Rothilena pilar, Maya-Morales, Julieta & Jiménez, María Luisa, 2013

Maya-Morales, Julieta & Jiménez, María Luisa, 2013, Rothilena (Araneae: Agelenidae), a new genus of funnel-web spiders endemic to the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, Zootaxa 3718 (5), pp. 441-466 : 457-459

Rothilena pilar new species

Figures 4–6 , 42–51

Type. Male (Holotype): MEXICO: Baja California Sur, Municipality of La Paz, El Pilar , collected by pitfall trap, 24°28′19″N, 111°00′09″W, 148 m, 18.IX.2008, C. Palacios and M.L. Jiménez (CARCIB 1924), deposited at CARCIB.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the type locality.

Diagnosis. Males of this species differ from R. griswoldi and R. cochimi by having a conductor with distal and ectal projections thinner ( Figs. 43, 45 ); they also differ from R. cochimi by having a basal part of RTA with anterior margin almost straight ( Figs. 42, 44 ). Females with epigynum similar to R. cochimi in having the hoods covering less than half the length of the plate, but differs from it by the direction of anterior part of copulatory ducts and by spermathecae slightly wider than long ( Figs. 48, 49 ); they differ from R. griswoldi by having spermathecae adjacent to ventral margin of the plate in posterior view ( Figs. 50, 51 ); they also differ from R. golondrina by having straight mesal hood margins ( Figs. 46, 47 ), and from R. sudcaliforniensis and R. naranjensis by having the spurs not exceeding the epigastric furrow in ventral view ( Fig. 47 ).

Description. Male (Holotype): Coloration. Prosoma with a black band around the border of thoracic region. Two longitudinal symmetric darkener bands on carapace, intensified by brown plumose hairs. Black spot in ocular region. Chelicerae and condyles dark orange. Endites and labium yellowish with white tips. Sternum and legs without spots. Opisthosoma light brown with a black spot at anterior dorsum with two lateral white bands and two longitudinal black bands with three pairs of black spots in the posterior part. Habitus. Total length 6.25. Carapace length 3.13, width 1.88, cephalic region width 1, ocular region width 0.57. Eye rows strongly procurved. Eye diameter: AME 0.12, ALE 0.15, PME and PLE 0.13. Distance between eyes: AME-AME 0.06, AME-ALE 0.08, AME-PME 0.13, ALE-PLE 0.04, ALE-ALE 0.27, PME-PME 0.1, PME-PLE 0.12. Clypeus height 0.15. Chelicerae: basal segment length 1.06, fang length 0.48. Labium wider than long (0.45/0.27). Endites slightly convergent (distance at their base compared with that at their tips 0.45/0.39). Sternum longer than wide (1.61/1.3). Opisthosoma longer than wide (3/2.05). Anterior lateral spinnerets separated by their basal diameter (0.21/0.21), posterior lateral spinnerets with distal segment longer than basal segment (0.58/0.38). Legs. Relation prosoma/ patella-tibia I: 3.13/3.33. Legs length: I—femur 2.62/ patella-tibia 3.33/ metatarsus 2.86/ tarsus 1.9; II—2.76/ 3.1/ 2.81/ 1.81; III—2.71/ 2.95/ 3.24/ 1.67; IV—3.43/ 4.1/ 4.52/ 2.14. Spination. Femur dorsal I—1-1 -2-2/ II—1-3 -2-2/ III—1-2 -1-2/ IV—1-1 -1-2; patella dorsal I—1-1 -1/ II—1-1 -1/ III—1-2 -1/ IV—1-2 -1; tibia I—dorsal 2-1-2/ ventral 2-2-2/ prolateral 0-1-0/ retrolateral 0; II—1-1 -2/ 1-2-2/ 0/ 0; III—1-2 -1/ 1-2-2/ 0-1-0/ 0-1-0; IV—1-2 -1/ 1-2-2/ 0-1- 0/ 0-1-0; metatarsus I—0/ 2-2-2/ 0-1-0/ 0-1-1; II—1-1 -1/ 2-2-1/ 0/ 0; III—3-2 -2/ 2-2-2/ 0/ 0-0-1; IV—2-1 / 2-1-2-3/ 0-1-0/ 0. Number of trichobothria in tarsus: I—5, II—4, III—5, IV—4. Pedipalp ( Figs. 42–45 ). Embolus sinuous. Conductor with rounded distal and ectal projections. Basal part of RTA with a sharp tip and a straight anterior margin. Number of spines: femur 3, patella 2, tibia 4. Cymbium length 1.03, width 0.58.

Female (paratype from the type locality) (CARCIB 2899): Coloration. Prosoma and opisthosoma similar to male with spots more accentuated ( Fig. 5 ). Sternum yellowish with lateral black spots. Legs with three black rings in femur, one in patella, and two in tibia ( Fig. 6 ). Habitus. Total length 5.5. Carapace length 2.88, width 2.25, cephalic region width 1.1, ocular region width 0.62. Eye rows strongly procurved. Eye diameter: AME and PME 0.12, ALE 0.13, PLE 0.15. Distance between eyes: AME-AME 0.06, AME-ALE 0.08, AME-PME 0.13, ALE-PLE 0.04, ALE-ALE 0.27, PME-PME 0.1, PME-PLE 0.1. Clypeus height 0.13. Chelicerae: basal segment length 1.06, fang length 0.42. Sternum longer than wide (1.43/1.24). Opisthosoma longer than wide (3.13/2.13). Anterior lateral spinnerets separated by their basal diameter (0.19/0.19), posterior lateral spinnerets with distal segment longer than basal segment (0.67/0.48). Legs. Relation prosoma/patella-tibia I: 2.88/3.1. Legs length: I—femur 2.28/ patellatibia 3.1/ metatarsus 2/ tarsus 1.48; II—2.43/ 2.81/ 2.14/ 1.33; III—2.43/ 2.71/ 2.48/ 1.29; IV—3.05/ 3.57/ 3.67/ 1.57. Spination. Femur dorsal I—1-1 -1-1-2/ II—1-2 -1-2/ III—1-2 -1-2/ IV—1-1 -2; patella dorsal I—1-2 -1/ II—1- 2 -1/ III—1-2 -1/ IV—1-2 -1; tibia I—dorsal 1-1-0/ ventral 2-2-2/ prolateral 1-1-0/ retrolateral 0; II—1-1 -0/ 1-1-2/ 1- 1-0/ 0; III—1-1 -0/ 1-1-2/ 1-1-0/ 0-1-0; IV—1-1 -0/ 1-1-2/ 1-1-0/ 1-1-0; metatarsus I—0/ 2-2-1/ 0-1-1/ 0-0-1; II—0/ 2-2-2/ 1-1-1/ 1-1-1; III—2-1 -2/ 2-2-2/ 0-1-1/ 0-1-2; IV—1-1 -0/ 2-2-2/ 0-1-1/ 0-0-1. Number of trichobothria in tarsus: I—5, II—2, III—5, IV—5. Pedipalp. Number of dorsal spines: femur 2, patella 2, tibia 4. Epigynum ( Figs. 46–51 ). Hoods longer than wide covering less than half of atrium. Anterior part of copulatory ducts with tip directed ventrally. Spermathecae slightly wider than long. Plate wider than long (0.87/0.48).

Additional material examinated. Paratype: MEXICO: Baja California Sur, Municipality of La Paz, same locality of holotype, 1 ♀ by hand collecting in ground, 3.XI.2012, C. Palacios, J. Maya and B. Rocha (CARCIB 2899).

Habitat. The specimens were collected in desert shrubland dominated by Opuntia cholla ( cholla ), Pachycereus pringlei , (elephant cactus, cardón gigante), Larrea tridentata (creosote bush, gobernadora), Ambrosia ambrosioides (canyon ragweed, chicura) and Jatropha cinerea (ashy limberbush, lomboy blanco) (Wiggins 1980, Rebman & Roberts 2012).

Distribution. El Pilar , Municipality of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Known distribution of Rothilena griswoldi sp. nov., Rothilena cochimi sp. nov., Rothilena pilar sp. nov., Rothilena golondrina sp. nov., Rothilena sudcaliforniensis sp. nov. and Rothilena naranjensis sp. nov.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Rothilena spp., females in captivity. 1 – 3. Rothilena cochimi sp. nov. (from Mexico, Baja California Sur, San José de Comondú): 1. Habitus; 2. Feeding; 3. Egg sac; 4 – 6. Rothilena pilar sp. nov. (from Mexico, Baja California Sur, El Pilar): 4. Laying in shelter; 5. Habitus; 6. Egg sac.

FIGURES 42 – 45. Rothilena pilar sp. nov., male pedipalp. 42, 44. Ventral view; 43, 45. Retrolateral view. Abbreviations: dp, distal projection of conductor; E, embolus; ep, ectal projection of conductor; MA, median apophysis; mp, mesal projection of conductor; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; T, tegulum. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 46 – 51. Rothilena pilar sp. nov., female epigynum. 46, 47. Ventral view; 48, 49. Dorsal view; 50, 51. Posterior view. Abbreviations: A, atrium; CDa, anterior part of copulatory ducts; CDp, posterior part of copulatory ducts; FD, fertilization ducts; H, hoods; P, epigynum plate; S, spurs; SP, spermathecae. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.