Mysmenopsis cube, 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 : 6-9

Mysmenopsis cube new species

Figs 1–10 , map 1 (yellow circle).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Esmeraldas Province, Laguna de Cube (0.394396 -79.64690) 327m, 27 Dec. 2016, in Linothele tsachilas web, E.E. Tapia, A.A. Tapia ( QCAZ) . Paratypes 3♂ 2♀, same data .

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province: 4.2km de Nuevo Israel (-00.0250260 -79.395262) 280m, 19 Mar. 2016, 2♂ 2♀, in Linothele tsachilas web, E. Tapia ( DTC) .

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality, Laguna de Cube.

Diagnosis. Males are differentiated from most species by their elongated palpal tibial cusps and long thin, transparent embolic apophysis ( Figs 6, 8 ); from M. otokiki n. sp. by the presence of seven longs cups ( Fig. 6 ) while M. otokiki has two small cusps ( Fig. 26 ). Female most resembles M. cienaga and M. wygodzinskyi , but can be distinguished by the femur I with large tubercle ( Fig. 5 ), absent in M. cienaga ( Baert 1990) ; from M. wygodzinskyi by the absence of spines on metatarsus I ( Fig. 5 ) present in M. wygodzinskyi ( Platnick & Shadab, 1978; fig. 68).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.7; carapace length: 0.81; carapace width: 0.65; abdomen length: 0.89. Cephalothorax: carapace dark brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 1 ). Sternum dark brown suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark brown; low (3x AME). Chelicerae brown suffused with black; promargin with three teeth; retromargin not observed. Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately equal size; ocular region on protuberance; AME separated by their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their diameter. Abdomen: rounded, dark grey with white patches in a circular pattern anteriorly ( Fig. 1 ) followed by longitudinal zigzag of white patches ( Fig. 2 ). Legs: femora I-II dark brown; femora III-IV light orange-brown basally and dark brown apically; tibiae and metatarsi I-IV light orange-brown with dark band apically, tarsi light orange; femur and tibia I enlarged, metatarsus I straight. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs and three macrosetae; metatarsus I row of four macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and two clasping spurs apically (small one hidden behind, not visible on image) ( Fig. 4 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with four macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.57 (0.87/0.25/0.69/0.4/0.36). Genitalia: palpal tibia globular; retrolateral ledge large and rectangular bearing four elongated cusps, ventral ledge protruding with three cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 6 ). Cymbium apically rounded, slightly excavated; paracymbium large and rectangular prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 7 ). Tegulum pear-shaped ( Fig. 6 ). Embolus short, spine-like, with wide triangular base, embolic apophysis semi-transparent, long and pointed ( Figs 6, 8 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.09; carapace length: 0.91; carapace width: 0.76; abdomen length: 1.18. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 1 ), chelicerae and sternum: as in male. Clypeus dark brown; low (3x AME). Eyes: eight, rounded, all approximately of equal size; ocular region on lower protuberance; AME separated by their radius, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by almost their diameter. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 1, 3 ). Legs: coloration as in male; femur I enlarged with large, sub-apical tubercle ( Fig. 5 ). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with four to five macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 2.96 (0.92/0.28/0.75/0.57/0.44). Genitalia: epigynum protruding, anterior epigynal margin sinuous, posterior epigynal margin rounded ( Fig. 9 ). Dorsal epigynal plate with straight anterior margin ( Fig. 10 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae large and rounded; copulatory ducts not observed; fertilization ducts oblique, well sclerotized basally, curved apically ( Fig. 10 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Provinces.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele tsachilas webs at 280–350m, the species inhabit the littoral region of Ecuador and were found in a seasonal evergreen lowland forest of the Ecuadorian Chocó (BeTc01) ( Josse, Morales & Cornejo, 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Mysmenopsis cube n. sp., 1, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 2, Male abdomen, posterior view. 3, Female abdomen, posterior view. 4, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 5, Female leg I, prolateral view. Scale bar: 1–3: 0.5mm; 4,5: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 6–10. Mysmenopsis cube n. sp., 6, Male palp, retrolateral view. 7, Male palp, prolateral view. 8, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 9, Epigynum, ventral view. 10, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 26–30. Mysmenopsis otokiki n. sp., 26, Male palp, retrolateral view. 27, Male palp, prolateral view. 28, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 29, Epigynum, ventral view (arrow points to sclerotized ridge). 30, Internal genitalia, dorsal view (arrow points to sclerotized ridge).