Mecolaesthus piedras Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 94-97

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2020.718.1101

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F9E9A91E-488C-4DB1-9361-E788E9AC5BC1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4343923

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CF40549A-34A3-4C69-834A-17B965CE9216

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:CF40549A-34A3-4C69-834A-17B965CE9216

treatment provided by

Valdenar

scientific name

Mecolaesthus piedras Huber
status

sp. nov.

Mecolaesthus piedras Huber View in CoL sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CF40549A-34A3-4C69-834A-17B965CE9216

Figs 306–308 View Figs 306–311 , 312–320 View Figs 312–320 , 331–333 View Figs 331–337 , 1042

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by armature of male chelicerae ( Figs 318–319 View Figs 312–320 ; pair of strong pointed frontal processes), by two distinctive flat elements distally on procursus ( Figs 312–314 View Figs 312–320 ), by genital bulb with distinctive ventral and dorsal sclerites on embolar division (arrows in Fig. 315 View Figs 312–320 ), by long epigynum widening anteriorly ( Fig. 331 View Figs 331–337 ), and by internal female genitalia ( Figs 320 View Figs 312–320 , 332–333 View Figs 331–337 ; strong median sclerite, pore plates on distinctively curved sclerite).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

VENEZUELA – Mérida • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21897), Las Piedras , ‘site 1’ (8.8939° N, 70.6448° W), 1710 m a.s.l., forest remnant, 7 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.) GoogleMaps .

Other material

VENEZUELA – Mérida • 1 ♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven20-106), same collection data as for holotype; abdomen moved to holotype GoogleMaps .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.0, carapace width 1.25. Distance PME–PME 130 µm; diameter PME 100 µm; distance PME–ALE 110 µm; diameter AME 25 µm; distance AME–AME 25 µm. Leg 1: 24.6 (5.7+ 0.6+5.7+ 10.3 +2.3), tibia 2: 3.6, tibia 3: 2.7, tibia 4: 3.3; tibia 1–4 diameters: 170 µm, 185 µm, 190 µm, 190 µm; tibia 1 L/d: 34.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale gray, darker brown frontally including ocular area and clypeus, lateral dark bands in anterior part only, median dark mark with radiating lines; sternum dark brown; legs light brown, with darker rings on femora subdistally and on tibiae proximally and subdistally, femora and tibiae with light tips; abdomen pale bluish-gray, dorsally and laterally densely covered with dark bluish marks, ventrally with large brown mark in gonopore area, brown book lung covers, and bluish marks in front of and behind gonopore; without ventral or dorsal anterior brown plates.

BODY. Habitus as in Figs 306–307 View Figs 306–311 . Ocular area distinctly raised. Carapace anteriorly with shallow but distinct thoracic groove, posteriorly without groove, not inflated. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.84/0.68). Abdomen slightly elongated and pointed at spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 318–319 View Figs 312–320 , with pair of strong pointed frontal processes, tips slightly diverging.

PALPS. Proximal segments as in M. discrepantis ( González-Sponga, 2003) comb. nov. (cf. Figs 321– 322 View Figs 321–322 ); coxa with strong retrolateral apophysis, trochanter with rounded ventral process, femur proximally with retrolateral process, distally with prominent rounded ventral process, retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia in very distal position; procursus ( Figs 312–314 View Figs 312–320 ) proximally simple, without retrolateral process, small dorsal processes, distally with two distinctive flat elements; genital bulb ( Figs 315–317 View Figs 312–320 ) with distinctive ventral and dorsal sclerites on embolar division, with slender prolateral pointed process.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 5%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsus 1 with ~35 pseudosegments, mostly distinct. Coxa 4 not modified.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 308 View Figs 306–311 ). Tibia 1 missing. Epigynum ( Fig. 331 View Figs 331–337 ) longer than wide, widening anteriorly, posterior margin strongly sclerotized, internal sclerites partly visible in uncleared specimens. Internal genitalia ( Figs 320 View Figs 312–320 , 332–333 View Figs 331–337 ) with strong median sclerite on ventral wall of uterus externus

( not on epigynal plate), pore plates on distinctively curved sclerite, with small round anterior median receptacle.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Venezuela , Mérida (Fig. 1042).

Natural history

The two specimens were collected from holes in the ground near an almost dried up stream in a small forest remnant.

ZFMK

Germany, Bonn, Zoologische Forschungsinstitut und Museum "Alexander Koenig"

ZFMK

Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Pholcidae

Genus

Mecolaesthus

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