Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012

Fukushima, Caroline Sayuri, Cardoso, Pedro & Bertani, Rogerio, 2020, Description of the male of the Critically Endangered tarantula Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with comments on tarantula trade and conservation, ZooKeys 938, pp. 125-136 : 125

Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012 Figures 1 , 2-5 , 6-11 , 12

Diagnosis.

Males of T. curumim resemble those of T. seladonia by having a long embolus, two or more times the tegulum length. Males of T. curumim differ from males of T. seladonia by the presence of shorter and broader embolus (≤ 2.5 × length of tegulum in T. curumim versus> 3.5 × in T. seladonia ; 0.24 mm basal embolus width in T. curumim versus 0.1 mm in T. seladonia ). They also differ by the brownish carapace and legs and abdomen dorsum with a black longitudinal stripe and lateral spots (Figs 1 , 3 ). Apart from the long embolus (Figs 6-10 ), males of T. curumim differ from males of Typhochlaena costae and Typhochlaena amma by the characteristic abdominal color pattern (Figs 1 , 3 ). Additionally, they differ from those of T. costae by the absence of long, curled, yellow setae over the carapace. For females, see the diagnosis by Bertani (2012).

Material examined.

Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Norte, locality data redacted: 1 male, S. N. Migliore leg., 19 April 2014, 19h58, over a bush leaf in a trail, ref. S90 (MNRJ 6915); 1 male, S. N. Migliore leg., 20 April 2014, 20h15, walking over a branch in a tree, ca 2 m high, ref. S102 (MZUSP 75781); locality data redacted: 2 males, W. Pessoa leg., 21-22 September 2014, walking over trees, <2 m high, (MZUSP 75782); state of Ceará, locality data redacted: 1 male, L. S. Carvalho leg., 26-28 July 2013 (UFMG 15101), examined by photography.

Description.

Male. MNRJ 6915. Total length (without chelicera): 9.88. Carapace: 5.18 long, 5.32 wide, 0.98 × longer than wide; cephalic region not raised, thoracic striae inconspicuous. Chelicera: 1.21 long. Abdomen: 4.44 long, 3.74 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 0.70 long, 0.25 wide, 0.25 apart; PLS, 0.67 basal, 0.46 middle, 0.38 distal; midwidths 0.52, 0.47, 0.30, respectively.

Fovea: slightly procurved, shallow, 0.66 wide.

Eyes: eye tubercle 0.88 high, 0.81 long, 1.48 wide. Clypeus absent. Anterior row of eyes procurve. Posterior row of eyes slightly recurve. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.35, ALE 0.35, PME 0.23, PLE 0.28, AME-AME 0.20, AME-ALE 0.19, AME-PME 0.05, ALE-ALE 0.20, ALE-PME 0.29, PME-PME 0.83, PME-PLE 0.05, PLE-PLE 1.11, ALE-PLE 0.2, AME-PLE 0.26.

Maxilla: 2.29 longer than wide. Cuspules: 28 spread over ventral inner heel.

Labium: 0.60 long, 1.04 wide, with 50 cuspules spaced by one diameter of each other on the anterior half. Labio-sternal groove shallow and flattened, with two slightly separate, large sigilla.

Chelicera: rastellum absent, basal segment with seven teeth and some small teeth on promargin.

Sternum: 2.45 long, 2.40 wide. Sigilla: three pairs, posterior and median rounded, less than one diameter from margin; anterior not visible.

Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 6.79, 3.22, 5.48, 4.43, 2.55, 22.47. II: 6.31, 3.02, 4.74, 4.54, 2.32, 20.93. III: 5.26, 2.55, 4.23, 3.80, 2.22, 18.06. IV: 6.62, 2.64, 4.80, 5.14, 1.97, 21.22. Palp: 3.24, 1.80, 2.97, -, 1.09, 9.10. Midwidths: femora I-IV = 1.27, 1.18, 1.16, 1.02, palp = 0.82; patellae I-IV = 1.20, 0.98, 1.00, 1.05, palp = 0.84; tibiae I-IV = 0.75, 0.90, 0.84, 0.72, palp = 0.83; metatarsi I-IV = 0.63, 0.71, 0.77, 0.54; tarsi I-IV = 0.91, 0.73, 0.73, 0.54, palp = 1.05. Formula: I IV II III. Length leg IV to leg I: 0.94. Clavate trichobothria: two rows on distal 1/2 of tarsi I-IV. Scopula: Tarsi I-IV fully scopulate, IV divided by a wide band of setae. Metatarsi I-II on distal 2/3; III on distal 1/3; IV on distal 1/4. IV divided by setae. Scopula hairs longest at lateral areas of tarsi and metatarsi, giving spatulate aspect to articles. Spines absent on all legs and palps.

Urticating setae: type II (0.56-0.59 long) on the abdomen dorsum (Fig. 11 ).

Palp (Figs 6-10 ): globous bulb with small subtegulum and slightly developed prominence on tegulum. Embolus: not flattened, lacking keels, 1.62 long in retrolateral view (Fig. 6 ), about 2.5 × length of tegulum. Proximal part not curved in frontal view (Fig. 9 ); thin distal width, tapering distally; basal, middle and distal width 0.24, 0.08, 0.01, respectively. Tegulum: 0.71 long, 0.4 high in retrolateral view (Fig. 6 ). Cymbium with two subequal lobes, lacking process on retrolateral lobe.

Tibial apophysis: absent. Metatarsus I straight.

Color pattern (Figs 1 - 5 ): carapace and chelicerae dark brown with pale yellow long hairs on the margin of the carapace. Legs and palps dark brown, except for brown femora. Cephalic region, legs, palps, and chelicerae covered with long and abundant chestnut-brown setae. Coxae brown. Labium, sternum, and maxilla dark brown. Longitudinal stripes on femora, patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi inconspicuous. Distal femora, patellae, tibiae, and metatarsi rings whitish. Abdomen metallic reddish orange, dorsally with central longitudinal black stripe and three dark spots on each lateral.

Distribution.

In Brazil in the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará (new records), and Paraíba ( Bertani 2012), in remnants of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest (Fig. 12 ).

Color pattern ontogeny.

There are no drastic ontogenetic changes of color pattern. Males have reduced lateral black stripes when compared to females and immatures.

Natural History.

Males from a more northerly site in Rio Grande do Norte (approximately at 6.02°S, 35.2°W) were resting on a leaf in a bush near a trail during the night, or high in a tree, walking on branches during the day. Males from a southern site in Rio Grande do Norte (approximately at 6.46°S, 35.0°W) were also found to be active at night in trees; one individual was seen at breast height and another at less than 2 m above the ground.

Figures

Figure 1. Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012 habitus, male from southern Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Photo: Rogerio Bertani.

Figure 12. Approximate distribution of Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012. A large spatial error has been introduced to avoid revealing exact localities.

Figures 2 - 5. Typhochlaena curumim male (MNRJ 6915) 2 carapace, dorsal 3 abdomen, dorsal 4 maxillae, labium, sternum, and coxae 5 spinnerets, ventral. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figures 6 - 11. Typhochlaena curumim male (MNRJ 6915) 6 - 10 palpal bulb, left side 6 retrolateral 7 prolateral 8 dorsal 9 frontal 10 left palp, prolateral 11 urticating setae type II. Scale bars: 1 mm (6 - 10); 0.1 mm (11)