Scytodes harrisoni, Iost & Alayón & Rheims, 2025

Iost, Flora M., Alayón, Giraldo & Rheims, Cristina A., 2025, On the Antillean spiders of the genus Scytodes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae, Scytodidae), Zootaxa 5728 (3), pp. 496-530 : 510-512

Scytodes harrisoni sp. nov.

Figs 41 , 53–56 , 136

Type material: Holotype: ♀, SAINT MARTIN : Private Nature Reserve , 18.0777ºN, 63.0577ºW, 142 mts., 17 January 2013, CarBio Team leg., CarBio 00001055A ( NMNH) . Paratype: SAINT MARTIN : 1 ♀, same collection data as for holotype, USNM788063 ( NMNH) .

Etymology. The specific name is a patronym honoring the late British musician George Harrison ( 25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001), best known as the lead guitarist of The Beatles. He was also recognized for his contributions to music as a solo artist and for his interest in Indian culture and spirituality.

Diagnosis. Females of S. harrisoni sp. nov. resemble those of S. mingusi sp. nov. ( Figs 93, 94 , 102–105 ) in having a vulva with short and straight IS. They differ from the latter species by having the genitalia with triangular positioning ridges, only slightly wider than long ( Fig. 55 ) (vs. sickle-shaped and more than four times wider than long in S. mingusi sp. nov.) and by the IS very slightly longer than OS and PS with a widened round tip ( Figs 41 , 56 ) (vs. IS almost twice as long as OS and PS with the same width throughout in S. mingusi sp. nov.). Males are unknown.

Description. Female (CarBio00001055A, holotype): prosoma dark brown with golden brown markings; chelicerae gray with brown outlines; legs golden yellow with brown markings; labium golden brown; endites golden brown with a lighter base; sternum brown with golden markings; opisthosoma gray with brown markings ( Figs 53, 54 ). Measurements: total length 5.4; prosoma: 2.6 long, 2.2 wide; sternum: 1.2 long, 1.0 wide; labium: 0.3 long, 0.4 wide; opisthosoma: 2.7 long, 2.1 wide; eye diameters: PME 0.18; ALE 0.17; PLE 0.18; legs (1423): I: 14.8 (4.1, 0.7, 4.1, 5.0, 0.9); II: 10.4 (3.6, 0.6, 3.4, 3.7, 0.9); III: 7.1 (2.2, 0.5, 1.9, 1.9, 0.6); IV: 10.5 (3.1, 0.6, 3.0, 3.0, 0.8). Female genitalia: positioning ridges, postero-laterad, separated from each other by six times their width; fovea below positioning ridges ( Fig. 55 ). Vulva: IS roughly four times longer than wide; OS thumb-shaped, slightly longer than wide, with the same width throughout its entire length and distally rounded; PS with mediad ( Figs 41 , 56 ).

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Females (n=2): prosoma length 2.6–2.8; femur I length 4.1–4.5.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Saint Martin ( Fig. 136 ).

Figures

FIGURES 31–41. 31–35 Scytodes blanda Bryant. Male (CarBio00002265A), left palp (31 prolateral, 32 detail of tip, dorsal, 33 retolateral); 34, 35 female, vulva, ventral (34 USNM787380, 35 CarBio00001719A); 36 Scytodes coltrainei sp. nov. (USNM782402), female, vulva, ventral; 37, 38 Scytodes fusca Walckenaer, female, vulva, ventral (37 USNM788097, 38 786759); 39, 40 Scytodes darlingtoni Alayón (holotype), female, genitalia (39 ventral, 40 vulva, dorsal); 41 Scytodes harrisoni sp. nov. (holotype), female, vulva, dorsal. OS = outer spermathecae; PS = posterior spermathecae; UE = uterus externus. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 53–60. 53–56 Scytodes harrisoni sp. nov., female (holotype) 53, 54 habitus (53 dorsal, 54 prosoma, ventral); 55, 56 genitalia (55 ventral, 56 vulva, dorsal). 57–60 Scytodes jimmorrisoni sp. nov., female (USNM392951) 57, 58 habitus (57 dorsal, 58 prosoma, ventral); 59, 60 genitalia (59 ventral, 60 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 53, 54, 57, 58 = 1.0 mm; 55, 56, 59, 60 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 135–138. Geografic distribution maps for Scytodes spp. 135 (S. blanda Bryant, S. coltrainei sp. nov., S. cubensis Alayón, S darlingtoni Alayón); 136 (S. harrisoni sp. nov., S. jimmorrisoni sp. nov., S. joniae sp. nov., S. mingusi sp. nov.); 137 (S. nicksae sp. nov., S. reinhardti sp. nov., S. ritae sp. nov., S. sabbath sp. nov.); 138 (S. fusca Walckenaer, S. longipes Lucas).

FIGURES 87–94. Scytodes mingusi sp. nov. 87–90 male (USNM783525) 87, 88 habitus (18 dorsal, 88 prosoma, ventral); 89, 90 left palp (89 prolateral, 90 retrolateral); 91–94 female 91, 92 (USNM783526) habitus (91 dorsal, 92 prosoma ventral); 93, 94 (USNM783518) genitalia (93 ventral, 94 vulva, dorsal). Scale bars: 87, 88, 91, 92 = 1.0 mm; 89, 90, 93, 94 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 95–105. 95–98 Scytodes joniae sp. nov. 95, 96 female, vulva, dorsal (95 USNM782490, 96 USNM784365); 97, 98 male (USNM782341), left palp (97 prolateral, 98 retrolateral); 99 Scytodes jimmorrisoni sp. nov., female, vulva, dorsal (USNM392951); 100–105 Scytodes mingusi sp. nov. 100, 101 male (USNM783525), left palp (100 prolateral, 101 retrolateral); 102–105 female, vulva, dorsal (102 USNM783526, 103 USNM786689, 104 USNM786649, 105 USNM786789). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.