Priscula bolivari Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 241-243

Priscula bolivari Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5B32F007-2CB1-4F6B-A006-94A4A73A095F

Figs 831–832 , 844–851 , 864–867 , 1061

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by shapes of procursus ( Figs 844–846 ; wide proximal element, distal element apparently hinged, with distinctive sclerotized and membranous distal processes), genital bulb ( Figs 848–850 ; strong distal apophysis bent towards ventral, with subdistal prolateral pointed process), and by long epigynal plate with distinct process in anterior part ( Figs 864, 867 ).

Etymology

The species is named for Venezuelan military and political leader Simón Bolívar. Not having a single Venezuelan pholcid named for El Libertador would be inexcusable.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Mérida • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 22101), forest above Mesa Bolívar (8.467° N, 71.614° W), 1300 m a.s.l., 12 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – Mérida • 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22102–03), and 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-130), same collection data as for holotype .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.6, carapace width 1.75. Distance PME–PME 150 µm; diameter PME 150 µm; distance PME–ALE 100 µm; diameter AME 35 µm; distance AME–AME 35 µm. ALE and PLE larger than PME (diameter ALE 250 µm). Leg 1: 36.6 (9.4+ 0.8+9.3 +14.8 +2.3), tibia 2: 6.3, tibia 3: 4.4, tibia 4: 5.8; tibia 1 L/d: 55.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace ochre-yellow with dark ochre lateral marginal bands, wide median mark, and radial marks; ocular area and clypeus brown to dark ochre; sternum dark ochre; legs ochreyellow, with darker rings on femora subdistally, on tibiae proximally and subdistally, and on metatarsi proximally; abdomen ochre-gray, dorsally and laterally densely covered with small black marks and with small white marks arranged in lines and small groups; ventrally grey with dark ochre marks in gonopore area and in front of spinnerets; book lung covers light brown.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 831 . Ocular area moderately raised, with small hump on posterior side. Deep thoracic groove. Clypeus slightly bulging and with sclerotized rim. Sternum wider than long (1.10/0.85), unmodified. Abdomen higher than long, dorso-posteriorly pointed.

CHELICERAE. As in Fig. 847 , with short entapophyses, pair of small frontal apophyses, and pair of sclerotized lateral humps proximally; without stridulatory ridges; with pair of small whitish areas laterally, proximal of lateral humps.

PALPS. In general similar to P. acarite Huber sp. nov. (cf. Figs 877–879 ); coxa unmodified, trochanter with short conical ventral process, femur long, with retrolateral process proximally, distal ventral rim sclerotized and strongly protruding; patella ventrally reduced; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia in very proximal position; procursus ( Figs 844–846 ) with wide proximal element, distal element apparently hinged, with pair of distinctive distal processes; genital bulb ( Figs 848–850 ) with small proximal sclerite

connecting to tarsus, strong distal main apophysis bent towards ventral, with subdistal prolateral pointed process; whitish area between strong retrolateral transversal sclerite and main apophysis.

LEGS. Without spines, with curved hairs on femora (distally), tibiae, and metatarsi; with more than usual short vertical hairs (but not in high density); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 6%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsi without distinct pseudosegments but rather with many small platelets.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in three other males 8.6, 9.6, 10.3.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 832 ) but clypeus rim not sclerotized, chelicerae laterally without sclerotized humps and whitish areas. Tibia 1 in seven females: 5.3–5.8 (mean 5.5). Epigynum ( Figs 864, 867 ) with long main epigynal plate with distinct process in anterior part, with pair of dark internal structures visible in uncleared specimens; posterior epigynal plate short but wide. Internal genitalia ( Figs 851 , 865–866 ) with elongate pore-plates narrowing posteriorly.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Venezuela , Mérida (Fig. 1061).

Natural history

The spiders were found in holes in the ground near a stream in the forest. They built small domed webs and were usually hiding deep in the hole, often male and female together. At the same locality, P. andinensis González-Sponga, 1999 was found much higher above the ground.

Figures

Figs 829–834. Priscula Simon, 1893; live specimens. 829–830. P. ulai González-Sponga, 1999; male and female with egg sac from Mérida, El Valle. 831–832. P. bolivari Huber sp. nov.; male and female from Mérida, Mesa Bolívar. 833–834. P. salmeronica González-Sponga, 1999; male and female with egg sac from Aragua, between Maracay and Puerto Colombia.

Figs 844–851. Priscula bolivari Huber sp. nov.; from Mérida, Mesa Bolívar (ZFMK Ar 22102–03). 844– 846. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 847. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 848–850. Left genital bulb, prolateral, retrolateral, and dorsal views. 851. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.

Figs 861–870. Priscula Simon, 1893; epigyna, ventral (and lateral) views and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. 861–863. P. ulai González-Sponga, 1999; from Mérida, El Valle (ZFMK Ar 22099). 864–867. P. bolivari Huber sp. nov.; from Mérida, Mesa Bolívar (ZFMK Ar 22103). 868–870. P. salmeronica González-Sponga, 1999; from Aragua, between Maracay and Puerto Colombia (ZFMK Ar 22106).

Figs 877–885. Priscula acarite Huber sp. nov. 877–879. Left male pedipalp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views, male from Falcón, Curimagua (type locality; ZFMK Ar 22108). 880–885. Epigyna, ventral views, and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views, females from Falcón, Curimagua (880–882; type locality; ZFMK Ar 22109) and from Lara, between Coro and Barquisimeto (883–885; ZFMK Ar 22110).