Helvetia santarema Peckham & Peckham, 1894

Gustavo R. S. Ruiz & Antonio D. Brescovit, 2008, Revision of Helvetia (Araneae: Salticidae: Heliophaninae), Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1), pp. 139-147 : 142

Helvetia santarema Peckham & Peckham, 1894

Figs 11-12

Helvetia santarema Peckham & Peckham, 1894: 119 , pl. 12, figs 2, 2a-d ( three female syntypes from Santarém, Pará, Brazil, deposited in Museum of Comparative Zoology, not examined ); Galiano 1963b: 2, pl. I, figs 7-10; Galiano, 1965: 48, fig. 9; Platnick, 2007.

Helvetia riojanensis ; Galiano, 1965: 50, figs 5-6 (female paratype misidentified).

Cotinusa humillima ; Galiano, 1963b: 2 (mismatched male, erroneously synonymized with H. santarema , revalidated in this paper); Galiano, 1965: 47.

Note. Since the type specimens of Helvetia santarema have not been examined, the synonymy is established based on the good illustrations by PECKHAM & PECKHAM (1894, figs 2, 2a-d).

Diagnosis. Females of Helvetia santarema are similar to those of H. albovittata because of the very long copulatory ducts ( Fig. 12 ), but can be distinguished by having very closely set copulatory openings, forming an atrium ( Fig. 11 ).

Description. Female. Described by PECKHAM & PECKHAM (1894: 119).

Male. Unknown.

Note. GALIANO (1963b) supposedly found the male of this species described by Mello-Leitão as Cotinusa humillima , synonymizing these species. This male has a shorter embolus than that expected to be present in this species. The general epigynal conformation of H. santarema is very close to that of H. albovittata , with very long copulatory ducts. The male of H. albovittata , however, has a very long embolus, arising very proximally in the palp and making a loop on the retrolateral, distal part of the cymbium, which is itself modified to hold it. Since there seems to be a very strong correlation between the length of the embolus and the length of the copulatory ducts, Galiano’s establishment is considered erroneous and Cotinusa humillima is revalidated.

Material examined. ARGENTINA, Misiones: 1 female, X.1943, J. Viana leg. ( MACN 5110 ) .

Distribution. Known from Argentina (see also GALIANO

1965: 50) and from the state of Pará, Brazil.

Figures

Figures 11-14. Epigynum of (11-12) Helvetia santarema: (11) ventral view̡ (12) dorsal view; (13-14) Helvetia albovittata: (13) ventral view̡ (14) dorsal view. Bars = 0.25 mm.