Priscula pallisteri, HUBER, 2000

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 : 133-137

Priscula pallisteri , new species Figures 513 519

TYPES: Male holotype, 1♀ paratype from Tingo Maria , Dept. Huánuco, Peru ; Oct. 25, 1946 (J. C. Pallister), in AMNH .

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the collector of the type material.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from congeners primarily by the shape of the procursus (shape of base, shape of distal, rounded flap: figs. 516 517), and by the shape of the bulbal apophysis (fig. 514).

MALE (holotype): Total length 4.2, cara- pace width 2.0; leg 1: (10.9+1.1+10.9 +17.7, tarsus missing), tibia 2: 7.9, tibia 3: 5.5, tibia 4: 7.3; tibia 1 l/d: 51. Habitus similar to P. binghamae (cf. fig. 501); carapace light brown, darker laterally and medially, with deep thoracic groove; ocular area brown, slightly higher than in P. binghamae , eight eyes as in fig. 513, distance PME-ALE about 45% of PME diameter. Sternum orange to light brown, posterior border with pair of distinct lobes; chelicerae light brown with pair of blackish frontal apophyses (fig. 515). Palps in general as in P. binghamae (cf. figs. 505 506), only procursus and bulb significantly different (figs. 514, 516 517). Legs light brown, with slightly darker rings on femora (subdistally) and tibiae (proximally, subdistally); almost all hairs on legs missing; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 6%. Opisthosoma length 2.6, height 2.4; slightly angular, pale gray with many dark spots dorsally, genital plate light brown, wide.

FEMALE (paratype): Total length 4.9; tibia 1: 9.1. In general very similar to male, but opisthosoma higher and more rounded. Epigynum as in fig. 518, light brown medially, dark brown laterally; dorsal view as in fig. 519.

VARIATION: Tibia 1 in male from Cueva de Lechuzas: 13.1; most specimens had also many white spots on the opisthosoma, arranged in lines or bands.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Tingo Maria, Dept. Huánuco, Peru.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: PERU: Huánuco: Tingo Maria : types above ; Cueva de Lechu- zas near Tingo Maria, Oct. 8, 1946 (J. C. Pallister), 23 2♀ 3 juveniles in AMNH .

Priscula annulipes (Keyserling, 1877) , new combination Figures 520 526

Pholcus annulipes Keyserling, 1877: 4 6, pl. 7: figs. 1, 1a.

Blechroscelis annulipes: Simon, 1893b: 483 (see Notes below).

TYPES: Female lectotype (designated herein), 4♀ paralectotypes, and 2 penultimate males from St. Fé de Bogotá, Dept. Cundinamarca, Colombia ; date and collector not given, in BMNH (1890.7.1.8292-95, part), examined.

NOTES: The type vial apparently contains only some of the original specimens: the label says 8292-95 (part). From Keyserling s (1877) original description it is highly probable that the specimens examined herein are in fact conspecific with, if not identical to what he was describing (high opisthosoma, femora with four dark rings: annulipes !, all femora of about same thickness, almost perfectly agreeing measurements). The fact that Simon chose B. annulipes Keyserl. as type species for Blechroscelis makes his genus Blechroscelis a synonym of Priscula . Since both genera were proposed in the same publication, Blechroscelis could either be adopted to replace Priscula (which would completely change the traditional conception of both genera), or it could be dumped. The second option is here preferred (see Notes under Mesabolivar below for detailed discussion).

Another problem is the conspecificity of the male described herein with the female lectotype. The evidence (four dark rings on femora, geographic origin) is not unambiguous (legs with four dark rings on femora and tibiae are not unique to the species, see P. ulai , huila ; several species are known to occur in small areas, e.g., P. andinensis , ulai , piapoco , chejapi , piedraensis , all from Dept. Mérida, Venezuela). The risk of erroneously assigning a heterospecific male to the female is herein preferred to the risk of creating a synonym. Future studies of Colombian material should easily solve this problem.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from congeners (especially the closely related P. venezuelana ) primarily by the shape of the procursus (position of dorsal projection, shape of distal fork: figs. 525 526), and by the shape of the bulbal apophysis (fig. 524).

MALE (Bogotá): Total length 5.3, carapace width 2.6; leg 1: 30.4 (7.7+1.2+7.5+10.7 +3.3), tibia 2: 6.0, tibia 3: 4.3, tibia 4: 5.2; tibia 1 l/d: 23. Habitus similar to P. binghamae (cf. fig. 501); carapace light orangeochre, dark brown median stripe and lateral smudges, with deep thoracic groove; ocular area dark brown, slightly higher than in P. binghamae , eight eyes in position similar to P. pallisteri (cf. fig. 513, but distance PME- ALE about 110% of PME diameter), clypeus dark brown; sternum light orange-brown with darker speckles, with pair of distinct lobes posteriorly, labium brown; chelicerae light brown with pair of tiny blackish frontal apophyses (fig. 523). Palps in general as in P. binghamae (cf. figs. 505 506), but femur distally without protruding ventral rim, and procursus and bulb significantly different (figs. 524 526). Legs orange-ochre with distinct brown rings on femora (proximally: faint, medially, subdistally, distally) and tibiae (proximally, medially, subdistally); legs without spines; with few vertical hairs on all segments; with many curved hairs on femora, tibiae, and metatarsi; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 9%. Opisthosoma length 3.2, height 3.2, slightly angular, ochregray, many black spots except ventrally, genital plate large, light brown posteriorly, yellowish anteriorly.

FEMALE (lectotype): Total length 6.7, carapace width 3.1; tibia 1: 7.4 (for further measurements see Keyserling s original description, in which obviously the same individual was measured). In general very similar to male; curved hairs at least dorsally on metatarsi (many hairs missing). Epigynum as in fig. 522.

VARIATION: The female paralectotypes are significantly smaller: carapace width in all ~ 2.0, tibia 1 (N = 2) 5.3, 5.4. The epigynum is also slightly different (fig. 521).

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Bogotá area, Colombia.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca: Bogotá: types above ; Bogotá: Paramo de Monserrate , Sept. 20 Nov. 29, 1968 (H. Sturm), between dead leaves of Espeleta grandiflora, Paramo Wald, Barber Fallen, 13 in AMNH .

Priscula venezuelana Simon, 1893 Figures 527 529

Priscula venezuelana Simon, 1893b: 477 478, fig. 466. Huber, 1997b: 601, figs. 20 21.

Physocyclus venezuelanus: Brignoli, 1981: 96 .

( Priscula venezuelana: González-Sponga, 1996 : probably misidentified; see Note below).

Priscula ranchograndensis González-Sponga, 1996: 150 155, figs. 47 55. NEW SYNONYMY.

JUSTIFICATION OF SYNONYMY: I have not

been able to study any of the pholcids in González-Sponga s collection (none of numerous requests was answered), but for two reasons I believe that the proposed synonymy is very probably correct. First, I have directly compared Simon s lectotype with males collected at the type locality of P. ranchograndensis (Rancho Grande = Henri Pittier Nat. Park): the procursus (which is the interspecifically most variable structure) was practically identical, even with respect to size (1.49 versus 1.47 mm!). Second, González- Sponga s drawing of the procursus (1996: fig. 51) is small but considered sufficient for identification.

NOTE: González-Sponga (1996) gives a redescription of P. venezuelana Simon , based on specimens from Miranda. From his redescription per se it is not clear whether or not the specimens treated are real P. venezuelana or not, but if the synonymization above is correct, and if González-Sponga (1996) was right in separating his P. ranchograndensis from his P. venezuelana , then his P. venezuelana must be misidentified. None of the diagnostic characters given by González- Sponga (1996) convincingly separates the two species, and they are clearly very similar. Only a reexamination of the procursus of P. venezuelana sensu González-Sponga can solve this problem.

TYPES: Male lectotype, 3♀ paralectotypes, some juveniles from Caracas (Distrito Federal) and Tovar (Aragua), Venezuela ; no further collection data, in MNHN (10923), examined.

DIAGNOSIS: Closely related to P. annulipes , distinguished by the procursus (straighter, dorsal protrusion more distal, shape of distal fork different; figs. 527 528), and by the bulbal apophysis (fig. 529).

MALE (Maracay; for redescription of the type material see Huber, 1997b): Total length 4.8, carapace width 2.6; leg 1: 62.5 (14.8+1.3+16.0+26.3+4.1), tibia 2: 12.0, tibia 3: 8.0, tibia 4: 11.2; tibia 1 l/d: 55. Habitus similar to P. binghamae (cf. fig. 501; see also fig. 20 in Huber, 1997b), but AME high- er, ocular area more elevated, and distance PME-ALE larger (~ 90% of PME diameter). Carapace ochre, darker medially, radial stripes and lateral margins; ocular area and clypeus brown, sternum light brown; chelic- erae almost identical to P. annulipes (cf. fig. 523; apophyses minimally larger; see also fig. 21c in Huber, 1997b). Palps in general as in P. binghamae (cf. figs. 505 506; see also figs. 21a b in Huber, 1997b), but femur distally without protruding ventral rim, and procursus and bulb significantly different (figs. 527 529). Legs light brown, with dark rings on femora and tibiae (proximally, distally, and two to three in-between), and metatarsi (proximally and subproximally), rings on tibiae 1 indistinct; legs without spines, with curved hairs on tibiae and metatarsi, with few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 6%. Opisthosoma high- er than long (3.2 versus 2.7), gray, with many white spots, genital plate dark brown; brown area in front of spinnerets. Tibia 1 in other males: 12.1, 13.7.

FEMALE: Very similar to male. Epigynum anteriorly divided into two lobes (see fig. 21d in Huber, 1997b); tibia 1 (N = 3) 9.9, 10.6, 12.0.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Distrito Federal and Aragua ( Venezuela).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: VENEZUELA: Distrito Federal and Aragua: types above. Aragua: Maracay, Rancho Grande , 1200 m elev., cloud forest, Aug. 1 10, 1987 (Bordan & S. Peck), 23 in AMNH ; Rancho Grande, Biol. Station , no date (C. T Collins), 1♀ in AMNH ; Henri Pittier Nat. Park, Rancho Grande , 900 m elev., Feb. 18, 1984 (J. Coddington), 1♀ in USNM .

Figures

Figs. 513 519. Priscula pallisteri, n. sp. 513. Male ocular area, frontal view. 514. Left genital bulb, ~ dorsal view. 515. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 516. Left procursus, prolateral view. 517. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 518. Epigynum, ventral view. 519. Epigynum, dorsal view. Scale lines: 1.0 mm (518), 0.5 mm (513 517, 519).

Figs. 520 529. Priscula spp. 520 526. P. annulipes (Keyserling). 520. Female lectotype, habitus. 521. Epigynum of paralectotype, ventral view. 522. Epigynum of lectotype, ventral view. 523. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 524. Left genital bulb, ~ dorsal view. 525. Left procursus, prolateral view. 526. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 527 529. P. venezuelana Simon. 527. Left procursus, prolateral view. 528. Left procursus, retrolateral view. 529. Left genital bulb, ~ dorsal view. Scale lines: 2.0 mm (520), 1.0 mm (521 522), 0.5 mm (523 529).