Euctenizinae Raven 1985

Bond, Jason E., Hamilton, Chris A., Godwin, Rebecca L., Ledford, Joel M. & Starrett, James, 2020, Phylogeny, Evolution, and Biogeography of the North American Trapdoor Spider Family Euctenizidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) and the Discovery of a New ‘ Endangered Living Fossil’ Along California’s Central Coast, Insect Systematics and Diversity 4 (2020), No. 2, pp. 1-14 : 10-13

Subfamily Euctenizinae Raven 1985

urn:l s id:zoo b an k.org:act: C2 7FB 6 8 8-5D8E-4 E7 7 - A B CC - FD108DC4C22D

Type Genus: Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875

Included Genera: Entychides Simon, 1888 ; Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875 ; Neoapachella Bond and Opell, 2002 ; Promyrmekiaphila Schenkel, 1950 ; Cryptocteniza n. gen.

Genus Cryptocteniza n. gen. Bond & Hamilton http://species-id.net/wiki/ Cryptocteniza

Figs. 1 , 5 , and 6

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Etymology: The verbal adjective ‘hidden secret’ is prefixed to Cteniza , which is the Greek feminine noun ‘comb’. The latter in reference to the comb-like rastellum common in taxa formerly assigned to the family Ctenizidae (e.g., Eucteniza ); the prefix in reference to both the diminutive form of the rastellum and the seemingly ‘hidden in plain sight’ nature of the genus.

Type Species: Cryptocteniza kawtak Bond & Hamilton

Diagnosis: Males of this genus can be recognized by having a leg I mating clasper tibia that is armed ventrally with a slender, forward curved, anterior mating spur bearing two stout spines ( Fig. 5A and D ); tibia I lacks a distal, mid lateral spur found on closely related Entychides males. Neoapachella and Eucteniza males both have large leg I tibial prolateral spines that lack a prominent forward curved apophysis but are typically positioned on a low mound or spur. Promyrmekiaphila male tibia lack altogether similar armature but rather have a cluster of spines. Females are similar in general appearance but are dark in coloration and have a faint abdominal banding pattern ( Fig. 6A ) that is lacking in Entychides . Spermathecal morphology is subtly unique—anterior bulb receptacula are short, unbranched, heavily sclerotized, and angled inward ( Figs. 6D and E ), whereas other genera have a long lateral base ( Entychides ), are much shorter ( Eucteniza ), or angled laterally ( Promyrmekiaphila ). Neoapachella females have a straight thoracic fovea and a unique patch of spines on the retrolateral surface of tarsus IV, whereas Cryptocteniza females have a procurved thoracic fovea and lack the tarsal spine patch.

General Description: Small- to medium-sized trapdoor spiders. Cephalothorax longer than wide, sloping posteriorly but nearly flat, lacks pubescence. Carapace sclerotization equal across its length. Thoracic fovea intermediate to wide, procurved ( Figs. 5C and 6A ) and deep. Carapace of males fringed with stout black setae ( Fig. 6A ). Eyes on a low tubercle, slightly raised in males ( Fig. 5C ), not so in females ( Figs. 6A and B ). AME and PME subequal diameter. PME row slightly recurved or straight, AME row nearly straight ( Fig. 6B ). Caput moderately high. Carapace of ethanol preserved specimens appears dark brown. The coloration of living spiders tends to be nearly black. Female and male abdominal coloration distinctive, very dark brown to black with faint transverse banding.

Sternum widened posteriorly, sometimes wider than in other euctenizids, tapering anteriorly. Posterior sigilla large and positioned mid-posteriorly ( Fig. 6C ). Anterior margin of sigilla has a somewhat rounded margin but are not entirely oval. Palpal coxae longer than wide with cuspules distributed across entire surface ( Fig. 6C ). Labium wider than long, with a few, to a moderate number of cuspules. Chelicerae dark brown. Rastellum consists of two to three spines not borne on a distinctive mound. Fangs long but heavily built. Cheliceral furrow promargin with row of large teeth. Retromarginal row consists of a patch of denticles.

Apical PLS article short, domed. Spinnerets mostly with pumpkiniform spigots with several articulated spigots interspersed on apical and median articles of PLS and the PMS. Two to three large, articulated spigots on apical most aspect of the PLS. PMS article robust. See Bond and Opell (2002) for more detailed descriptions of these spigot types.

Anterior leg articles slender relative to posterior. Tarsi short and robust. Female scopulae long, dense, symmetrical, extending full length of tarsus and metatarsus I–II scopulae extend no further than the tarsus of the pedipalp. Posterior legs lack distinct scopulae. Pedipalp claw with many teeth. Male tarsi I and II with relatively dense scopulae similar to females. Basal palpal tooth and STC I–IV basal tooth not elongate, positioned on the median keel, not bifid. STC IV with five or more teeth. Female anterior legs with few ventral spines. Prolateral surface of female patella III covered in numerous thick spines. Distal ventral aspect of tarsus IV with short, sparse spine patch. Preening combs absent. Tarsal trichobothria arranged in a zigzag pattern with typical base. Spermathecae with a short base and posteriorly heavily sclerotized.

Male tibia I with a distal ventral apophysis (clasping spur) bearing two stout distal spines. Metatarsus I with proximal ventral to prolateral excavation bordered distally by a low distal swelling. Palpal cymbium lacks spines. Palpal bulb normal, similar to other euctenizid species ( Fig. 5B and E ), embolus long. Palpal femur short, lacks spines.

Distribution: The genus is monotypic and known only from the type locality of the type species ( Fig. 1 ).

Cryptocteniza kawtak n. sp. Bond & Hamilton

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http://species-id.net/wiki/ Cryptocteniza _kawtak

Type Material: HOLOTYPE MALE ( BMEA101070 ; deposited in the BME) and two FEMALE PARATYPES (each deposited in the BME and CAS) from United States, California, Monterey County Moss Landing State Beach, vegetated dunes between roadway and beach, N 36. 80876 W -121.78902, coll. by J. Bond 2005–2019.

Etymology: The specific epithet is a noun in opposition from the Amah Mutsun inflected form of the word for seashore, kaw. The name was constructed to honor the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and reflects the occurrence of this species along the coast (seashore). Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 1700s, the Amah Mutsun had lived for thousands of years on lands in the Monterey Bay and Moss Landing region. Like many of the native indigenous tribes of California, the Amah Mutsun suffered oppression and slavery under Spanish and Mexican rule, followed by near extermination at the hands of the United States and California State governments. With their lands stolen, the first governor of California, Peter Hardemann Burnett (1807–1895), actively promoted the extermination of California’s native peoples, which included the Amah Mutsun. Over the past few decades, there have been substantial efforts to revitalize the language of the Mutsun people; its last fluent speaker, Ascension Solarsano, died in 1930 ( Warner et al. 2016). Formation of the specific epithet herein referenced the Mutsun-English dictionary published by Warner et al. (2016). A detailed history of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, its culture and language can be found at http:// amahmutsun.org/.

Diagnosis: The species is distinguished in the generic diagnosis.

MALE HOLOTYPE: Specimen preparation and condition. Specimen preserved in 70% EtOH. Pedipalp, leg I removed, stored in vial with specimen. General coloration in alcohol. Carapace black 2.5Y 2.5/1; abdomen same with faint dusky banding. Cephalothorax. Carapace 3.29 long, 3.28 wide, glabrous, pars cephalica elevated. Fringe with heavy setae extending to midline.Thoracic fovea groove deep, procurved. Eyes on slightly raised tubercle. AER, PER slightly recurved. PME, AME, subequal diameter. Sternum moderately setose, STRl 2.19, STRw 1.88. Posterior sternal sigilla large, oval, not contiguous; anterior sigilla pair smaller, placed at margin. ANTd comprising five large teeth; posterior margin with patch of ~14 smaller teeth. Palpal coxa, numerous cuspules across entire surface, labium with six cuspules, LBw 0.695, LBl 0.402. Rastellum five stout spines not on a mound. Abdomen. Moderately setose; apical segment of PLS short, triangular in shape. Legs. Leg I: 3.26, 1.72, 1.82, 2.11, 1.21; leg IV: 3.01, 1.33, 2.54, 2.51, 1.33. Moderately dense scopulae on tarsi I, II and distal half of metatarsi I, II. Tarsus I with thin band of ~6 trichobothria. ITC small, gently curved. Leg I spination pattern ( Fig. 5A and D ); TSp 0, TSr 0, TSrd 0. Pedipalp. PTw 0.864, PTl 1.689, Bl 0.825. Embolus arises sharply from copulatory bulb, long thin tapered ( Fig. 5B and E ).

Variation: Males known only from the holotype specimen.

FEMALE PARATYPE (MY3460): Specimen preparation and condition. Specimen preserved in same manner as male holotype. Color. Same as male. Cephalothorax. Carapace 5.58 long, 5.23 wide, glabrous. Lacks fringe. Thoracic fovea groove deep and procurved. Tubercle absent. AER nearly straight, PER straight to slightly recurved. AME, PME subequal diameter ( Fig. 6B ). Sternum moderately setose, STRl 3.19, STRw 2.92. Posterior sigilla large, widely separated sub-oval in shape; medial anterior sigilla relatively small, positioned laterally. ANTd with five teeth with posterior margin comprising denticle patch. Palpal coxae, numerous cuspules, spread evenly across; labium with many cuspules, LBw 1.09, LBl 0.87. Rastellum comprises four spines not on a tubercle. Legs. Leg I: 4.35, 2.35, 2.46, 2.45, 1.42; leg IV: 3.88, 2.56, 3.36, 3.12, 1.60. Dense scopulae tarsus/metatarsus of Legs I/II, tarsus/tibia of pedipalp. Tarsus I with ~10 trichobothria arranged a relatively tight staggered row. PTLs>30, TBs 12. ITC small, gently curved. Preening combs absent. Anterior spermathecae short, heavily sclerotized, unbranched ( Fig. 6B and C ). Apical segment of PLS short, domed.

Variation (n = 5): Cl 4.71–5.58, 5.24 ± 0.16; Cw 4.3–5.23, 4.76 ± 0.19; STRl 2.67–3.3, 3.05 ± 0.11; STRw 2.55–3.08, 2.8 ± 0.09; LBw 0.95–1.15, 1.03 ± 0.04; LBl 0.76–1.03, 0.88 ± 0.04; Leg I: 11.27–14.12, 12.69 ± 0.46; ANTd 4–6, 5 ± 0.32; PTLs 21–27, 22.6 ± 1.12; TBs 4–11, 7.2 ± 1.39.

Additional Material Examined: Numerous female specimens collected at the type locality, deposited in BME and CAS.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality at Moss Landing State Beach, Monterey County, California.

Natural History: Cryptocteniza kawtak individuals build moderately deep (compared to syntopic Aptotichus simus and A. stephencolberti ) burrows that are often> 30 cm in depth. Their heavily silk-lined burrows have unbranched entrances and are covered with a thin silkensand trapdoor. Based on limited data, males likely disperse in late August through November.

Conservation Status: Using NatureServe ( Faber-Langendoen et al. 2012) Conservation Status Rank criteria, we consider the status of Cryptocteniza kawtak to be CRITICALLY IMPERILED because of

its high risk of extinction due to a very restricted range (only a single population/occurrence is known). Like other coastal dune taxa, C. kawtak faces other threats as a consequence of sea-level rise and invasive plant species ( Nicholls et al. 2008, Nicholls and Cazenave 2010, Sarmati et al. 2019).

Figures

Fig. 1. The type locality and geographical distribution of Cryptocteniza. (A) Map inset of California showing approximate location of Moss Landing State Beach in Monterey County. (B–D) Aerial drone photographs of Moss Landing State Beach. (B) Overhead composite photograph. (C) Northward view. (D) View looking southward.

Fig. 5. Cryptocteniza kawtak n. sp. male HOLOTYPE. (A, B) Line drawings, retrolateral view. (A) Leg I, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus showing ventral mating spur. (B) Pedipalp. (C) Habitus,scale bar = 5 mm. (D) Retrolateral view of Leg I. (E) Retrolateral view of pedipalp.

Fig. 6. Cryptocteniza kawtak n. sp. female. (A) Habitus female PARATYPE; scale bar = 5 mm. (B, C) Detailed anatomy of eye group (B) and ventral aspect of prosoma. (D, E) Cleared spermathecae of paratype (D) and other paratype from the type locality (E).