Mysmenopsis bartolozzii, 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 : 56-59

Mysmenopsis bartolozzii new species

Figs 164–173 , map 3 (green diamond).

Material examined. Male holotype and female allotype from Ecuador, Pastaza Province, Otoyacu Reserve (- 01.37128 -77.85436) 919m, 12 July 2016, E.E. Tapia, in Linothele sp. web ( QCAZ). Paratypes: 2♂ 1♀, same data ( QCAZ, ZMH-A 0001892).

Additional material examined. Ecuador: Pastaza Province: Carretera Puyo-Macas, Puente Rio Pastaza (- 01.922673 -77.813055) 785m, 19 May. 2019, 1♂ 3♀, in Linothele sp. web, E.E. Tapia ( ZMH-A0001881 ) . Sucumbios Province: Lumbaqui , via las antenas (00.036226 -77.308526) 826m, 22 May. 2019, 2♂ 5♀, in Linothele sp. and Lycosidae web, E.E. Tapia ( DTC) .

Etymology. The specific name is in honor of Dr. Luca Bartolozzi, Italian entomologist at Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università degli Studi di Firenze, Sezione di Zoologia “La Specola”, in recognition of his work on Ecuadorian coleoptera.

Diagnosis. Males resembles M. huascar but can be differentiated by the male palpal tibia with a series of short, thick macrosetae ( Fig. 169 , arrow), three cusps on ventral ledge and the strong C-shaped embolus ( Figs 169, 171 ); without short macrosetae, two cusps and thin embolus in M. huascar ( Baert 1990, fig. 21). Female most resemble M. huascar and M. schlingeri , but can be distinguished by the presence of only three large macrosetae on each side of posterior margin of the epigynum ( Fig. 172 , arrow) absent in the other species ( Baert 1990, fig. 24; Platnick & Shadab 1879, fig. 69), copulatory ducts directed externally ( Fig. 173 ); internally in M. huascar and spermathecae further away from the posterior margin of the epigynal plate ( Fig. 172 ), while the spermathecae in M. schlingeri are almost touching the posterior margin of the epigynal plate (Platnick & Shadab 1879, fig. 69).

Description. Male (holotype): Total length: 1.93; carapace length: 0.85; carapace width: 0.74; abdomen length: 1.08. Cephalothorax: carapace dark olive-brown, pear-shaped; suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 164 ). Sternum brown suffused with black; covered with long setae. Clypeus dark brown; high (4x AME). Chelicerae light 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 diameter, AME-LE touching; ALE-PLE contiguous, LE-PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their radius. Abdomen: rounded, dark grey with white patches in a semi-circular pattern with scattered white spots ( Figs 164, 165 ). Legs: femur I orange-brown; femora II-IV light yellow with dark bands basally and apically; tibiae and metatarsi I-IV light yellow with dark band apically, tarsi light yellow; femur I enlarged, tibia I greatly elongated, metatarsus I curved. Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibia I with two prolateral clasping spurs and two macrosetae; metatarsus I curved, row of six macrosetae prolatero-ventrally and one clasping spur apically ( Fig. 167 ); tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibia II with three macrosetae ventrally. Total length leg I: 4.17 (1.44/0.35/1.25/0.54/0.59). Genitalia: palpal tibia elongated-globular; retrolateral ledge with small, pointed projection but without cusps; ventral ledge with pointed projection bearing three cusps; two retrolateral trichobothria ( Fig. 169 ). Cymbium apically pointed, excavated; paracymbium rectangular and excavated prolatero-dorsally ( Fig. 170 ). Tegulum elongated-oval ( Fig. 169 ). Embolus short, wide and C-shaped apically, with wide base and large pointed embolic apophysis ( Figs 169, 171 ).

Female (allotype): Total length: 2.27; carapace length: 0.99; carapace width: 0.82; abdomen length: 1.28. Cephalothorax ( Fig. 164 ), 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 radius; PME separated by their radius. Abdomen: as in male ( Figs 164, 166 ). Legs: coloration as in male; femur I enlarged with apical rounded tubercle ( Fig. 168 , white arrow). Legs spination: patellae I-IV with one macroseta; tibiae I-IV with one macroseta dorso-proximally; tibiae I-II with five and eight macrosetae ventrally; metatarsus I with row of 10 short spines ventrally ( Fig. 168 , black arrow). Total length leg I: 4.32 (1.43/0.39/1.18/0.77/0.55). Genitalia: epigynum rather flat, anterior epigynal margin not well delimited, posterior epigynal medially slightly excavated, with three large macrosetae on each side ( Fig. 172 , arrow). Dorsal epigynal plate with low, straight anterior margin ( Fig. 173 ). Internal genitalia (paratype): spermathecae elongated; copulatory ducts procurved directed externally; fertilization ducts C-shaped, basally well sclerotized, apically curving and semi-transparent ( Fig. 173 ).

Distribution. Ecuador, Pastaza and Sucumbios Province.

Natural history. Specimens were collected in Linothele sp. web and Lycosidae webs between 785–919m in the Amazonian ecoregion. M. bartolozzii n. sp. was found in an evergreen foothill forest on the northeastern Andes (BsPn03) ( Guevara, Mogollón, Cerón & Josse, 2013). M. bartolozzii n. sp. in found in sympatry with M. salazarae n. sp. in three different localities and with M. atahualpa in Pastaza province.

Figures

FIGURES 164–168. Mysmenopsis bartolozzii n. sp., 164, Male and female habitus, dorsal view. 165, Male abdomen, posterior view. 166, Female abdomen, posterior view. 167, Male leg I, prolatero-dorsal view. 168, Female leg I, prolateral view (arrow points to short spines). Scale bar: 164–166: 0.5mm; 167, 168: 0.1mm.

FIGURES 169–173. Mysmenopsis bartolozzii n. sp., 169, Male palp, retrolateral view. 170. Male palp, prolateral view. 171, Embolus and apophysis retrolateral view. 172, Epigynum, ventral view (arrow points to macrosetae). 173, Internal genitalia, dorsal view.