Blechroscelis spinulosus Mello-Leitão, 1939: 173

HUBER, BERNHARD A., 2000, New World Pholcid Spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): A Revision At Generic Level, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (254), pp. 1-348 : 212-215

Blechroscelis spinulosus Mello-Leitão, 1939: 173 .

TYPES: Male lectotype and 1♀ paralectotype (designated herein) from Soledade , Paraíba, Brazil ; no date (R. von Ihering), in MNRJ (58365), examined .

DIAGNOSIS: Easily distinguished from most known congeners by the many short spines on the femora and tibiae of the male; M. cambridgei has similar spines, but a different procursus and a flat epigynum; distinguished from the similar M. cyaneomaculatus also by the shape of the procursus (figs. 820–822); from other close relatives ( M. botocudo , maxacali , iguazu ) also by the single pair of frontal apophyses on the male chelicerae; from these and M. brasiliensis also by the shape of the epigynum and the posterior pocket (fig. 824).

MALE (lectotype): Total length 5.0; carapace width 1.9; legs (only femora 2–4 were still attached to the body): femora: 15.2(?), 11.6, 10.9, 11.9. Habitus and prosoma shape similar to M. cyaneomaculatus and togatus (cf. figs. 811, 851–854); distance PME-ALE about 100% of PME diameter. Carapace ochre, with brown median mark that radiates toward lateral margins; ocular area brown, clypeus ochre, sternum pale ochre. Chelicerae ochre with only one pair of black frontal apophyses, almost identical to M. cyaneomaculatus (cf. fig. 812), but apophyses slightly shorter in lateral view. Palp in general very similar to M. cyaneomaculatus (cf. figs. 813, 816), procursus tip distinctive (figs. 820–822). Legs ochre-brown, without curved and vertical hairs; all femora with many short spines in several rows, more or less evenly spread over segment (most on prolateral and ventral sides), tibiae with similar spines concentrated ventrally; tarsus 4(?) with ~ 25 pseudosegments; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 2(?) at 2.5%. Opisthosoma monochromous grayish-ochre, shape as in M. cyaneomaculatus (cf. fig. 811).

FEMALE (paralectotype): Carapace width 1.6; leg 3 (the only leg still attached): 24.2 (7.3+0.6+5.9+9.3+1.1). In general very similar to male, but apparently without spines on legs (loose legs that appear to be from female also have no spines). Epigynum light brown, posteriorly protruding with pocket, anteriorly pair of humps (fig. 824); internal genitalia as in fig. 825.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: BRAZIL: Paraíba: types above.

Mesabolivar ceruleiventris (Mello-Leitão, 1916) , new combination Figures 826–827

Psilochorus ceruleiventris Mello-Leitão, 1916: 12–13 . – Mello-Leitão, 1918: 97–98 (copy of original description).

Psilochorus coeruleiventris: Roewer, 1942: 350 : unjustified emendation.

Psilochorus caeruleiventris: Bonnet, 1958: 3822 : unjustified emendation.

TYPE: Female holotype (only the opisthosoma and parts of one leg are left) from Espírito Santo, Brazil ; date and collector not given, in MNRJ (851), examined.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from similar congeners (e.g., M. cyaneomaculatus , botocudo , maxacali , iguazu ) by the shape of the epigynum with the anterior pocket and posterior apophyses (fig. 826).

MALE: Unknown.

FEMALE: Judging from Mello-Leitão’s (1916) original description, this spider is probably similar to most southeast-Brazilian representatives of Mesabolivar , with a habi- tus comparable to those shown in figs. 811, 851; total length is given as 4 mm.

The shape of the opisthosoma is like that of M. cyaneomaculatus or togatus (cf. figs. 811, 851); length 2.4. It is now monochromous dark gray, but was originally ‘‘azul-esverdeado com manchas azues escuras, grandes, em duas series parallelas, no dorso.’’ Epigynum brown, with anterior pocket and

posterior apophyses (fig. 826); dorsal view as in fig. 827. Segments of accompanying leg: tibia: 9.3, metatarsus: 14.6, tarsus: 1.9 (which is comparable to the first leg of close relatives); tarsus of this leg with ~ 25 pseudosegments.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: BRAZIL: Espírito Santo: type above.

Mesabolivar tandilicus (Mello-Leitão, 1940) , new combination Figures 828–829

Litoporus tandilicus Mello-Leitão, 1940b: 9–10 , figs. 10–12; 1944b: 312.

TYPES: Two females (one without epigynum) and one male (without chelicerae and palps!) from Tandil , Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Dec. 1938 (M. Birabén), in MLP (14275), examined .

NOTES: Mello-Leitão (1940b) writes ‘‘Tipo y alotipo 3: nos 14.275 y 14.276;...,’’ suggesting that he is talking about a female holotype and a male allotype, each in a separate vial. In agreement with this, the label in vial 14275 reads ‘‘ Litoporus tandilicus Typus,’’ i.e., singular. However, vial 14275 now contains two females and one male, and the location of vial 14276 is unknown. Possibly the contents of the two vials were combined at some point (at this time the detached palps and chelicerae of the male were probably lost).

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from congeners of the southern group of species (see p. 191) by the shape of the epigynum (a pair of posterior apophyses and a shallow anterior in- dentation: fig. 828), and apparently by the cheliceral apophyses (facing upward, similar in lateral view to M. togatus : fig. 851; cf. fig. 11 in Mello-Leitão, 1940b).

MALE: Habitus as in female (see below). According to Mello-Leitão (1940b), the male chelicerae are provided proximally with pair of pointed, upward facing apophyses (cf. his fig. 11); his drawing of the male palp (fig. 12) is unfortunately from the prolateral side, i.e., the procursus is not shown.

FEMALE (type specimen with epigynum): Total length 2.2; carapace width 0.8; leg 1: (4.0+0.3+4.0+5.9, tarsus missing), tibia 2: 2.7, tibia 3: 1.9, tibia 4: 2.6; tibia 1 l/d: 48. Prosoma shape as in M. togatus (cf. figs. 851–854). Carapace ochre-yellow with distinct brown median band. Sternum whitish, with light brown reticulate pattern. Legs light ochre, with darker rings on femora (distally), and tibiae (proximally and distally). Opisthosoma as illustrated for M. aurantiacus (cf. fig. 801), with identical pattern of dark spots shown there. Epigynum with pair of light posterior apophyses and anterior dark indentation (fig. 828); internal genitalia as shown in fig. 829.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from type locality.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires: types above.

Figures

Figs. 826–829. Mesabolivar spp. 826–827. M. ceruleiventris (Mello-Leitão), female holotype. 826. Epigynum, ventral view. 827. Epigynum, dorsal view. 828–829. M. tandilicus (Mello-Leitão), female syntype. 828. Epigynum, ventral view. 829. Epigynum, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.3 mm.