Shuyushka, Nadine Duperre & Elicio Tapia, 2016

Nadine Duperre & Elicio Tapia, 2016, Overview of the Anyphaenids (Araneae, Anyphaeninae, Anyphaenidae) spider fauna from the Chocó forest of Ecuador, with the description of thirteen new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 255, pp. 1-50 : 46

Shuyushka gen. nov. is composed of three species. Specimens were collected beating trees and in moss hanging from trees, they also have a distinctive colour pattern with arrow markings on the dorsal surface of the abdomen (Fig. 27) and patterned legs that could function as camouFage in moss and trees.

The Fve new species described in the genus Patrera are somewhat unusual, in the sense that the male and female genitalia do not conform with the genitalia of the type species, Patrera fulvastra . That being said, they might represent a group of Andean Patrera (Brescovit pers. comm.) or a new genus altogether, but until complete revisions of the genus Patrera and other related genera become available, it is prudent to maintain them in this genus. Patrera specimens were mainly collected by beating trees and by night collecting. Patrera species have a very faint pattern ( Fig. 54 ), which seems adapted to their habitat, tree foliage. Males of Patrera have very well developed chelicerae, sometimes with a very large tooth ( Fig. 57 ), and the male’s legs I–II are extremely long, two to three times the length of the body. Females also have legs I–II longer than the others, but not as exceptionally long as in the male. This could be a predatory adaptation for hunting and running, as they are known to be cursorial hunting spiders (Jocqué & Dippenaar-Schoeman 2006). An interesting morphological characteristic of Patrera , is that both males and females have uneven numbers of teeth on the tarsal claws of legs I–IV; the prolateral tarsal claw always have more teeth than the retrolateral one.

There are few spider biodiversity studies in neotropical premontane, low evergreen and cloud forest. A few spider biodiversity assessments have been done in cloud forests, namely in Mexico (Maya-Morales et al. 2012) and Costa Rica (Yanoviak et al. 2003; Peckmezian 2009), but never in Ecuador. In their study of a tropical montane cloud forest of Mexico, Maya-Morales et al. (2012) collected 1208 adult spiders, representing 112 morphospecies and 22 families. Yanoviak et al. (2003) and Peckmezian (2009), in their study of Costa Rican cloud forest, reported collecting 298 adult spider specimens, representing 86 morphospecies, while Peckmezian collected 406 adult spiders, representing 73 morphospecies and 15 families. Our biodiversity study is, by far, the most exhaustive spider biodiversity assessment ever done in premontane, low evergreen and cloud forest of the Chocó region of Ecuador. A total of 5482 adult spiders was collected, representing 248 morphospecies distributed over 37 families. The most diverse family collected was the Theridiidae family (32 morphospecies), making up ~13% of the total spider diversity collected. The most diverse families were: the Oonopidae (23 morphospecies), Tetragnathidae (22 morphospecies), Linyphiidae (22 morphospecies), Anyphaenidae (19 morphospecies) and Salticidae (15 morphospecies) each representing ~10% of the fauna. All the remaining families ranged between 1 and 5%. Anyphaenidae was the Ffth most diverse family found in the Chocó forests of Ecuador. Abundance wise, the family Oonopidae was the most abundant (27%), followed by the Zodariidae (14%) and the remaining families counted for less than 10% of the total abundance. If we only look at the abundance of arboreal spiders collected, then the family Theridiidae is the most abundant one (23%), followed by the Anyphaenidae (14%), Araneidae (13%) and Tetragnathidae (12%), which makes the Anyphaenidae the second most abundant family found in the arboreal habitat. Compared to similar studies, Maya-Morales et al. (2012) showed that in the understory of remnant tropical montane forests of Mexico, the four most abundant families were the Theridiidae , Anyphaenidae , Tetragnathidae and Linyphiidae . Yanoviak et al. (2003) showed that in the canopy and understory of the Costa Rican cloud forest, Araneidae and Linyphiidae were the most commonly collected families at all locations. And, Fnally, Peckmezian (2009) showed that in the low primary forest, 41.9% of the spiders collected belong to the family Ctenidae , while 35.3% were from the family Linyphiidae in the high primary forest. A comparison between different ecological studies is difFcult, due to the use of different methodologies and collecting techniques. Most studies focus on a particular habitat (canopy, forest understory or ground) or use only a few techniques. In our study we collected spiders from all habitats, except the canopy, using Fve different collecting techniques. Consequently, this is the most thorough biodiversity spider study in the neotropical forests of the Chocó region of Ecuador. Our results demonstrate for the Frst time the importance of the family Oonopidae in neotropical forests, a family hardly ever mentioned in other studies. Finally, we were able to demonstrate that the family Anyphaenidae is a major component in the overall spider diversity found in these types of forests. The forests from the Chocó region of Ecuador harbour a wealth of biodiversity, hardly ever studied. Much more work needs to be done in order to understand these complex habitats. Nevertheless, this study is the Frst to uncover the unknown spider diversity hidden in these endangered forests and hopefully a stepping stone for further studies.

Figures

Figs 54 – 59. Patrera hatunkiru sp. nov. 54 .  Ƌ,   habitus,  dorsal  view.   55 .  Ƌ,   palp,  ventral  view.   56. Ƌ,   palp, retrolateral view. 57 .  Ƌ,   chelicerae,  posterior  view.   58 .  ♀,   epigynum,  ventral  view.   59 .  ♀,  internal  genitalia, dorsal view. Scale bars: 55 – 56, 58 – 59 = 0.1 mm; 54 = 1 mm; 57 = 0.5 mm.