Metagonia latigo Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 176-179

Metagonia latigo Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:079E5A62-0BFB-4C6F-90C6-222125D7B91A

Figs 618–621 , 633–635 , 639 , 650–653 , 1051

Metagonia Ven 02 – Eberle et al. 2018 (molecular data). — Huber et al. 2018: 71.

Diagnosis

Distinguished from similar congeners with long S-shaped or whip-shaped sclerite on procursus [ M. delicata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895) ; M. talamanca Huber, 1997 ] by details of procursus ( Figs 633–635 ; curvature of main sclerite; shape of ventral hinged process; small dorsal membranous process) and by female internal genitalia ( Figs 639 , 652–653 ; pore plates close together; specific configuration of receptacle and ducts).

Etymology

The species name (Spanish: whip) refers to the shape of the procursus; noun in apposition.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Falcón • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21998), Península de Paraguaná, Cerro Santa Ana (11.8177° N, 69.9468° W), 480 m a.s.l., 17 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – Falcón • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 21999), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18- 187), same collection data as for holotype • 3 ♂♂, 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 22000), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18-193), Sierra de San Luis , E Curimagua (11.1748° N, 69.6273° W), 960 m a.s.l., 18 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) • 5 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22001), and 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-146), forest near Santa Cruz de La Alegría (10.8795° N, 68.4949° W), 100 m a.s.l., 15 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.). – Yaracuy • 6 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀, 3 juvs, ZFMK (Ar 22002), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-156), Yurubi National Park (10.4913° N, 68.6564° W), 140 m a.s.l., forest along stream, 16 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.) • 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22003), and 1 ♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-159), Guaquira , ‘site 1’ (10.2951° N, 68.6535° W), 120 m a.s.l., forest along stream, 16 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.) • 3 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22004), Guaquira , ‘site 2’ (10.2807° N, 68.6530° W), 150 m a.s.l., forest along stream, 17 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.). – Aragua • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22005), and 4 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18-241), between Maracay and Puerto Colombia (10.4304° N, 67.5998° W), 380 m a.s.l., 2 Dec. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 22006), Henri Pittier National Park at 10.360° N, 67.720° W, ~ 730 m a.s.l., 11 Dec. 2002 (B.A. Huber) • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, ZFMK (Ar 22007), Henri Pittier National Park near Hacienda la Trilla (10.390° N, 67.747° W), ~ 130 m a.s.l., 12 Dec. 2002 (B.A. Huber). – La Guaira • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22008), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-167), El Limón , ‘site 1’ (10.4788° N, 67.3010° W), 600 m a.s.l., forest remnant along small stream, 21 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.). – Táchira • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22009), and 3 ♀♀, 1 juv. in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-121), SE Pregonero, forest near La Trampa (7.9236° N, 71.7152° W), 1300 m a.s.l., 10 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.). – Bolívar • 6 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, ZFMK (Ar 22010), and 4 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven02/100-2), small forest at Laguna in Canaima (6.241° N, 62.848° W), ~ 400 m a.s.l., 8 Dec. 2002 (B.A. Huber) .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.0, carapace width 0.60. Distance PME–PME 160 µm; diameter PME 55 µm; distance PME–ALE 15 µm; AME absent. Leg 1: 11.8 (3.1 +0.2+3.1 +4.5+0.9), tibia 2: 1.8, tibia 3: 1.0, tibia 4: 2.0; tibia 1 L/d: 52; all femora approximately same diameter.

COLOR (in ethanol). Entire prosoma whitish; legs ochre-yellow, without darker rings; abdomen whitish, with darker marks dorsally in pair of rows.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 618 . Ocular area barely raised. Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum slightly wider than long (0.44/0.40), unmodified. Abdomen elongate.

CHELICERAE. As in M. delicata and M. talamanca (cf. Huber 1997c: fig. 6), each side with patch of modified (globular) hairs and with distal apophysis close to fang.

PALPS. In general as in M. delicata and M. talamanca (cf. Huber 1997c: figs 4, 10); coxa unmodified, trochanter with short ventral apophysis; femur short, strongly widened, with indistinct prolateral-ventral process; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia not in very distal position; procursus complex ( Figs 633– 635 ), ventral hinged process attached proximally; main part of procursus retrolaterally with apparently hinged strong sclerite, prolaterally with several semitransparent elements.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 6%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~15 pseudosegments, poorly visible in dissecting microscope.

Male (variation)

Tibia 1 in 35 males (including holotype): 2.9–4.0 (mean 3.4). Some males with fewer or without dark marks on abdomen ( Fig. 620 ).

Female

In general similar to male ( Figs 619, 621 ). Tibia 1 in 40 females: 2.6–3.6 (mean 3.0). Epigynum ( Figs 650–651 ) unsclerotized except posterior rim, internal receptacle and ducts visible in uncleared specimens. Internal genitalia ( Figs 639 , 652–653 ) asymmetric (antisymmetric; of 41 females, 22 were ‘left-sided’, 19 ‘right-sided’), with complex system of ducts/folds, receptacle, and large membranous pouch; pore plates oval, close together.

Distribution

Widespread in Venezuela , known from the states Falcón, Yaracuy, Aragua, La Guaira, Táchira, and Bolívar (Fig. 1051).

Natural history

All specimens were collected from the undersides of leaves in humid forests. No strong preference for monocot or dicot plants seemed to exist, but at some localities most specimens were found on a single species of plant (e.g., on palm leaves at La Trampa, Táchira). The webs were closely attached to the leaf surface and barely visible, apparently identical to those described in some detail for M. uvita Huber, 1997 (Huber & Sch̹tte 2009).

Figures

Figs 614–621. Metagonia Simon, 1893; live specimens. 614–617. M. beni Huber, 2000; whitish and yellowish males and female with egg sac from Bolívar, La Neverita. 618–621. M. latigo Huber sp. nov.; male and female with egg sac from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (618–619), male and female with egg sac from Falcón, Curimagua (620–621).

Figs 633–638. Metagonia Simon, 1893; left palpal tarsi and procursi, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 633–635. M. latigo Huber sp. nov.; from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21999). 636–638. M. delicata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895); from Mexico, Oaxaca, S María Lombardo (ZFMK). 1=main whip-shaped or S-shaped sclerite; 2= ventral hinged process; 3 =dorsal membranous process. Scale line: 0.3 mm (all figures at same scale).

Fig. 639. Metagonia latigo Huber sp. nov.; female from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21999), cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale line: 0.2 mm.

Figs 650–656. Metagonia Simon, 1893; epigyna, ventral views and cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. 650–653. M. latigo Huber sp. nov.; ‘left-sided’ and ‘right-sided’ females (both cleared genitalia in dorsal views) from Falcón, Cerro Santa Ana (type locality; ZFMK Ar 21999). 654– 656. M. guianesa Huber sp. nov.; from Bolívar, km 109 from El Dorado (type locality; ZFMK Ar 22019).