Mysmenopsis snethlageae, Pantoja & Bonaldo & Xavier, 2023

Pantoja, Paulo, Bonaldo, Alexandre Bragio & Xavier, Cláudia, 2023, On the symphytognathoid spider genus Mysmenopsis Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Mysmenidae) from the Brazilian Amazonian region: description of five new species and new records, Zootaxa 5319 (1), pp. 57-75 : 64-66

Mysmenopsis snethlageae new species

Figs 6A, C , 7A–D , 12A

Type material. 1♁ holotype. BRAZIL: Pará, Itaituba, Transgarimpeiro , 6°21’27.1”S 56°03’36.6”W, 14.XII.2009, Esmeraldo leg. ( MPEG. ARA 38415 ) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of the German naturalist Emilia Snethlage (1868–1929), the first woman to occupy the post of director of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, which also made her the first woman to lead a scientific institution in South America.

Diagnosis. Males of Mysmenopsis snethlageae n. sp. are similar to those of M. nadineae sp. nov. ( Figs 5A–C ), M. huascar (Figs 18–21 in Baert, 1990) and M. palpalis (Figs 83–84 in Kraus, 1955) by the very bulky tibia ( Fig. 7A ), at least one and a half times wider than the tegulum, but differ by the absence of cusps on the apical margin of the tibia and presence of a small retrolateral tibial projection ( Fig. 7A ).While M. nadineae n. sp. has nine cusps and has embolus subquadrate, M. huascar has two cusps and embolus longer than wide and M. palpalis has six cusps and embolus slender with a slender embolic apophysis.

Description. Male holotype: Total length: 1.41; carapace length: 0.62; carapace width: 0.57; abdomen length: 0.79; abdomen width: 0.64. Cephalothorax: carapace orange-brown, pear-shaped, suffused black along pars cephalica and radiating lines ( Fig. 6A ). Sternum dark brown suffused with black, covered with long setae. Clypeus brown, high (3x AME). Chelicerae brown. Eyes: eight, rounded, AME approximately 1.5x larger than the others, which are approximately equal size; ocular region on protuberance; AME separated by their diameter; AME–ALE touching; ALE–PLE contiguous; PLE–PME separated by their diameter; PME separated by their diameter.Abdomen: suboval, dark brown with grey patches in a circular pattern with extremely long setae anteriorly ( Figs 6A, C ) followed by one large semicircular grey spot in posterior view ( Figs 6A, C ). Legs: orange, femora III–IV with a darker band situated medially on the ventral surface; tibiae I–IV with dark band apically. Leg spination: tibia I with one apical prolateral clasping spur; metatarsus I with one curved clasping spur apically ( Fig. 7D ). Total length leg I: 2.30 (0.69/0.25/0.65/0.35/0.36); leg II: 1.89 (0.57/0.20/0.51/0.31/0.30); leg III: 1.64 (0.50/0.17/0.35/0.30/0.32); leg IV: 1.62 (0.55/ 0.14/0.40/0.30/0.26). Genitalia ( Figs 7A–C ): tibia very bulky, about one and a half times wider than the tegulum, without cusps, with a small apical retrolateral projection; cymbium pointed apically, cylindrical paracymbium, basal cymbial plate wide and sclerotized; embolus with basal region wider than long, ventrally projected, apical region tapered and curved, embolic apophysis basal to embolus, wider than long, tear-shaped in ventral view.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality.

Natural History. No data available.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Mysmenopsis nadineae n. sp., genitalia and right male leg I, mirrored.A–C, left male palp. E–G, female epigynum. A, retrolateral (arrow points to tibial cusps). B, prolateral. C, ventral apical, filled embolus. D, right male leg I, tibia and metatarsus. E, ventral. F, posterior. G, posterior, cleared.Abbreviations, CBP, cymbial basal plate. Cy, cymbium. CO, copulatory openings. E, embolus. Pc, paracymbium. PP, posterior plate. S, spermathecae. VP, ventral plate. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Mysmenopsis spp. A, C, Mysmenopsis snethlageae n. sp., male. B, D, Mysmenopsis lopardoae n. sp., male. A, Habitus dorsal view. C, abdomen, posterior. B, Habitus dorsal view. D, abdomen posterior. Scale bars, A, B, 0.3 mm. C, D, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 7. Mysmenopsis spp. A−D, Mysmenopsis snethlageae n. sp., left male palp and left leg I. E−H, Mysmenopsis lopardoae n. sp., right male palp, mirrored, and left leg I. A, retrolateral. B, prolateral. C, ventral apical, filled embolus. D, leg I, tibia and metatarsus. E, retrolateral (arrow points to retrolateral cymbial projection). F, prolateral. G, ventral apical, filled embolus. H, leg I, tibia and metatarsus. Abbreviations, CBP, cymbial basal plate. E, embolus. EA, embolic apophysis. Pc, paracymbium. PP, posterior plate. S, spermathecae. TP, tegular process. Scale bars, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 12. Distribution records of Mysmenopsis mentioned in this study.