Alpaida tonze, Santos, Karina P. & Santos, Adalberto J., 2010

Santos, Karina P. & Santos, Adalberto J., 2010, Two new species of the orb-weaving spider genus Alpaida from Brazil (Araneae: Araneidae), Zootaxa 2336, pp. 61-66 : 64

Alpaida tonze sp. n.

Figures 3–4 , 8–10

Type material. Holotype: Male from Parque Estadual do Itacolomi (20o22’S 43o32’W), Ouro Preto, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, K.P. Santos et al. coll., 11–13.IV.2008, deposited in UFMG 2040. Paratypes: Female from the same locality and date, deposited in UFMG 2038. Male and female from the same locality, 2– 4.XI.2007, in IBSP 137504. Two males and one female from the same locality, 2–4.XI.2007, in UFMG 2291.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in honour of the senior author’s father, Antonio José dos Santos (nicknamed Tom Zé).

Diagnosis. Alpaida tonze males resembles A. carminea (Taczanowski, 1878) and A. darlingtoni Levi, 1988 by the long and thin embolus that emerges from the anterior third of cymbium, and by the terminal apophysis projected anteriorly ( Levi 1988: figs. 127, 546). It differs by the larger conductor, which has a dorsal hyaline and a ventral sclerotised parts, the wider terminal apophysis that does not reach the venter of tegulum and the ventrally narrower median apophysis ( Fig. 8 ). The epigynum is similar to that of A. darlingtoni Levi, 1988 in the long and wide scape, with an apical notch ( Levi 1988: fig. 541). In ventral view it can be distinguished by the scape that laterally converges from base to apex ( Fig. 9 ; in A. darlingtoni the scape is parallel in the basal half), and the posterior median plate rounded laterally ( Fig. 10 ; acuminate in A. darlingtoni, Levi 1988 : fig. 542).

Description. Male (holotype). Carapace pale-yellow ( Fig. 3 ). Thoracic fovea cross-like. Chelicerae and sternum pale yellow. Labium and endites pale yellow, white in the apex. Legs yellow, apex of tibia, metatarsus and tarsus brown. Legs I and II with long tibial spines. Dorsum of abdomen gray, with a median, tridentshaped white stripe and a pair of lateral, irregular black stripes ( Fig. 3 ). Sides gray, venter homogeneously gray, with sparse white spots. Total length 4.4, carapace 1.7 long, 1.6 wide. First femur 1.6, patella 0.7, tibia 1.5, metatarsus 1.5, tarsus 1.1. Second patella and tibia 1.8, third 1.1, fourth 1.7. Tegulum with a ventral bump. Median apophysis almost as wide as the tegulum and with a dorsal and a ventral projections. Conductor as wide as the median apophysis. Embolus long and thin. Terminal apophysis almost as wide as the conductor, concave ( Fig. 8 ).

Female (paratype, UFMG 2038). Carapace, chelicerae, labium, endites and sternum orange. Thoracic fovea replaced by a pair of brown spots. Labium and endites white apically. Legs homogeneously orange, apex of tibia, metatarsus and tarsus brown. Anterior legs without stout spines. Dorsum of abdomen as in the male ( Fig. 4 ). Sides gray, venter gray with sparse black and white spots. Total length 5.3, carapace 2.2 long, 1.8 wide. First femur 1.7, patella 0.9, tibia 1.7, metatarsus 1.4, tarsus 0.4. Second patella and tibia 2.1, third 1.3, fourth 1.9. Epigynum sclerotised, with thin transverse lips. Scape width approximately equal to half of the epigynum width. Scape surface covered with brown setae ( Fig. 9 ). Posterior plate hyaline, through which spermathecae can be seen by transparency ( Fig. 10 ).

Variation. The trident-shaped stripe of the abdomen is absent in the remaining specimens examined, which either have a simple longitudinal, white stripe, or no additional marks in the middle of the abdomen. Total length variation, males (n=4) 3.9–4.6, females (n=3) 5.3–7.5. Carapace width, males (n=4) 1.6–1.9, females (n=3) 1.8–2.5.

Natural history. All the specimens were collected in an area of Eucalyptus plantation with a regenerating undergrowth.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Alpaida n. spp. 1 – 2, Alpaida itacolomi n. sp., habitus, dorsal view: 1, male (holotype); 2, female (paratype). 3 – 4, Alpaida tonze n. sp., same: 3, male (holotype); 4, female (paratype, UFMG 2038). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 10. Alpaida n. spp. 5 – 7, Alpaida itacolomi n. sp.: 5, male (holotype), palp, ventral view; 6, female (paratype), epigynum, ventral view; 7, same, posterior view. 8 – 10, Alpaida tonze n. sp.: 8, male (holotype), palp, ventral view; 9, female (paratype, UFMG 2038), epigynum, ventral view; 10, same, posterior view. Abbreviations: A, terminal apophysis; C, conductor; E, embolus; L, epigynal lip;, M, median apophysis; N, epigynal notch; P, paracymbium; Pl, posterior median plate; S, scape; T, tegulum; Y, cymbium. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.