Alpaida nigrofrenata ( Simon, 1895 )

Poeta, Maria Rita Muniz & Lise, Arno Antonio, 2015, On the males of the orb-weaving spiders Alpaida nigrofrenata (Simon, 1895), A. machala Levi, 1988, and A. cisneros Levi, 1988 (Araneae, Araneidae) and a new synonymy, Zootaxa 4000 (3), pp. 397-400 : 397

Alpaida nigrofrenata ( Simon, 1895)

( Figs. 1, 2 )

Araneus nigrofrenatus Simon, 1895: 816 . Female holotype from Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Deposited in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN, not examined).

Alpaida nigrofrenata ; Levi, 1988: 421, figures 223–225; Buckup et al. 2010:487; WSC 2015.

Material examined. BRAZIL, Rio Grande do Sul: Viamão, 30°05’S, 51°01’W, ♀, 08.XII.1992, A.A. Lise ( MCTP 2806). Novo Hamburgo, 29°41’S, 51°07’W, ♀, 04.XI.1985, C.J. Becker (MCN 14357).

Note. Male and female were considered conspecific for having the same color pattern.

Diagnosis. The palp of Alpaida nigrofrenata ( Fig. 1 ) is similar to that of A. citrina (Keyserling, 1892) (see Rodrigues & Mendonça 2011, figures 1–4) in having a square-shaped terminal apophysis. A. nigrofrenata differs from the latter species in having a smooth median apophysis, not denticulate as in A. citrina . Also, A. nigrofrenata features a unique black band from the posterior median eyes to the anterior lateral eyes ( Fig. 2 ) (see Levi 1988, figure 225).

Description. Male (MCN 14357, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil). Total length 3.65. Carapace length 1.50, width 1.30, height 0.60. Clypeus height 0.10. Sternum width 0.60. Abdomen length 2.0, width 1.30, height 1.00. Leg formula 1243. Leg lengths (I/II/III/IV): femur 1.40/1.20/0.80/1.10; patella+tibia 1.56/1.30/0.88/1.20; metatarsus 0.90/0.76/0.50/0.80; tarsus 0.50/0.46/0.40/0.40. Total leg 4.36/3.72/2.58/3.50. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.06, PME 0.08, PLE 0.06; AME-ALE 0.14, PME-PLE 0.20, AME-AME 0.10, PME-PME 0.12. Eyes with black borders. Carapace pale orange, with black longitudinal band between the PME and ALE ( Fig. 2 ), as the female (see Levi 1988, figure 225). Sternum, labium, endites, and chelicerae pale yellow. Legs pale yellow, distal half of tibiae dark-brown; basal half of metatarsus and distal half of tarsus dark-brown. Abdomen longer than wide and seems decolorized.

Female: see Levi (1988: 421).

Distribution. Brazil: Minas Gerais (Simon 1985) and Rio Grande do Sul ( Levi 1988).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Alpaida nigrofrenata (Simon, 1895). 1, Male palp, mesal; 2, male habitus. Alpaida machala Levi, 1988. 3, Male palp, mesal; 4, male habitus. Alpaida cisneros Levi, 1988. 5, Male palp, mesal; 6, male habitus. Abbreviations: A, terminal apophysis; C, conductor; E, embolus; M, median apophysis, P, paracymbium; PM, paramedian apophysis; R, radix, T, tegulum. Scale bars, 1, 3, 5, 0.25 mm; 2, 4, 6, 0.5 mm.