Legs (21/43): I: 16.1 (4.5, 2.5, 4.2, 3.9, 1.0); II: 16.6 (5.0, 2.5, 4.2, 3.9, 1.0); III: 13.7 (4.3, 2.2, 3.2, 3.2, 0.8); IV: 16.1 (4.7, 2.0, 3.8, 4.5, 1.1). Epigyne: epigynal field roughly squared, slightly longer than wide; median septum wider than long ( Fig. 117 ). Vulva: glandular projections elongate, two times longer than wide; spermathecae packed within a sclerotized structure with one large, rounded part opening from copulatory ducts and one short cylindrical part opening into fertilization ducts; internal ducts inverted U-shaped ( Figs 118−119 ).

Variation. Males (n = 3): total length 7.4−9.1; prosoma length 3.7−4.2; femur I length 3.8−4.1.

Distribution. Only known from the Blue Mountains National Park in Jamaica (Map 5).

Figures

FIGURES 113 − 119. Neostasina maroon sp. nov. 114 − 116 Male, left palp (113 prolateral, 114 ventral, 115 retrolateral, 116 detail of embolus and TBE); 117 − 119 Female (117 epigyne, 118 vulva, 119 schematic course of internal duct system). am = anterior margin of median septum; ar = anterior rim of epigyne; CD copulatory duct; dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; E = embolus; ek = dorsal keel of embolus; eRTA = extra retrolateral tibial apophysis; FD = fertilization duct; GP = glandular projection; pt = tegular protrusion; TBC = tegular projection at base of conductor; TBE = tegular projection at base of embolus; vRTA = ventral branch of RTA; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale lines: 1 mm.

FIGURES 40 − 45. Neostasina bryantae sp. nov. 40 − 42 Male, left palp (40 prolateral, 41 ventral, 42 retrolateral); 43 − 45 Female (43 epigyne, 44 vulva, 45 schematic course of internal duct system). al = anterior loop of spermathecae; at = anterior twist of spermathecae; CD = copulatory duct; dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; eRTA = extra retrolateral tibial apophysis; FD = fertilization duct; GP = glandular projection; sc = scape; TBC = tegular projection at base of conductor; TBE = tegular projection at base of embolus; vRTA = ventral branch of RTA; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale lines: 1 mm.

FIGURES 68 − 71. Neostasina gunboat sp. nov., male, left palp (68 prolateral, 69 ventral, 70 retrolateral, 71 detail of embolus and TBE). dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; E = embolus; ek = dorsal keel of embolus; pt = tegular protrusion; TBC = tegular projection at base of conductor; TBE = tegular projection at base of embolus; vRTA = ventral branch of RTA; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale lines: 1 mm.

FIGURES 106 − 112. Neostasina mammee sp. nov. 86 − 89 Male, left palp (106 prolateral, 107 ventral, 108 retrolateral, 109 detail of embolus and TBE); 110 − 112 Female (110 epigyne, 111 vulva, 112 schematic course of internal duct system). CD = copulatory duct; dRTA = dorsal branch of RTA; E = embolus; eRTA = extra retrolateral tibial apophysis; FD = fertilization duct; pt = tegular protrusion; TBC = tegular projection at base of conductor; TBE = tegular projection at base of embolus; vRTA = ventral branch of RTA; VTA = ventral tibial apophysis. Scale lines: 1 mm.