Gypogyna Simon, 1900

Ruiz, Gustavo R. S., Costa, Erika L. S. & Bustamante, Abel A., 2021, Revision of Gypogyna Simon, 1900 (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 5057 (2), pp. 241-259 : 242-243

Gypogyna Simon, 1900

Gypogyna Simon 1900: 387 (type species: Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900 , original designation); Simon 1901: 442.

Diagnosis. According to Simon (1901), Gypogyna differs from Scopocira by having an elongate and low carapace, almost vertical posteriorly, while Scopocira has a high carapace, with a smooth slope from the posterior eyes to the posterior border (see Simon 1901: 442: figs 497, 500). Gypogyna differs from Scopocira by having a round bulb with long looping embolus ( Figs 35–36 ), compared to an elliptical and twisted bulb in Scopocira (see Costa & Ruiz 2014: figs 71–75) with much shorter, and often strangely shaped, embolus (see Costa & Ruiz 2014: figs 80–107). Gypogyna also has a reduced RTA in the male palp ( Figs 22–24 ) (longer in Scopocira ). In females, the epigynal ducts are longer and more coiled than Scopocira (probably related to the longer embolus in males), and the Bennett’s gland in Gypogyna is everted, while in Scopocira it is superficial (compare our Fig. 39 with “np” in Costa & Ruiz 2014: figs 58–59).

Description. The genus includes medium-sized, delicate jumping spiders with yellowish to orange bodies with a variable number of pairs of dark marks dorsally on abdomen ( Figs 1–3 , 53–56 ). Carapace is granulated and the fovea is reduced ( Figs 10–11 ). The male chelicerae are enlarged and projected forwards ( Figs 4–6 , 14–20 ) (for a descriptive comparison of the male chelicerae among the species, see discussion below). Females have small, vertical, plurident chelicerae ( Figs 7–9 , 12–13 ) (see also discussion below). Legs bear a reduced number of spines in both sexes: femur I–III d 0-1-1 (or d 1-1-1, or d 0-1-0), p 0-0-1 (or p 0), r 0 (or r 0-0-1), IV d 0-1-1; patella I–IV 0; tibia I v 2-0-2-2 (or v 2-2-0), II v 1r-1r-0, III–IV 0; metatarsus I v 2-2, II v 1r-1p (or v 1r-2), III–IV 0. The male palp is simple ( Figs 21–24 , 34–37 , 40–42 ), with an unmodified, slightly curved femur, and short patella and tibia; tibia with a dorsally-placed, hooked, well-sclerotized RTA, and a wide, lobular, poorly-sclerotized RvTA (not grooved); cymbium spoon-shaped, with an elongated retrolateral cymbial groove (rCG) and a proximal retrolateral cymbial lobe (CL) near RTA; tegulum with granulations, roundish and reduced; the embolus is fixed to the tegulum and emerges prolaterally (at least in the three known species) and curls one-and-a-half times around tegulum; retrolaterally, embolus extends to the base of the cymbium, folds back and rests its tip at the apex of the cymbial groove on the retrolateral side. The epigyne externally is simple and poorly sclerotized ( Figs 25 , 38 , 43 ); internally there are spiraled copulatory ducts and anteriorly-placed spermathecae ( Figs 26–27 , 39 ) (see discussion on epigynal morphology below). Spinnerets ( Figs 28–33 ; examined only in G. forceps , male): the ALS has one major ampullate gland spigot (MAP) and one nubbin (n) surrounded by about twenty-one piriform (pi) gland spigots ( Figs 28–29 ); the PMS has a single minor ampullate gland spigot (mAP) and three aciniform (ac) gland spigots, one anterior to mAP and a posterior pair; these aciniform gland spigots have a long cylindrical base and a short fusule at the tip ( Figs 30–31 ); the PLS has about nine or ten aciniform gland spigots ( Figs 32–33 ), shaped as in PMS.

Phylogenetic relationships. The close relationship between Gypogyna and Scopocira Simon, 1900 was corroborated by Ruiz & Maddison (2015). Presently the two genera are included in the tribe Scopocirini ( Maddison 2015) . Males of both genera are typically stouter and larger than females ( Ruiz & Maddison 2015), especially regarding cephalothorax, which can be related to the enlarged chelicerae.

Composition. Three species: G. forceps Simon, 1900 ; G. amazonica Ruiz sp. nov.; and G. mexicana Ruiz & Bustamante sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 34–39. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, copulatory structures. 34–37 left male palp (34 prolateral; 35 ventral; 36 retrolateral; 37 dorsal); 38 epigyne, ventral; 39 same, cleared, dorsal. Abbreviations: CL—cymbial lobe; co—copulatory opening; E—embolus; FD—fertilization duct; gl—glandular duct; rCG—retrolateral cymbial groove; RTA—retrolateral tibial apophysis; RvTA—retroventral tibial apophysis; S—spermatheca.

FIGURES 21–25. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, copulatory structures. 21 left male palp, ventral; 22–24 same, detail of proximal cymbium and tibia (22 retrolateral view; 23 same, slightly moved towards dorsal; 24 same, further moved, showing hook-like retrolateral tibial apophysis); 25 epigyne, ventral.

FIGURES 1–3. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, live specimens. 1 male from Oberá (Argentina), dorsal view; 2 same, with chelicerae open wide; 3 female from Belém (Brazil), dorsal view. Photos 1–2: G.D. Rubio; 3: C.A.C. Favacho.

FIGURES 53–56. Gypogyna mexicana Ruiz & Bustamante sp. nov., live specimens. 53–54 male holotype from Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) (53 dorsal; 54 frontal); 55–56 female from Estación de Biología Chamela (Mexico) (55 dorsal; 56 frontal) (W.P. Maddison 2015, under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International license).

FIGURES 10–13. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, female. 10 carapace, dorsal; 11 same, detail of cephalic region; 12 chelicerae, retrolateral; 13 detail of previous, showing retromarginal teeth of right chelicera.

FIGURES 4–9. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900. 4–6 male (4 dorsal; 5 ventral; 6 lateral); 7–9 female (7 dorsal; 8 ventral; 9 lateral).

FIGURES 14–20. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, male chelicerae. 14 right chelicera, dorsal (prolateral); 15 detail of previous, showing tip of fang with promarginal flap (white arrow); 16 same, showing opening of venom gland (white arrow); 17 left chelicera, ventral (retrolateral); 18 detail of previous, showing tip of fang; 19 detail of previous, showing teeth; 20 detail of previous, showing retrolateral distal apophysis.Abbreviations: DPT—distal prolateral tooth of chelicera; RDA—retrolateral distal apophysis of chelicera; RT—retrolateral tooth of chelicera; sPT—smaller prolateral tooth of chelicera.

FIGURES 40–44. Copulatory structures in Gypogyna spp. 40–42 left male palp of G. forceps Simon, 1900 (40 ventral; 41 retrolateral; 42 dorsal); 43 epigyne of G. forceps, ventral; 44 epigyne of G. mexicana Ruiz & Bustamante sp. nov., ventral.

FIGURES 26–27. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, epyginal internal structures. 26 dorsal, showing unusual cleft on external walls of copulatory ducts (black arrows); 27 same, dorsal, slightly peeled off to show spermatheca and fertilization ducts. Abbreviations: cd—copulatory duct; FD—fertilization duct; S—spermatheca.

FIGURES 28–33. Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, male, spinnerets. 28–29 anterior lateral spinnerets (28 right, 29 left); 30–31 posterior median spinnerets (30 right, 31 left); 32–33 posterior lateral spinnerets (32 right, 33 left). Abbreviations: ac—aciniform gland spigot; MAP—major ampullate gland spigot; mAP—minor ampullate gland spigot; n—nubbin; pi—piriform gland spigot. Asterisks in Figs 28–29 mark piriform gland spigots.