Guaranita auadae Huber, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. & Izquierdo, Matías A., 2023, Revision of the South American Ninetinae genus Guaranita (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 900 (1), pp. 32-80 : 60-63

Guaranita auadae Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8409459A-BDA1-4650-9765-44EA30ABDECF

Figs 2G – H , 21 – 23 , 32D

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by shape of dorsal flap on procursus ( Fig. 22F ; distally narrow and curved); also by wider distal bulbal sclerite ( Fig. 22G ; similar only in G. goloboffi ), by relatively short male palpal femur ( Fig. 21C ; length/width 1.9; other species 2.1 – 2.6) and by female internal genitalia ( Fig. 23C – D ; median structure rectangular, similar to G. goloboffi but smaller).

Etymology

The species name honors Ángela Auad (1945 – 1977), an Argentine social activist who worked with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo until she was kidnapped, tortured and murdered.

Type material

Holotype ARGENTINA – Jujuy • ♂; between San Salvador and Purmamarca, ‘site 2’; 23.8849° S, 65.4613° W; 2150 m a.s.l.; 16 – 17 Mar. 2019; B.A. Huber and M.A. Izquierdo leg.; LABRE-Ar 1016.

Paratypes ARGENTINA • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 24125 • 2 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀ (together with 11 juvs); same collection data as for holotype; LABRE-Ar 880 .

Other material examined

ARGENTINA – Jujuy • 6 ♀♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol (two female prosomata used for molecular work, two cleared female genitalia transferred to ZFMK Ar 24125); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Arg179 • 3 ♀♀, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; LABRE-Ar 867 • 1 ♀, with 6 eggs, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; LABRE-Ar 866 .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 0.97, carapace width 0.42. Distance PME–PME 40 µm; diameter PME 40 µm; distance PME–ALE 20 µm; distance AME–AME 25 µm; diameter AME 25 µm. Leg 1: 2.02 (0.58+ 0.14 +0.50 +0.48 +0.32), tibia 2: 0.40, tibia 3: 0.36, tibia 4: 0.60; tibia 1 L/d: 7; diameters of leg femora 0.095, of leg tibiae: 0.07.

COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs ochre-yellow, legs without darker rings; abdomen ochre-grey with indistinct internal marks.

BODY ( Fig. 2G ). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum slightly wider than long (0.34/0.31), with pair of rounded anterior processes near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 22A – C ). With pair of long frontal apophyses; with stridulatory files poorly visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS ( Fig. 21A – C ). Coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick, distally widened but simple; femur-patella joints slightly shifted towards prolateral side; tibia globular, with two trichobothria; tibia-tarsus joints not shifted to one side; procursus as in Fig. 22D – F , with dorsal flap curved towards distal, large transparent ventral membrane, tip of procursus bent towards dorsal; genital bulb as in Fig. 22G – I , with simple proximal sclerite, distal sclerite wide, narrowing distally.

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; vertical hairs not seen; trichobothria of tibia 1 not seen; tarsus 1 with 5 – 6 pseudosegments, poorly visible in dissecting microscope.

VARIATION (male). Tibia 1 in three other males: 0.51, 0.52, 0.55.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 2H ) but sternum without pair of anterior humps, and chelicerae apparently without stridulatory files. Tibia 1 in 16 females: 0.50 – 0.60 (mean 0.56). Epigynum ( Fig. 23A ) with simple trapezoidal anterior plate; posterior plate short and simple. Internal genitalia ( Fig. 23C – D ) very simple, with median sclerotized structure (receptacle?), apparently with small pore plates ( Fig. 32D ).

Natural history

The spiders were found under rocks on an arid slope ( Fig. 34D ). The habitat was shared with another species of Ninetinae , Nerudia colina Huber, 2023 . Two egg-sacs contained six and eight eggs, respectively; egg diameter: 0.36.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Argentina, Jujuy ( Fig. 33B ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Guaranita Huber, 2000, live specimens. A–B. G. dobby Torres et al., 2016; females with egg-sacs from NW of Campo Quijano. C–D. G. munda (Gertsch, 1982); male and female with eggsac from E of Nono. E–F. G. yaculica Huber, 2000; male and female from Calilegua National Park. G–H. G. auadae Huber sp. nov.; male and female with egg-sac from between San Salvador and Purmamarca. I–J. G. goloboffi Huber, 2000; male and female from NW of Chumbicha.

Fig. 21. Guaranita auadae Huber sp. nov.; male from between San Salvador and Purmamarca (ZFMK Ar 24125). Left pedipalp, prolateral (A), dorsal (B), and retrolateral (C) views. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 22. Guaranita auadae Huber sp. nov.; male from between San Salvador and Purmamarca (ZFMK Ar 24125). A–C. Chelicerae, frontal, lateral, and ventral views. D–F. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. G–I. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 23. Guaranita auadae Huber sp. nov.; females from between San Salvador and Purmamarca (ZFMK Ar 24125). A. Abdomen, ventral view. B. Cleared epigynum, ventral view. C–D. Cleared epigyna of two specimens, dorsal views. Scale bars = 0.1 mm (B–D at same scale).

Fig. 32. Guaranita Huber, 2000, female internal genitalia; arrows point at possible pore plates. A. G. dobby Torres et al., 2016; from NW of Campo Quijano. B. G. munda (Gertsch, 1982); from E of Nono. C. G. yaculica Huber, 2000; from Calilegua National Park. D. G. auadae Huber sp. nov., from between San Salvador and Purmamarca. E. G. goloboffi Huber, 2000; from NW of Chumbicha. Scale bar = 0.1 mm (all at same scale).

Fig. 34. Typical habitats of species of Guaranita Huber, 2000 in Argentina. A. NW of Campo Quijano (Salta), G. dobby Torres et al., 2016. B. E of Nono (Córdoba), G. munda (Gertsch, 1982). C. Calilegua National Park (Jujuy), G. yaculica Huber, 2000. D. Between San Salvador and Purmamarca (Jujuy), type locality of G. auadae Huber sp. nov. E. SW of Alemanía (Salta), G. goloboffi Huber, 2000. F. W of Cafayate (Salta), G. goloboffi.

Fig. 33. Known distribution of Guaranita Huber, 2000. Inset: map of South America, showing all known records. A–B. Known distributions of individual species. Question marks denote dubious outliers (Torres et al. 2015, 2016; not restudied) that need confirmation.