Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971)

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 : 298

Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971)

Figures 47–59

Coryssocnemis pecki Gertsch, 1971: 58 , figs 4–18 (description Ƥ). Coryssocnemis pecki Huber, 1998c: 595 , fig. 8F (3).

Ixchela pecki Huber, 2000: 153 (Ƥ transfer from Coryssocnemis ).

Type data: MEXICO: Chiapas: 1 3 holotype (not examined), 2 3 and 6 ƤƤ paratypes (examined) (AMNH) [15 August 1969; S. Peck, J. Peck] from Grutas de Arcotete (lat 16.7254°, lon -92.5846°, 2323 m), 6 km E of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Municipio San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Material examined. MEXICO: Chiapas: 2 3 and 6 ƤƤ paratypes, 8 immatures (AMNH) (same data as holotype). 4 immatures (AMNH) [13 August 1969; S. Peck, J. Peck] from Cueva Rancho Nuevo (lat 16.6673°, lon -92.5649°; 2339 m), 10 km E of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Municipio San Cristóbal de las Casas. 2 3, 4 ƤƤ, 15 immatures (CNAN 3347) [17 June 2011; A. Valdez, O. Francke, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz, R. Monjaraz, G. Contreras, K. Zárate] from Cueva de Teopisca (lat 16.5455°, lon -92.4952°; 1825 m), Municipio Teopisca.

Diagnosis. Resembles I. mixe , distinguished by the short FAC with long sclerotized claws apically, larger than I. mixe , almost on median part of chelicerae above a pale region, inwardly directed, located on median part ( Figs 49–51 ); by PAB smaller than I. mixe ( Fig. 54 ); and by epigyna with an oval and small ventral apophysis on anterior part ( Figs 56, 58, 59 ).

Description. Male. (CNAN 3347). Prosoma: Carapace beige, without spots, with a pale gray region in distal marginal part ( Fig. 48 ). Ocular region brown; pale gray V-shaped around the fovea ( Fig. 48 ). Clypeus with a wide longitudinal brown region ( Fig. 51 ). Chelicerae brown, with pale region in median part below FAC ( Fig. 49 ). Sternum pale orange, darker distally; labium dark brown, pale distally; endites brown, pale distally, and yellow on the retrolateral apophysis. Legs: Coxae yellow, pale brown in prolateral and retrolateral parts. Trochanters orange. Femora brown, paler basal and distally; without numerous rings, only a wide gray ring sub-distally, inconspicuous. Patellae dark gray. Tibiae orange, paler distally; with a wide gray ring sub-distally, inconspicuous. Metatarsi and tarsi orange. Opisthosoma: Globular, pale blue, larger than high ( Fig. 47 ). Gonopore plate gray, trapezoidal. Palp: Femur yellow orange, paler ventrally; conical, VAF small and curved ( Fig. 53 ). Patella and tibia dark orange. Procursus orange basally, darker distally; conical, with distal spine straight; with two dorsal basal projections ( Fig. 53 ). VPP with long setae ( Fig. 53 ). Embolus conical, with sclerotized retrolateral dorsal region longitudinal; sclerotized ventral line longitudinal, projected from PAB ( Fig. 53 ). Embolus with long and thin spine distally ( Figs 53–55 ); sub-distally with prolateral sclerotized, curved projection ( Fig. 55 ). Measurements: Total length 6.10. Carapace 2.90 long, 2.70 wide. Clypeus 1.07 long. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.22, PME 0.18, PLE 0.23. Distance ALE-PME 0.10, PME-PME 0.29. Leg I: 56.82 (14.87+1.15+14.37+21.81+4.62). tibia II: 10.62, tibia III: 8.80, tibia IV: 10.25; tibia I l/d 39.16.

Female. (CNAN 3347). Similar to the male, differences: Prosoma: Ocular region brown, lighter than the male. Clypeus with brown region longitudinal region, paler than on the male. Chelicerae pale brown. Sternum pale orange, paler than on the male. Labium dark brown, paler than on the male. Endites brown, paler than on the male. Legs: Coxae yellow, paler than on the male. Trochanters orange, paler than on the male. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi orange, paler than on the male. Epigynum: Wider than long, brown ( Fig. 56 ). PP curved, MSE wide, with big sac-shape concavities between MSE and PP ( Fig. 57 ). Measurements: Total length 6.10. Carapace 2.37 long, 2.15 wide. Clypeus 0.97 long. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.20, PME 0.17, PLE 0.21. Distance ALE-PME 0.09. PME-PME 0.24. Leg I: 47.40 (12.50+0.97+12.31+16.87+4.75), tibia II: 8.85, tibia III: 7.35, tibia IV: 8.75; tibia I l/ d 32.66.

Variation. There is variation in coloration. Males have ocular region, clypeus and legs darker brown than the females. Male tibia I: 14.37 (missing in two males). Female tibia I: 10.62–12.50 (x = 11.65).

Natural History. The spiders were collected inside the cave about 60m from the entrance, in their irregular sheet webs on the walls and among boulders and karst formations (stalagmites and columns) ( Fig. 3 ). The cave showed a high degree of human disturbance, because the people that live in the nearby town make religious ceremonies inside the cave.

Distribution. MEXICO: Chiapas (Gertsch 1971) ( Fig. 85 ).

Figures

FIGURE 85. Known distribution of Ixchela abernathyi (Gertsch, 1971), Ixchela furcula (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902), Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971), Ixchela placida (Gertsch, 1971) and Ixchela simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898).

FIGURES 47 – 59. Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971). Male: 47, Habitus, lateral view. 48, Carapace, dorsal view. 49, Chelicerae, frontal view. 50, Chelicera, lateral view. 51, Carapace, frontal view. 52, Bulb and procursus, dorsal view (arrow indicates the dorsal sclerotized line on embolus). 53 – 54, Left palp, retrolateral and prolateral views respectively (arrows in Fig. 53 indicate the dorsal sclerotized line (left arrow), and ventral sclerotized line on embolus (right arrow )). 55, Left embolus, prolateraldorsal view (arrow indicates the sclerotized spine small and sub-distal on the embolus). Female: 56, Epigynum, ventral view. 57, Epigynum, dorsal view (arrow indicates the sac-shaped concavities between MSE and PP). 58, Epigynum, frontal view. 59, Epigynum, left lateral view. Scales: 1 mm (Figs 47, 48, 51, 53, 54), 0.5 mm (Figs 49, 50, 52, 55 – 59).

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.