Mysmenopsis junin, Dupérré & Tapia, 2020

Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2020, Megadiverse Ecuador: a review of Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) of Ecuador, with the description of twenty-one new kleptoparasitic spider species, Zootaxa 4761 (1), pp. 1-81 : 26-29

Mysmenopsis junin new species

Figs 61–70 , map 1 (green star).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Imbabura Province, Communidad Junín (00.288879 -78.55665) 1285m, 4 Apr. 2014 in Linothele sp. web, E.E. Tapia ( QCAZ) . Paratypes: 6♂ 5♀, same data ( QCAZ, ZMH-A0001553 , ZMH-A0001889 ) .

Additional material examined. Ecuador, Imbabura Province, Communidad Junín (00.30158 -78.64083) 1868m, 4 Apr. 2014, 1♂ 2♀, in Linothele sp. web, E.E. Tapia ( QCAZ) .

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality, “Comunidad Junín ”, a community preserving this natural area against mining industries.

Diagnosis. Males are differentiated from all species by the strongly curved and pointed embolic apopysis ( Fig. 66 ). Females most resemble M. onorei but can be distinguished by their oval spermathecae ( Fig. 70 ); rounded in the latter species ( Dupérré & Tapia 2015, fig. 7).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 2.15; carapace length: 1.01; carapace width: 0.86; abdomen length: 1.14. Cephalothorax: carapace dark brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 61 ). Sternum black; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark brown; high (5x AME). Chelicerae dark orangebrown; promargin with three teeth; retromargin not observed. Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately equal size; ocular region on protuberance; AME separated by their diameter, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their diameter. Abdomen: rounded, grey with few white patches in circular pattern anteriorly, with white sinuous patches dorsally and a black band posteriorly ( Figs 61, 62 ). Legs: femur I dark orange-brown; femora II-IV light orange-brown with darker bands basally, medially and apically; tibiae and metatarsi I-IV light orange-brown with dark band apically, tarsi light orange; femur and tibia I enlarged, metatarsus I curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs; metatarsus I curved, row of six macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and two clasping spurs apically ( Fig. 64 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.57 (1.12/0.34/1. 0/0.58/0.53). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; retrolateral ledge with rectangular projection bearing three cusps, ventral ledge bearing seven cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 66 ). Cymbium apically pointed, deeply truncated; paracymbium pointed and deeply excavated prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 67 ). Tegulum elongated-oval, pointed apically ( Fig. 66 ). Embolus short, blunt apically, with elongated, strongly curved, spine-like apophysis ( Figs 66, 68 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.43; carapace length: 1.05; carapace width: 0.88; abdomen length: 1.38. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 61 ), chelicerae and sternum: as in male. Clypeus dark brown; high (4x AME). Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately of equal size; ocular region on lower protuberance; AME separated by their diameter, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their diameter. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 61, 63 ). Legs: coloration as in male; femur I enlarged with medial tubercle ( Fig. 65 ). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 3.44 (1.09/0.34/0.87/0.61/0.53). Genitalia: epigynum protruding, anterior epigynal margin quadrangular, posterior epigynal margin round and pointed ( Fig. 69 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with wing-like anterior margin ( Fig. 70 ) with diffuse rim apically ( Fig. 70 , arrow). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae large, oval; copulatory ducts short, well sclerotized, directed inwards; fertilization ducts well sclerotized basally, wide, transparent and narrower and curving apically ( Fig. 70 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Imbabura Province.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele sp. web, in the Andean ecoregion, in an evergreen low mountain forest of the western Andes (BsBn04) ( Iglesis, Santiana & Chinchero, 2013) between 1285 – 1868m. M. junin n. sp. was found in sympatry with M. fernandoi at 1285m and in sympatry with M. alvaroi n. sp. at 1868m. One female was collected carrying an eggs sac containing seven eggs.

Figures

FIGURES 61–65. Mysmenopsis junin n. sp. 61, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 62, Male abdomen, posterior view. 63, Female abdomen, posterior view. 64, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 65, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 61–63: 0.5mm; 64, 65: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 66–70. Mysmenopsis junin n. sp. 66, Male palp, retrolateral view. 67, Male palp, prolateral view. 68, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 69, Epigynum, ventral view. 70, Internal genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points to sclerotization).