Escaphiella cristobal, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, The American Goblin Spiders Of The New Genus Escaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (328), pp. 1-151 : 136-140

Escaphiella cristobal , new species Figures 900–921 ; map 11

TYPES: Male holotype and female paratype taken in thin litter and moss-fern growth ( Scalesia , Psychotria , Chiococca, Zanthoxylym community) at the base of lava blocks on well-drained soil at an elevation of 450 m at Cerro Palada, Isla San Cristóbal , Galapagos Islands (Feb. 17, 1978; W. Reeder), deposited in TMM (57861, PBI_OON 36401).

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

DIAGNOSIS: This species resembles the Brazilian E. bahia in having a patterned abdomen (figs. 900, 913) and an elongated, posteriorly expanded anterior epigynal sclerite (fig. 918). Males can be distinguished by the shorter, thicker palpal femur and the absence of a thick dorsal scopula on the cymbium (figs. 907–910), females by the shorter, wider epigynal atrium (figs. 914, 918, 920).

MALE (PBI_OON 36401): Total length 1.26 (figs. 900, 901, 904). Carapace pale orange, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica smooth, sides granulate, granulate microsculpture reaching halfway up sides; lateral margins with blunt denticles (figs. 902, 906). Eyes: ALE circular, PME squared; ALE touching, ALE-PLE touching, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME touching (fig. 903). Sternum pale orange, without radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV, surface smooth, microsculpture absent (figs. 912). Chelicerae, endites, and labium pale orange. Abdomen ovoid; dorsum with striped pigmentation visible under dorsal scutum; book lung covers large, ovoid; pedicel tube medium, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel; dorsal scutum pale orange, covering full length of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above, middle surface smooth, sides smooth; postepigastric scutum pale orange, sides smooth (figs. 905, 911). PMS present (compound microscope). Legs pale orange. Right and left palps symmetrical, proximal segments pale orange; embolus dark; femur enlarged (figs. 907–910); cymbium and bulb pale orange.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 36402): Total length 1.54 (figs. 915, 919, 921). Abdomen with soft portions of dorsum white, with striped pigmentation (figs. 913, 916, 917). Epigynum with middle part of atrium sunken in ventral view (figs. 914, 918, 920).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: Isla San Cristóbal: Cerro Palada, Feb. 17, 1978, thin litter, moss-fern growth ( Scalesia , Psychotria , Chiococca, Zanthoxylym community) at base of lava blocks on well-drained soil, elev. 450 m (W. Reeder, TMM 59887, PBI_OON 36402), 1♀, 1978, Macraea litter and surrounding lava (W. Reeder, TMM 57858, PBI_OON 36403), 1♀.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Isla San Cristóbal , Galapagos Islands (map 11).

Figures

Figs. 900–906. Escaphiella cristobal, new species, male. 900. Habitus, dorsal view. 901. Same, ventral view. 902. Carapace, dorsal view. 903. Habitus, anterior view. 904. Same, lateral view. 905. Epigastric region, ventral view. 906. Carapace, lateral view.

Figs. 907–912. Escaphiella cristobal, new species, male. 907. Left palp, dorsal view. 908. Same, prolateral view. 909. Same, ventral view. 910. Same, retrolateral view. 911. Abdomen, ventral view. 912. Cephalothorax, ventral view.

Figs. 913–921. Escaphiella cristobal, new species, female. 913. Habitus, dorsal view. 914. Same, ventral view. 915. Carapace, dorsal view. 916. Habitus, anterior view. 917. Same, lateral view. 918. Abdomen, ventral view. 919. Cephalothorax, ventral view. 920. Epigynum, ventral view. 921. Carapace, lateral view.