Architis cymatilis Carico, 1981

Santos, Adalberto J., 2007, A revision of the Neotropical nursery-web spider genus Architis (Araneae: Pisauridae), Zootaxa 1578 (1), pp. 1-40 : 11-14

Architis cymatilis Carico, 1981

Figures 3A–D , 4C–E , 6

Architis cymatilis Carico 1981: 144–145 , figs 6, 11, 18–19, 28–29, map 2, tables 1–2. Brignoli 1983: 700; Platnick 1989: 394.

Architis nitidopilosa Carico 1981 (in part): 143–144, figs 26–27 (mislabeled as A. tenuis in legend), tables 1–2 (mislabeled as A. tenuis in legend).

Architis suarez Carico 1989: 223 , figs 4–5, table 1. Platnick 1993: 515. New Synonymy.

Type material. Holotype of Architis cymatilis Carico 1981 : male, Blue Basin , Port of Spain, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, 10 o 39’N, 61 o 31’W, 2 July 1926, A. Petrunkevitch ( PMY) (not examined) . Paratype of Architis cymatilis Carico 1981 : female, data as holotype ( PMY) (not examined) . Holotype of Architis suarez Carico, 1989 : male, Río Suarez , Colombia, October 1946, 1000 m elev. ( AMNH)(examined) .

Additional material examined. BRAZIL: Acre: Sena Madureira (Rio Purus, Boca do Chandless ), 9 o 4’S, 68 o 40’W, 5 September 1973, B. Patterson, 1♀ ( MCZ) ; Senador Guiomar ( Reserva Extrativista Catuaba ), 10 o 10’S, 67 o 49’W, E. Morato, 2♂ ( IBSP) ; Juazeiro ( Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor ), 9 o 24’S, 73 o 12’W, 23 November 1996, R.S. Vieira, 1♀ ( IBSP 8984 ) . Pará: Novo Progresso , 07º09’07”S, 55º18’20”W, 22 November 2005, D.F. Candiani, 1♀ ( MPEG 2909 ) . Rondônia: Ouro Preto do Oeste , 10 o 40’S, 62 o 18’W, 14–22 October 1986, J. Becker, 1♂ ( MNRJ) . Mato Grosso: Sinop , 11 o 52’S, 55 o 37’W, October 1976, M. Alvarenga, 3♂ ( AMNH) . COLOMBIA: Amazonas: Leticia ( Via Tarapacá , Km. 9), 4 o 12’S 69 o 16’W, 6.XI.2001, E. Flórez coll., 1♀ ( ICN 1213 ) ; 11.XI.2001, 1♂ ( ICN 1170 ) . ECUADOR: Francisco de Orellana: ( Reserva Étnica Waorani , 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp), 00º39’25.7”S, 76º27’10.8”W, 20 January 1994, T.L. Erwin et al., 3♂, 5♀ ( USNM) , 1♂, 1♀ ( IBSP 62888 ) . PERU: Huanuco: Tingo Maria , 9 o 18’S, 75 o 58’W, 21 October 1946, J.C. Pallister, 2♀ ( AMNH) . Loreto: Iquitos , 3 o 44’S, 73 o 14’W, May 1920, S. Parrish, 1♀ ( MCZ) ; Pithecia ( Parque Nacional Pacaya-Samiria ), 9–27 May 1990, T.L. Erwin & D. Silva, 5♂, 8♀ ( MUSM) . Madre de Dios: (Parque Nacional Manu, Zona Reserva Pakitza ), 11º56’S, 71º17’W, 24 September–9 October 1987, 4♂, 2♀ ( USNM) . Pasco: Huancabamba ( Quebrada Chispa , NW of Iscozacin), 10 o 29’S, 76 o 2’W 1 November 1986, D. Silva, 1♀ ( MUSM) . TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Arima: Arima ( Spring Hill , AWNC), 10 o 37’N, 61 o 16’W, 12 July 1979, L.N. Sorkin, 1♀ ( AMNH) .

Diagnosis. Architis cymatilis is a close relative of A. tenuis , with which it shares the presence of ventral cuspule-like spines on male coxae I ( Fig. 4E ) and the prolaterally curved conductor of the male pedipalpus ( Figs 4B, D ). The males can be distinguished by the small, pointed vRTA ( Figs 3A–B , 4C ) in A. cymatilis . The female epigynum, in contrast to all other Architis , presents no clear differentiation between MF and LL and has a pair of lateral rounded atria formed by the lateral folds ( Fig. 3C ).

Description

Male (based on IBSP 62888 from Reserva Étnica Waorani, Ecuador)

Carapace brown, with paler lateral longitudinal stripes and sparsely covered with white setae. Posterior margin densely covered with dark setae. Anterior eye row procurved, lateral eyes strongly projected ventrally and almost twice as large as medians. Posterior eyes of similar size ( Carico 1981; fig. 11). Clypeus brown, chelicerae dark brown, labium and endites red-brown. Sternum cream-coloured, with lateral black spots close to leg bases. Pedipalpi and legs cream-coloured. Legs with apical dark rings on femur, tibia and metatarsus. Opisthosoma dark gray, paler laterally and ventrally. Sides suffused with black spots. Venter with a median black stripe. Spinnerets pale brown, circled by a black pigment ring. Total length 3.1. Carapace 1.6 long, 1.3 wide. Tibia I length 3.9, II 4.1, III 2.5, IV 3.0. Opisthosoma 1.6 long, 0.9 wide.

Female (based on IBSP 62888 from Reserva Étnica Waorani, Ecuador)

Carapace brown, with a median and a pair of lateral cream-coloured stripes. Lateral stripes with small lateral extensions close to leg bases. Eye configuration as male. Clypeus, chelicerae and endites cream-coloured, labium dark brown. Sternum cream-coloured, with lateral black spots close to leg bases. Pedipalpi and legs cream-coloured. Legs with apical dark rings on femur, tibia and metatarsus. Opisthosoma dark gray, paler laterally and ventrally. Sides suffused with black spots. Venter with a median black stripe. Spinnerets pale brown, circled by a black pigment ring. Total length 4.0. Carapace 1.8 long, 1.5 wide. Tibia I length 2.4, II 2.6, III 1.9, IV 2.9. Opisthosoma 2.2 long, 1.2 wide.

Variation. Males, total length 3.1–4.3, carapace width 1.3–1.5. Females, total length 4.0–5.0, carapace width 1.5–1.8. The lateral atria of the epigynum and the sclerotised case of the CD are variable in size ( Fig. 3D ; Carico 1981: figs 26–29), although the configuration illustrated here is the most common.

Remarks. In the illustrations of Carico (1981), females of A. cymatilis and A. nitidopilosa differed only in the relative size of the lateral atria (compare Carico 1981; figs 26, 28) and the size of the sclerotised cases of the CD (misidentified as additional spermathecae; figs 27, 29). In this study, both configurations, as well as some intermediate forms, were observed in females collected together with males of A. cymatilis . Thus, these configurations are considered intra-specific variation. A similar situation was observed for the male genitalia. Carico (1989) based the distinction between A. cymatilis and A. suarez on differences in the relative leg length (larger in A. suarez male) and some features of the male pedipalpus These pedipalpal characters were not clearly specified, but they are apparent in the relative sizes of vRTA, conductor and embolus (compare Carico 1981: fig. 18 and Carico 1989: fig. 4). After examining a larger sample of specimens, I came to the conclusion that these features vary continuously between specimens and therefore these differences are considered intraspecific variations. Consequently, I consider A. suarez a junior synonym of A. cymatilis .

Natural history. The label of the type specimens of A. cymatilis states that they were collected in “recticular” webs on low vegetation ( Carico 1981). The female from Arima, Trinidad and Tobago ( AMNH) was collected on vegetation during a nocturnal search .

Distribution. Northern South America to central Brazil ( Fig. 6 ).

Figures

FIGURES 3A–D. Architis cymatilis Carico. A, male pedipalpus, ventral view; B, male pedipalpus, lateral view; C, female epigynum, ventral view; D, female internal genitalia, dorsal view. Scale bars: A–B, 0.2 mm; C–D, 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 4A–E. Architis spp. (SEM). A–B, A. tenuis Simon: A, male pedipalpus, ventral view; B, detail of male pedipalpus, conductor, embolus and apex of DTP, ventral view. C–E, A. cymatilis Carico: C, right male pedipalpus, ventral view; D, detail of right male pedipalpus, conductor and embolus, ventral view; E, male right coxa I, ventral view. Scale bars: A, C, 100 µm; B, D–E, 10 µm.

FIGURE 6. Geographic distribution records of Architis tenuis Simon (empty circle), A. cymatilis Carico (cross) and A. maturaca sp. nov. (full triangle).