Normplatnicka chilensis Rix & Harvey, 2010

Rix, Michael & Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, ZooKeys 36 (36), pp. 1-321 : 65-67

Normplatnicka chilensis Rix & Harvey , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ACD612C7-0D41-460B-B0DA-560F2E95EA66

Figs 99C , 102–103, 212

Type material. Holotype male: Parque Nacional Queulat , near Puerto Cisnes, Aisén province, Región Ibáñez del Campo, Chile, 500 m, wet forest, 6.II.1985, N. Platnick, O. Francke ( AMNH).

Paratypes: Allotype female, same data as holotype ( AMNH); 1 female, same data as holotype ( AMNH) .

Other material examined. CHILE: Región XI (Ibáñez del Campo): Aisén: 30 km N. of Puyuhuapi, 100 m, sifted moss on logs, 29.I.1985, S. & J. Peck, 1♀ ( AMNH). Región X (Los Lagos): Chiloé: Chiloé Island, 5 km N. of Quellon, 105 m, Berlese from modified forest, floor litter and moss, 1.XII.1981, N. Platnick, T. Schuh, 2♀ ( AMNH). Llanquihue: Alerce Andino, near Laguna Fria, Berlese from mixed forest with Fitzroya cupresoides , 41°30'30"S, 72°37'00"W, 21.XII.2000, J. Miller, F. Alvarez, J. Coddington, 2♁ ( NMNH).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the distribution of this species in Chile.

Diagnosis. Males of Normplatnicka chilensis can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the presence of a broad, flange-like distal apophysis on the pedipalpal patella (Fig. 103B). Females can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the distinctive shape of the external epigyne (Fig. 102D). Both sexes can also be recognised by the Chilean distribution (Fig. 212). In the field this species is likely to be confused only with the sympatric species Eperiella alsophila , which has a very different male pedipalp and female epigyne.

Description. Holotype male: Total length 0.88. Carapace 0.48 long, 0.37 wide. Abdomen 0.49 long, 0.33 wide. Leg I femur 0.33. Cephalothorax, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream dorsally with chequered olive and cream pattern laterally and ventrally. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.6x diameter of ALE; PME separated by their own diameter. Chelicerae each with bulging anterior projection; promargin with three peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femur-carapace ratio 0.69); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute and lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalpal patella with retrolaterally-directed, hooked lRPA, broad, flange-like distal apophysis and ornate, ridged cuticular microstructure; tegulum smooth, with excavate ETR and large, ventrally-pronounced tegular extension; embolus short (length <5× width), spur-like, situated at apical margin of tegular extension adjacent to small, pointed process (Fig. 103).

Allotype female: Total length 1.04. Carapace 0.47 long, 0.39 wide. Abdomen 0.73 long, 0.49 wide. Leg I femur 0.35. Cephalothorax, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream with darker tan-yellow epigyne. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.5x diameter of ALE; PME separated by slightly less than their own diameter. Chelicerae without bulging anterior projections; promargin without peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femurcarapace ratio 0.74); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute and lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalp entire, five-segmented. Epigyne with distinctive external morphology (Fig. 102D); spermathecae globular, spherical; insemination ducts proximally triangular, heavily sclerotised; fertilisation ducts simple, curved ( Fig. 99C ).

Distribution. Known only from southern Chile, in Región Ibáñez del Campo (Aisén province) and Región de los Lagos (Chiloé and Llanquihue provinces) (Fig. 212).

Remarks. Normplatnicka chilensis is a remarkable Chilean textricellin, clearly congeneric with, and very similar to, the Australian species N. lamingtonensis . It is known only from the cool-temperate rainforests of southern Chile, in the regions surrounding Chiloé Island, and has usually been collected in direct sympatry with Eperiella alsophila (Fig. 212).

Figures

Figure 99. Normplatnicka species, female cleared receptacula, dorsal view: A–B N. lamingtonensis (Forster) from Acheron Gap, Victoria (AMNH) C paratype N. chilensis sp. n. from Parque Nacional Queulat, Chile (AMNH) D paratype N. barrettae sp. n. from Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Western Australia (WAM T94473). Arrows indicate the trajectory of insemination ducts. Scale bars = 0.065 mm (65 µm).