Diguetia imperiosa Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940

Jimenez, Maria-Luisa, Cardiel, Carlos Palacios & Chamé-Vázquez, David, 2022, The spider genus Diguetia Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Diguetidae) in North America a new species, redescriptions, and comments on the distribution of the genus, Zootaxa 5205 (2), pp. 125-146 : 139-142

Diguetia imperiosa Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940

Figs 85–105 , 110

Diguetia imperiosa Gertsch & Mulaik 1940: 317 ; Gertsch 1958: 18, figs 7–10; Jiménez et al. 2020: 10, figs 13–15.

Type material. ♂ Holotype from U.S.A.: Texas: Val Verde Co., Langtry [29.80854°N, 101.55872°W], 18.VII.1935, leg. S. Mulaik ( AMNH); [Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas, August 18, 1935, S. Mulaik ( AMNH)], NOT EXAMINED.

Material examined. MEXICO: Baja California Sur: Municipality of Loreto , transpeninsular highway (26.56852°N, 111.3691°W, 61m), 07.VIII.2017, leg. M.L. Jiménez & C. Palacios, 1♂ (CARCIB-Ar 04648); 08.VIII.2017, 1♀ (CARCIB-Ar 04649); San Bruno-Loreto highway (26.36408°N, 111.57606°W, 100m), 12.X.2017, leg. C. Palacios, 2♂ 1♀ 1imm. (CARCIB-Ar 04650). San Basilio, Rancho Cuesta Blanca, Arroyo San Juaniquito (26.38478°N, 111.5495°W, 66m), 08.XII.2019, leg. M.L. Jiménez & C. Palacios, 1♀ (CARCIB-Ar 04651); 1♀ (CARCIB-Ar 04652) .

Diagnosis. Diguetia imperiosa resembles D. mojavea in having the carapace and opisthosoma clothed almost uniformly with white setae, but the former has white setae interspersed with black ones ( Figs 85–86, 89–90 ), and by having legs rings distinct on both sexes, especially the tibial submedian ring ( Figs 101 ), whereas in D. mojavea these rings are lighter and the tibial submedian ring is often indistinct in females. Males of both species have the bulb narrowed and lengthened apically, but D. imperiosa has the relatively long bulb prong well-attached to the embolus base ( Figs 97–98, 100 ), whereas in D. mojavea , the prong is smaller and not attached to the embolus base. Female genitalia of both species have similar anterior and posterior sclerotization shapes, and the median sac is longer than wide, but D. imperiosa has the apical portion of the median sac subspherical and slightly wider than the basal one ( Fig. 94 ) while in D. mojavea the apical portion is about as wide as the basal one (not illustrated).

Description. See Gertsch (1958). Male ( Figs 85–88 , 95–101 ). Palp: Fm with six stridulating pins ( Fig. 95 ), and shallow prolateral-dorsal groove (red arrow in Fig. 97 ); Ta with two long finger-like processes, both about the same size ( Fig. 95–96 ), the suboval bulb narrows and lengthened apically as seen laterally ( Figs 95–96, 98–99 ), with spoon-shaped embolus and a tubular prong, slightly curved distally ( Figs 95–100 ). Female ( Figs 89–92 ). External genitalia: anterior sclerotization semicircle-shaped with rounded ends and slightly concave posterior margin, the posterior sclerotization is a small strip ( Fig. 93 ). Internal genitalia: two anterior oval pore plates, uterus externus between the pore plates and the membranous median sac, which is slightly longer than wide; the apical portion is subspherical and slightly wider than basal ( Fig. 94 ).

Distribution. Diguetia imperiosa is recorded for first time from Baja California Sur ( Fig. 110 ). U.S.A.: Texas and Arizona. MEXICO: Sonora, Coahuila, Chihuahua and Baja California Sur.

Natural history. Bentzien (1973) described the habitat, web (retreat) and behavior of D. imperiosa in the field and laboratory conditions. See Fig. 108 for the habitat of D. imperiosa in Baja California Sur.

Figures

FIGURES 85–94. Diguetia imperiosa. 85, 86, male habitus, dorsal; 87, 88, same, ventral; 89, 90, female habitus, dorsal; 91, 92, same, ventral; 93, female genitalia, ventral; 94, same, dorsal. Scale bars 85–92: 0.50 mm; 93–94: 0.20 mm.

FIGURES 95–102. Diguetia imperiosa. 95, male palp (black arrow pointing stridulating pins), prolateral; 96, same, retrolateral; 97, same, dorsal (red arrow pointing femoral groove); 98, same, slightly off views “prolateral”; 99, same, slightly off views “retrolateral”; 100, cleared male palp, dorsal; 101, male leg IV, prolateral; 102, female leg IV, prolateral. Scale bars 95–100: 0.20 mm, 101–102: 0.50 mm.

FIGURES 103–108. 103–105. Diguetia imperiosa. 103, live female specimen; 104, live male specimen; 105 web in situ; 106–108. Diguetia habitats. 106, Habitat of D. balandra sp. nov. at Balandra Beach, Baja California Sur, Mexico; 107, Habitat of D. dialectica stat. reval. at Sierra La Gata, Baja California Sur, Mexico; 108, Habitat of D. dialectica stat. reval. and D. imperiosa at San Basilio, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

FIGURES 109–110. Records of North American Diguetia species.