Escaphiella, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, The American Goblin Spiders Of The New Genus Escaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (328), pp. 1-151 : 9-12

Escaphiella , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Scaphiella hespera Chamberlin.

ETYMOLOGY: The generic name is a contraction of ‘‘escaped from Scaphiella ’’ and is feminine in gender.

DIAGNOSIS: These animals resemble members of Scaphiella in having laterally extended ventral abdominal scuta, but can be distinguished by having relatively short, wide chelicerae without macrosetae (fig. 63), a basally unexpanded tarsus on the female pedipalp (fig. 78), no macrosetae on the palpal tarsus in either sex (figs. 55, 78), a male embolus originating on a pronounced base (figs. 56, 57), and a groove connecting the posterior spiracles (figs. 34, 86).

DESCRIPTION: Total length 1.0–3.3. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace without any pattern, ovoid in dorsal view (figs. 16, 62), pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view (figs. 17, 64), anteriorly narrowed to between 0.5 and 0.75 times its maximum width, with rounded posterolateral corners; posterolateral edge without pits, posterior margin not bulging below posterior rim (figs. 18, 65), anterolateral corners without extension or projections (fig. 63), posterolateral surface without spikes, thorax without depressions, fovea absent, without radiating rows of pits; lateral margin straight, rebordered; plumose setae near posterior margin of pars thoracica absent; nonmarginal pars cephalica setae needlelike, dark, scattered (but with row near margin in male E. gigantea and female E. gigantea , E. schmidti , and E. viquezi ); nonmarginal pars thoracica setae dark, needlelike. Clypeus margin unmodified, vertical in lateral view, curved downwards in front view (except in E. gigantea and E. magna , where straight), high, ALE separated from edge of carapace by their radius or more, median projection absent, setae present, dark, needlelike. Chilum absent. Eyes six, well developed, ALE largest, PLE oval; posterior eye row procurved from above and front; PLE-PME touching. Sternum longer than wide (figs. 19, 66), coloration uniform, fused to carapace, median concavity absent, radial furrow opposite coxae III absent; without pits, sickle-shaped structures absent, anterior margin with continuous transverse groove (except in E. gigantea and E. bahia males), posterior margin not extending posteriorly of coxae IV, anterior corner unmodified, lateral margin without infracoxal grooves, distance between coxae approximately equal, extensions of precoxal triangles absent, lateral margins unmodified, without posterior hump; setae sparse, dark, needlelike, densest laterally, originating from surface, without hair tufts. Chelicerae slightly divergent (figs. 24, 73), anterior face unmodified (figs. 22, 72); paturon with anterolateral keel, one large, plumose seta on anterior and posterior face at middle of fang base (fig. 23, not observed in E. argentina ); promargin usually without teeth (but males of E. hespera have one tooth, figs. 25, 27), retromargin without teeth; without toothlike projections, directed medially, shape normal, without prominent basal process, tip unmodified; setae dark, needlelike; paturon inner margin with scattered setae (densest medially in E. gigantea ), distal region unmodified, posterior surface unmodified, promargin unmodified (fig. 75), inner margin unmodified, laminate groove absent; fang with hookshaped projection at base in males of E. hespera (figs. 26, 27, projection not present in females, fig. 74) and E. litoris (figs. 142– 145). Labium triangular, fused to sternum (figs. 20, 67), anterior margin not indented at middle, same as sternum in sclerotization; with six or more setae on anterior margin, subdistal portion with unmodified setae, anterior surface with transverse rows of teeth (figs. 41, 76); labrum triangular (figs. 21, 69, 70, 756). Endites distally excavated, serrula present as single row of teeth in females (fig. 71), absent in males (fig. 28); anteriorly deeply depressed, with transverse ridge in males (figs. 29, 30), apex in both sexes with modified setae (figs. 31, 68) but anteromedian tip usually unmodified (exceptions noted in species descriptions), posteromedian part unmodified, same as sternum in sclerotization. Female palp without claw or spines; prolateral surface of femur with stridulatory file (fig. 78); patella without prolateral row of ridges; tibia with three dorsal trichobothria (fig. 77); tarsus with distal patch of setae (fig. 79). ABDOMEN: without long posteri- or extension, rounded posteriorly (figs. 32, 80), interscutal membrane with setae, without rows of small sclerotized platelets (fig. 83). Book lung covers without setae, anterolateral edge unmodified; book lungs with few leaves. Posterior spiracles connected by groove (fig. 34), leading to large tracheal tubes extending into cephalothorax and numerous small posterior trachaeoles (figs. 33, 81, 576). Pedicel plumose hairs absent, matted setae on anterior ventral abdomen in pedicel area absent, cuticular outgrowths near pedicel absent. Dorsal scutum absent in females (fig. 84), present in males (fig. 35), strongly sclerotized, without color pattern, anterior half without projecting denticles. Epigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, surrounding pedicel, not protruding, small lateral sclerites absent, without lateral joints in females. Postepigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, long, semicircular, covering nearly full length of abdomen (except in females of E. cristobal , where covering only about 3/4 of abdominal length), fused to epigastric scutum (fig. 85), anterior margin unmodified, without posteriorly directed lateral apodemes. Spinneret scutum present, incomplete ring, supra-anal scutum absent. Dorsum setae present, dark, needlelike; epigastric area setae uniform, dark, needlelike; postepigastric area setae present, dark, needlelike; spinneret scutum with fringe of needlelike setae, dense patch of setae anterior to spinnerets absent. Colulus represented only by setae (fig. 36); ALS with one or two spigots (figs. 38, 90), PMS with or without spigot, sometimes fused (figs. 37, 40, 87–89, 91) or absent, PLS with one or two spigots (figs. 39, 92). LEGS: without color pattern; femur IV not thickened, same size as femora I–III, patella plus tibia I shorter than carapace, tibia I unmodified, tibia I Emerit’s glands absent, tibia IV specialized hairs on ventral apex absent, tibia IV ventral scopula absent, metatarsi I, II meso-apical comb absent, metatarsi III, IV weak ventral scopula absent. Leg spines absent; tarsal proclaws and retroclaws inner face smooth; tarsi I–IV superior claws with four teeth on lateral surface of proclaw, one tooth on median surface in males, two teeth on median surface in females, four teeth on lateral surface of retroclaw, one tooth on median surface in males, two teeth on median surface in females (only E. hespera claws scanned in detail, figs. 44–47, 93–96). Tarsi without inferior claws. Trichobothria: tibiae each with three (fig. 97), metatarsi each with one (fig. 42); base rounded, aperture internal texture not gratelike, hood smooth (figs. 48, 49, 98). Tarsal organ situated at about 3/4 of segment length (figs. 43, 99), opening an elongated slit, with one sensillum visible (figs. 50–53, 100). GENITALIA: Male epigastric region with sperm pore large, circular, situated at level of anterior spiracles (rebordered in E. gigantea and E. hespera ); furrow without Ω- shaped insertions, without setae. Male palp normal size, not strongly sclerotized; embolus prolateral excavation absent; trochanter normal size, unmodified; femur without posteriorly rounded lateral dilation, attaching to patella basally, two or more times as long as trochanter; patella shorter than femur, not enlarged, without prolateral row of ridges, setae unmodified; tibia with three trichobothria (fig. 54); cymbium ovoid in dorsal view, completely fused with bulb, no seam visible, plumose setae absent, without stout setae, with distal patch of short setae (figs. 60, 61); bulb 1 to 1.5 times as long as cymbium, stout, prolateral surface with stridulatory file (figs. 55, 101). Embolus on distinct base (figs. 56, 57, 101–105), with opening far from tip (figs. 58, 59). Female epigynum rounded (fig. 106), with median copulatory opening (fig. 86), internally with anterior sclerite and lateral apodemes (fig. 82).

DISTRIBUTION: California and Utah south to Chile and Argentina.

30. Same, anterior view. 31. Modified setae on endite tip, dorsal view.