Rothaeina mackinleyi Bennett, 2023

Bennett, Robb, Copley, Claudia & Copley, Darren, 2023, Revision of the western Nearctic spider genus Cybaeina including the description of Neocybaeina gen. nov. and Rothaeina gen. nov. (Araneae: Cybaeidae: Cybaeinae), Zootaxa 5318 (1), pp. 97-129 : 120-121

Rothaeina mackinleyi Bennett spec. nov.

Figs 45–47 , 54–55 , 63 , 73–74 , 85

Type material. U.S.A.: Oregon: Holotype male. Josephine County, Grave Creek ,Oregon,9.ix.1935, R.V.Chamberlin & W. Ivie ( AMNH) . Paratypes. U.S.A.: California: Sierra, 1♀, Yuba Pass area , NE of Sierra City, 22.vii.2008, J. Heistand ( CAS) . Oregon: Coos, 1♀, Charleston , 27.v.1952, V.D. Roth ( CAS) ; 1♀, Charleston , 30.ix.1959, V.D. Roth ( CAS) ; Jackson, 1♁, Beaver Sulphur Forest Camp, nr. Applegate R., 9.x.1964, F. Beer ( CAS) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the late blues guitarist, lyricist, and band leader McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield.

Diagnosis. The male of R. mackinleyi spec. nov. is distinguished by the combination of its short, stubby (length less than 1/2 width of patella) patellar apophysis ( Fig. 55 ); elongate distal component of the retrolateral tibial apophysis (extending blade-like over the base of the cymbium ( Fig. 54 ); and dorsal keel on the proximal arm of the tegular apophysis which is sharply acuminate in ventral view ( Fig. 45 ), somewhat bluntly in retrolateral view ( Figs 46 , 63 ), and obscured in ventro-retrolateral view ( Fig. 47 ). Differentiating the male of this species from the males of the other three species with known males ( R. jamesi spec. nov., R. petersoni spec. nov., and R. sequoia comb. nov.) is discussed in the diagnosis of R. jamesi spec. nov.

The females of R. mackinleyi spec. nov. and R. jamesi spec. nov. are very similar. Differentiating them from the females of the other species of Rothaeina gen. nov. is discussed in the diagnosis of R. beaudini spec. nov. while differentiating the females of R. mackinleyi spec. nov. and R. jamesi spec. nov. is explained in the diagnosis of the latter species.

Description. As in diagnosis and description of the genus. Additional descriptive characters presented here. Abdomen pale, unpatterned.

Male (n=2). Patellar apophysis ( Fig. 55 ) with three or four small distodorsal peg setae. Medial component of retrolateral tibial apophysis a simple linear ledge ( Fig. 54 ). Distal arm of tegular apophysis elongate, slender (length about three times width); proximal arm elongate with ventral prolaterad uncinate tip ( Figs 45–47 ).

Measurements (n=2). CL 1.88, 2.03; CW 1.60, 1.55; SL 1.04, 1.11; SW 0.95, 1.03. Holotype measurements listed first.

Female (n=3). Epigyne with single, nearly indiscernible, short, linear, transverse atrium medially (as in R. jamesi spec. nov., Fig. 70 ). Vulva with copulatory ducts ( Figs 73–74 ) distinctly separated; spermathecal ducts ( Figs 73–74 ) convoluted with medial, transverse section of ducts a prominent feature in dorsal view; spermathecal heads dorsal or anterodorsal, near anterior edge of vulva; Bennett’s glands hidden within anterior third of spermathecal ducts.

Measurements (n=2). CL 1.98, 2.18; CW 1.53, 1.63; SL 1.11, 1.13; SW 1.00, 1.04.

Distribution and natural history ( Fig. 85 ). Rothaeina mackinleyi spec. nov. is a rarely encountered species currently recorded from only a small number of localities scattered from the Charleston area of southwestern Oregon, U.S.A., southeast to the Yuba Pass area in the northern Sierra Nevada of California, U.S.A. (most recently in 2008). Males have been collected in early September (holotype) and October.

Figures

FIGURES 43–52. Rothaeina gen. nov. species, males (43–44 R. jamesi spec. nov. holotype; 45–47 R. mackinleyi spec. nov. from Beaver Sulphur Forest Camp, Oregon; 48–49 R. petersoni spec. nov. from near Kyburz, California; R. sequoia comb. nov. 50, 52 from Pepperwood, California, 51 from Carlotta, California), left pedipalp. 43, 45, 48, 50 Genital bulb, ventral. 44, 46, 49 Tegular apophysis and embolus, retrolateral. 47 Tegular apophysis and embolus, ventro-retrolateral. 51 Tegular apophysis, retrolateral. 52 Distal half of embolus, ventral. DA—distal arm of tegular apophysis, E—embolus, PA—proximal arm of tegular apophysis, TR—tegular ridge. Unlabelled arrows indicate dorsal keel (45–46 single shafted arrow) and basal projection (43, 48, 50 double shafted arrow) of proximal arm of tegular apophysis and small hooks (52 dashed arrow) on embolus.

FIGURES 53–59. Rothaeina gen. nov. species, males (53 R. jamesi spec. nov. holotype; 54–55 R. mackinleyi spec. nov. from Beaver Sulphur Forest Camp, Oregon; 56–57 R. petersoni spec. nov. from near Kyburz, California; 58–59 R. sequoia comb. nov. holotype), left pedipalp. 53–54, 56, 58 Patellar apophysis and tibia, retrolateral. 55 Patella, dorsal. 57, 59 Tibia and patella, dorsal. Cy—cymbium, dRTA—distal component of retrolateral tibial apophysis, mRTA—medial component of retrolateral tibial apophysis, PTA—patellar apophysis. Unlabelled arrow indicates basal hump of patellar apophysis (59). Note: in Figs 53, 58–59 the distal end of the mRTA is a rigid spine-like process; in Figs 56–57 the mRTA terminates distally in a basally articulated macroseta.

FIGURES 60–65. Rothaeina gen. nov. species, males (60–62 R. jamesi spec. nov. holotype; 63 R. mackinleyi spec. nov. from Beaver Sulphur Forest Camp, Oregon; 64–65 R. petersoni spec. nov. from near Kyburz, California), left pedipalp. 60 Proximal arm of tegular apophysis, ventral. 61 Medial component of retrolateral tibial apophysis, retrolateral. 62, 64–65 Patellar apophysis, dorsal. 63 Tip of proximal arm of tegular apophysis, retrolateral. Unlabelled arrows indicate diagnostic characters: basal projection of proximal arm of tegular apophysis (60); dorso-basal group of peg setae (62); dorsal keel of proximal arm of tegular apophysis (63); large and small peg setae (64–65).

FIGURES 70–74. Rothaeina gen. nov. species, females (70–72 R. jamesi spec. nov. from Klamath, California; 73–74 R. mackinleyi spec. nov. from Charleston, Oregon), copulatory organ. 70 Epigyne, ventral. 71–74 Vulva (71, 73 ventral; 72, 74 dorsal). BG—Bennett’s gland, CD—copulatory duct, FD—fertilization duct, HS—head of spermatheca. Unlabelled arrows indicate atrial openings (70–71, 74 single shafted arrows), additional loop of spermatheca (72 double shafted arrow), and medial transverse sections of spermathecae (72, 74 dashed arrows).

FIGURES 84–86. Distributions of Neocybaeina gen. nov. and Rothaeina gen. nov. species (84 Neocybaeina burnetti spec. nov. and N. xantha comb. nov.; 85 Rothaeina beaudini spec. nov., R. jamesi spec. nov., R. mackinleyi spec. nov., and R. sequoia comb. nov.; 86 Rothaeina petersoni spec. nov.) AZ—Arizona, CA—California, ID—Idaho, MT—Montana, OR—Oregon, NV—Nevada, UT—Utah, WA—Washington.