Tarsonops irataylori, Bond, Jason E. & Taylor, Steven J., 2013

Bond, Jason E. & Taylor, Steven J., 2013, A new species of Tarsonops (Araneae, Caponiidae) from southern Belize, with a key to the genera of the subfamily Nopinae, ZooKeys 289, pp. 57-64 : 60-62

Tarsonops irataylori sp. n. Map 1Figs 16

Type material.

Holotype male from BELIZE: Toledo District: Cave near Pueblo Creek Cave: 37 km WNW of Punta Gorda, 16°12'N, 89°08'W (Figure 1): 16 April 2011: sjt11-018: Coll. Michael E. Slay, Jean K. Krejca, Christy M. Slay, Geoffrey B. Hoese, Germano Coe. Sample# 253, Specimen# 0222. On dry flowstone in entrance zone, 0.1 lux, air temperature 25.7 °C, soil temperature 23.5 °C, relative humidity 91.2%. Deposited in the Auburn University Museum of Natural History collection.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors the contributions of Mr. Ira W. Taylor to the study of subterranean ecosystems.

Diagnosis. Tarsonops irataylori sp. n. differs from all known species of Tarsonops by the absence of a ventral translucent keel on the anterior metatarsi and a highly reduced translucent extension of the membrane between the anterior metatarsi and tarsi.

Description of male holotype.

Specimen preparation and condition . Specimen collected live, preserved in 70% ethanol. Coloration may be faded. Pedipalp, leg I left side removed and stored in vial with specimen. General coloration . Carapace, chelicerae, legs light orangish red (Figs 1, 2). Abdomen uniform very pale grayish brown dorsally. No dorsal carapace or abdominal patterning. Cephalothorax . Carapace 1.56 long, 1.40 wide, with sparse thin setae, surface lightly granular (Fig. 3), pars cephalica elevated slightly. Clypeus height 1.5 × eye diameter. Two eyes, eyes separated by distance equal to radius. Sternum lightly setose, widest between coxae II, III (Fig. 4). Sternum length 1.12, width 1.00. Palpal endites rectangular, anterior margin rounded, extending slightly beyond anterior margin of labium (Fig. 4). Labium width 0.348, length 0.244. Legs. Leg I: 1.67, 0.740, 1.34, 1.41, 0.626; Leg II: 1.672, 0.751, 1.335, 1.485, 0.568; Leg III: 1.401, 0.600, 1.120, 1.404, 0.720; Leg IV: 1.814, 0.663, 1.509, 2.000, 1.028. Legs I-IV metatarsi and tarsi subsegmented distally (Fig. 6). Superior tarsal claw, Leg I with 5 teeth; inferior tarsal claw not extending dorsally between superior tarsal claws. Tarsus I with two trichobothria. Metatarsus I with 4 trichobothria, arranged along dorsal midline, lacking a ventral translucent keel, translucent extension of the membrane between the anterior metatarsus I and tarsus I greatly reduced, barely evident on close examination as wrinkled bump. Leg I illustrated in Figure 6. Pedipalp. (Figs 5, 6): 0.522, 0.270, 0.357, 0.940; bulb total length 0.618. Dense group of setae on prolateral tibial surface. Embolus short, less than 1/4th length of bulb, tapering to sharp single point, bulb sub-spherical.