Aschnaoonops merida, Platnick & Dupérré & Berniker & Bonaldo, 2013

Platnick, Norman I., Dupérré, Nadine, Berniker, Lily & Bonaldo, Alexandre B., 2013, The Goblin Spider Genera Prodysderina, Aschnaoonops, And Bidysderina (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2013 (373), pp. 1-102 : 71

Aschnaoonops merida , new species

Figures 466–476

TYPES: Male holotype, female allotype, and male paratype from elfin forest litter taken at an elevation of 3300 m at Laguna Negra , Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada , 8 ° 47'14"N, 70 ° 48'31"W, Me´rida, Venezuela (May 23, 1998; R. Anderson), deposited in AMNH ( PBI_OON 902 ) .

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

DIAGNOSIS: Males can easily be recognized by the highly complex embolus, with one rounded and three narrow, elongate, distally directed processes (figs. 472–474); females have a ventrally notched pedicel tube (fig. 468) and a short anterior genitalic process without an anterior expansion (fig. 476).

MALE (PBI_OON 52, figs. 466, 469– 474): Total length 2.34. ALE separated by their radius to diameter. Sternum surface coarsely reticulate, microsculpture everywhere but front. Endites with tip of anterior process relatively wide, directed anterolaterally. Dorsal scutum covering full length of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above, not fused to epigastric scutum. Postepigastric scutum long, almost rectangular, extending to nearly full length of abdomen. Leg spination: femora: I p0-0-2, r1-0-0; II p0-0- 1; tibiae: I v4-4-2; II v4-4-1p; metatarsi: I v1p-2-2; II v3-0-2. Sperm pore small, narrow, slitlike. Cymbium without distal patch of setae. Distal prong of embolus with three processes, of which two are narrow, one wide.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 52, figs. 467, 468, 475, 476): Total length 2.69. Dorsal scutum covering more than 3/4 of abdomen length, more than 1/2 to most of abdomen width. Postepigastric scutum almost semicircular, covering about 1/3 of abdomen length. Leg spination: femora: I p0-0-2, r1-1-1; II p0-0-2, r1-1-0; tibiae I, II v4-4-2; metatarsi: I v1p-2-2; II v3-0-2. Anterior genitalic process short, narrow, distally attenuated.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Venezuela: Me´rida: Pa´ ramo de Santo Domingo, 15.6 km SW Santo Domingo, Apr. 7, 1994, litter near stream, elev. 3100 m (L. Herman, AMNH PBI_OON 52), 2♂, 4♀.

DISTRIBUTION: Venezuela (Me´rida).

Figures

Figs. 466–476. Aschnaoonops merida, new species, male (466, 469–474) and female (467, 468, 475, 476). 466. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 467. Abdomen, ventral view. 468, 475. Genitalia, ventral view. 469. Left palp, prolateral view. 470. Same, ventral view. 471. Same, retrolateral view. 472. Left embolus, prolateral view. 473. Same, ventral view. 474. Same, retrolateral view. 476. Genitalia, dorsal view.