Ixchela taxco, Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, 2013

Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Ixchela Huber, 2000 (Araneae: Pholcidae), with description of ten new species from Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 3608 (5), pp. 285-327 : 312-314

Ixchela taxco new species

Figures 134–145

Type data. MEXICO: Guerrero: 1 3 holotype (CNAN T0710) [23 October 2010; A. Valdez, J. Cruz, G. Contreras, D. Barrales] from “Rancho La Soñadora”, 6 km W of Taxco (lat 18.5614°, lon -99.6363°; 1994 m), Municipio Taxco de Alarcón. Paratypes: 1 Ƥ (CNAN T0711), same data as holotype. 3 ƤƤ, 3 immatures (CNAN T0712), same data as holotype. 2 3 (CNAN T0713) [9 December 2004; A. Valdez, H. Montáño] from Cueva Redonda, La Yerbabuena (lat 18.4383°, lon -99.9301°; 1900 m), Municipio Teloloapan.

Other material examined. MEXICO: Guerrero: 1 Ƥ, 5 immatures (AMNH) [28 July 1956; W. Gertsch, V. Roth] from Taxco (lat 18.555985°, lon -99.604745°; 1773 m), Municipio Taxco de Alarcon.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition and refers to the municipality of the type locality: Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero, Mexico.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguished from congeners by the chelicerae with FAC conical and curved, located in proximal part ( Figs 136, 137 ); by the palp femur with ventral conical protuberance (arrow in Fig. 140 ); and by the epigynum higher than long, pentagonal in frontal view ( Figs 142, 143, 145 ).

Description. Male (Holotype). Prosoma: Carapace pale yellow, with small and grey irregular spots, laterally near to the margin ( Fig. 135 ). Ocular region dark grey, with two thin and long lines from anterior median eyes to posterior part of ocular region, two wide and short lines from posterior median eyes to posterior part of ocular region ( Fig. 135 ). Fovea with a pale grey region surrounding it, arrow-shaped ( Fig. 135 ). Clypeus with pale orange longitudinal region, darker distally ( Fig. 138 ). Chelicerae brown on prolateral part, with SAC large ( Fig. 136 ). Sternum pale yellow. Labium and endites brown, pale distally. Legs: Coxae pale yellow. Trochanters orange. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi pale orange. Patellae brown. Legs with only one subdistal brown ring on femora, and one basal and one distal brown ring on tibiae. Opisthosoma: Conical, dark blue, larger than high ( Fig. 134 ). Gonopore plate pale brown. Palp: Femur pale yellow, VAF conical and large ( Fig. 140 ). Patella and tibia orange. Procursus brown, paller basally, with thin distal spine ( Figs 140, 141 ). Embolus long and conical, dorsally with apical spine small, ventrally with apical projection large and curved ( Figs 139–141 ). PAB rounded ( Fig. 141 ). Measurements: Total length 7.90. Carapace 3.65 long, 3.30 wide. Clypeus 1.42 long. Diameter AME 0.14, ALE 0.28, PME 0.18, PLE 0.26. Distance ALE-PME 0.26, PME-PME 0.38. Leg I: 50.05 (13.62+1.50+13.75+15.43+5.75), tibia II: 10.81, tibia III: 8.90, tibia IV: 11.87. Tibia I l/d: 21.00.

Female (Paratype). (CNAN T0711). Similar to the male, differences: Prosoma: The grey irregular spots on carapace, more marked than on males. Irregular grey region around the fovea more marked than on males. Clypeus with brown region U-shaped. Legs: Coxae pale yellow, brown in prolateral and retrolateral parts. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi orange. The rings on femora and tibiae more marked than on males. Opisthosoma: Darker blue than the males. Epigynum: Higher than long, conical in lateral view ( Fig. 145 ), with small rounded pit (arrow Fig. 142 ). PP wide, curved laterally ( Fig. 144 ). MSE with upside down Y-shaped, two concavities sac-shaped larger, between MSE and PP ( Fig. 144 ). Measurements. Total length 9.30. Carapace 3.65 long, 3.20 wide. Clypeus 1.50 long. Diameter AME 0.15, ALE 0.26, PME 0.20, PLE 0.26. Distance ALE-PME 0.24. PME-PME 0.33. Leg I: 50.12 (13.37+1.15+13.90+16.00+5.70), tibia II: 10.43, tibia III: 8.75, tibia IV: 11.62; tibia I l/d 22.20.

Variation: There is variation in the size within females. The lateral spots on carapace of females more marked than on males, even can be arc-shaped. One female with legs darker orange than the others. One female with opisthosoma darker blue than the others. Male tibia I: 13.75–13.87 (x = 13.81). Female tibia I: 10.30–13.90 (x = 12.44).

Natural History. The specimens from “Rancho La Soñadora” were collected manually on their irregular sheet webs on walls along road-cuts within an oak-pine forest ( Fig. 8 ); the male holotype was collected in a moist area, shaded and covered with roots and leaf-litter 30 cm blow ground level. The males paratype from Cueva Redonda, were collected about 10 m inside the cave on their sheet webs among boulders, the cave had humidity ca 70%. The cave is located in a disturbed oak forest.

Distribution. MEXICO: Guerrero ( Fig. 146 ).

Figures

FIGURE 146. Known distribution of Ixchela mixe new species, Ixchela huberi new species, Ixchela juarezi new species, Ixchela grix new species and Ixchela taxco new species.

FIGURES 134 – 145. Ixchela taxco new species. Male: 134, Habitus, lateral view. 135, Carapace, dorsal view. 136, Chelicerae, frontal view. 137, Chelicera, lateral view. 138, Carapace, frontal view. 139, Bulb and procursus, dorsal view. 140 – 141, Left palp, retrolateral and prolateral views respectively (arrow indicates the vetral protuberance on palp femur). Female: 142, Epigynum, frontal view (arrow indicates the small rounded pit). 143, Epigynum, ventral view. 144, Epigynum, dorsal view. 145, Epigynum, left lateral view. Scales: 1 mm (Figs 134 – 136, 138, 140 – 142), 0.5 mm (Figs 137, 139, 143 – 145).

FIGURES 1 – 12. Living specimens of the genus Ixchela Huber, 2000, from Mexico. 1, Ixchela abernathyi (Gertsch, 1971), female from Km 227 Carretera Federal No. 70 Cd. San Luis Potosí-Rio Verde, San Luis Potosí. 2, Ixchela placida (Gertsch, 1971), female from Cueva de Atlahuilapa, Veracruz. 3, Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971), female from Cueva de Teopisca, Chiapas. 4, Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898) from 2 km W of crossroad Omiltemi-Chautipan, Guerrero. 5, Ixchela mixe new species, female with egg sac from cave near Tlahuitoltepec, Oaxaca. 6, Ixchela huberi new species, male from Santa Inés del Monte, Oaxaca. 7, Ixchela juarezi new species, female with egg sac from 2 km E of Guelatao, Oaxaca. 8, Ixchela taxco new species, female from Rancho La Soñadora, 6 km W of Taxco, Guerrero. 9, Ixchela franckei new species, male from Cueva del Borrego, 3.5 km E of Omiltemi, Guerrero. 10 – 11, Ixchela huasteca new species: 10, male from 1.5 km road to Microondas La Pingüica, Querétaro; 11, female with egg sac from Buenavista, near Ahuacatlan, San Luis Potosí. 12, Ixchela tzotzil new species, male from Grutas de Arcotete, Chiapas.