Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871

(Figs 19, 21–144)

Mygale: C. L. Koch, 1842: 67, fig. 733 (in part: M. plumipes); Walckenaer, 1837: 216 (in part: M. sancti-vincentii).

Eurypelma: Koch, 1850: 73 (in part: E. plumipes).

Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871: 127, 200; 1875: 138; Simon 1889: 214; 1892a: 170–172; 1903: 958–959; Pickard-Cambridge F. 1896: 744–746; Pocock 1901: 548; Banks 1905: 302; Mello-Leitão 1923: 315, 395; Petrunkevitch 1928: 82; Roewer 1942: 257; Bonnet 1959: 4239; Raven 1985: 119; Smith 1995: 30; World Spider Catalog 2021.

Avicularia: Becker, 1879: 143 (in part: A. deborrii).

Pachistopelma (in part: Pachystopelma concolor Di Caporiacco, 1947).

Pseudoclamoris Hüsser, 2018: 73 (type species by original designation P. gigas (Caporiacco, 1954); World Spider Catalog 2021; New synonymy.

Type species. Mygale plumipes C. L. Koch, 1842 by monotypy (Ausserer 1871: 201).

Diagnosis. Males and females of Tapinauchenius are distinguished from those of Ephebopus by lacking an urticating setae pad on prolateral distal femur of palp, and from Psalmopoeus and Amazonius n. gen. by lacking a maxillary lyra.

Distribution. Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Venezuela (Figs 21–23).

Composition. Tapinauchenius plumipes (C. L. Koch, 1842) (type species), Tapinauchenius sanctivincenti (Walckenaer, 1837), Tapinauchenius latipes L. Koch, 1875, Tapinauchenius brunneus Schmidt, 1995, Tapinauchenius cupreus Schmidt & Bauer, 1996, Tapinauchenius polybotes Hüsser, 2018, Tapinauchenius rasti Hüsser, 2018, T. gretae n. sp.

Redescription. Carapace longer than wide, cephalic region slightly raised. Cephalic and thoracic striae conspicuous. Fovea deep, straight. Chelicerae without rastellum. Eye tubercle slightly raised, wider than long. Clypeus absent. Anterior eye row straight. Labium wider than long, with ca. 70–157 cuspules concentrated on anterior third center. Maxilla sub-rectangular, anterior lobe distinctly produced into conical process, inner angle bearing ca. 100–232 cuspules. Labio-sternal groove shallow, flat, with two slightly separate sigilla. Sternum longer than wide, posterior angle acute, not separating coxae IV. Sigilla: three pairs, posterior oval, anterior small, all less than one diameter from margin, some pairs sometimes not evident. Leg formula: I=IV II III (most species), or I IV III II ( T. plumipes male). Laterally directed setae on metatarsi and tibiae in males. Clavate trichobothria on distal 2/3 of tarsi. Scopula of tarsi and metatarsi I–II very extended laterally giving them a spatulate appearance. Femora IV without retrolateral scopula. Lyra on maxillae absent. Both stridulatory and coverture setae absent on all legs and palp. Legs with spines on ventral apical tibia and metatarsi, without central spines. ITC absent; STC with small denticles. Posterior lateral spinnerets digitiform. Urticating setae lacking. Male tibiae I with tibial apophysis with two processes, retrolateral longer than prolateral, metatarsi I folds on retrolateral side of tibial apophysis. A protuberance behind retrolateral process. Tibiae II lacking apophysis. Globose bulb, with small subtegulum; prominence on prolateral tegulum developed. Embolus not flattened, lacking keels, long, ending in a curved tip. Embolus proximal portion straight in frontal view. Cymbium sub-triangular in retrolateral view, with almost equal lobes, without developed rounded process on retrolateral lobe. Spermathecae straight, completely separated, elongate, with constriction on its distal portion forming single lobe. Legs and palps with long guard-setae having homogeneous coloration along its length. Immatures brownish, little or no ontogenetic change in coloration.

Remarks. Due to the synonymy of Tapinauchenius gigas Caporiacco, 1954 (the type species of Pseudoclamoris Hüsser, 2018) with Tapinauchenius plumipes (C. L. Koch, 1842) (see below) the genus Pseudoclamoris is considered a junior synonym of Tapinauchenius . New synonymy.

Key to species of Tapinauchenius

Males

1 Embolus length in retrolateral view 3.5 times or longer than tegulum (Fig. 24)..................................... 2

- Embolus length in retrolateral view 3.3 times or shorter than tegulum (Figs 63, 78, 92).............................. 3

2 Embolus in dorsal view curving gently in retrolateral direction to its tip (Fig. 27)........................... T. plumipes

- Embolus in dorsal view roughly straight with pronounced curvature to retrolateral side at its distal portion (Fig. 125)............................................................................................... T. gretae n. sp.

3 Embolus length in retrolateral view 2.7 or shorter than tegulum (Figs 103, 111).................................... 4

- Embolus length in retrolateral view 3 times or longer than tegulum (Figs 63, 78, 92)................................ 5

4 Embolus sinuous on distal portion in dorsal view (Fig. 106)........................................... T. polybotes

- Embolus distal portion straight or almost so in dorsal view (Fig. 114)....................................... T. rasti

5 Embolus in dorsal view roughly straight with a pronounced curvature to retrolateral side at its distal portion (Fig. 81).................................................................................................. T. brunneus

- Embolus in dorsal view straight or curving gently to its tip, lacking a pronounced curvature to retrolateral side at its distal portion (Figs 66, 95)..................................................................................... 6

6 Embolus thick, roughly straight, ending in slight curvature to retrolateral side...................... T. cupreus (Fig. 95).

- Embolus slender, curving gently to retrolateral side from its half to the tip......................... T. latipes (Fig. 66).

Females

1 Spermathecae of same width almost all of its length (Fig. 129)...................................... T. gretae n. sp.

- Spermathecae tapering to tip (Fig. 31, 70, 85, 99, 110, 118).................................................... 2

2 Apical lobe of spermatheca width half or more the spermatheca width in its middle (Fig. 85)................. T. brunneus - Apical lobe of spermatheca width less than half the spermatheca width in its middle................................ 3

3 Spermathecae short (Fig. 70)...................................................................... T. latipes

- Spermathecae long (Fig. 31).............................................................................4.

4 Spermathecae oval in shape (Fig. 99)............................................................... T. cupreus

- Spermathecae triangular in shape (Fig. 31)................................................................. 5

5 Tibiae III with an apical-ventral row of spiniform setae (Fig. 48); legs, carapace and chelicerae with violet sheen (Figs 59–61); South America mainland (Fig. 21)................................................................ T. plumipes

- Tibiae III lacking an apical-ventral row of spiniform setae; legs, carapace and chelicerae lacking violet sheen; West Indies.. 6

6 Saint Lucia (Figs 21–22)...................................................................... T. polybotes

- Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Figs 21–22)............................................... T. rasti