Escaphiella gigantea, Platnick & Dupérré, 2009

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, The American Goblin Spiders Of The New Genus Escaphiella (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (328), pp. 1-151 : 93-97

Escaphiella gigantea , new species Figures 570–608 ; map 12

TYPE: Male holotype taken from decayed wood under bark at Tayrona-Park, Bahía de Gairaca , ca. 20 km E Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia (June 26, 1985; H. Müller), deposited in MHNG (PBI_OON 15582) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name refers to the relatively large size of these diminutive spiders.

DIAGNOSIS: This species seems closest to E. magna , sharing the large size and dark coloration of that species, but can be distinguished by the unpitted abdominal scuta (fig. 572), the more protuberant embolar base and longer embolus of males (figs. 594–596), and the wider anterior epigynal sclerite of females (fig. 605).

MALE (PBI_OON 15574): Total length 3.10 (figs. 586. 587, 590). Carapace dark red-brown, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica granulate, sides granulate; lateral margins with blunt denticles (figs. 570, 571, 573, 588, 592). Eyes: ALE circular, PME squared; ALE touching, ALE-PLE touching, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME touching (fig. 589). Sternum red-brown, without radial furrows between coxae I–II, II–III, III–IV, surface rugose, setae densest anteromedially, on raised portion of sternum without microsculpture; transverse groove raised medially, creating two shallow, lateral pouches (fig. 577, 598). Chelicerae (fig. 574, 575), endites, and labium dark red-brown. Endites anteromedially with large, long, spiniform tip (figs. 578, 579). Abdomen ovoid; book lung covers large, elliptical; pedicel tube medium, ribbed, scutopedicel region unmodified, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel (figs. 580, 581, 593, 597); dorsal scutum red-brown, covering full length of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above, middle surface finely reticulate, sides finely reticulate (fig. 572); epigastric scutum with anterior spiracles connected by groove; postepigastric scutum red-brown, sides finely reticulate (fig. 599). PMS absent (figs. 582–585). Legs dark red-brown, all tibiae with obvious microsculpture. Right and left palps symmetrical, proximal segments red-brown; embolus dark, long, on protuberant base (figs. 594– 596); femur normal size; cymbium and bulb red-brown.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 15613): Total length 3.30 (figs. 602, 606). Sternum with microsculpture covering entire surface (fig. 607). Abdomen with soft portions of dorsum white (figs. 591, 600, 603, 604, 608). Epigynum with posterior widened anterior sclerite (figs. 601, 605).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: COLOMBIA: Magdalena: near San Lorenzo, northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta , Aug. 18–25, 1985, humid litter, moss, elev. ca. 2200 m (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15574), 48 ; Tayrona-Park , Bahía de Gairaca , ca. 20 km E Santa Marta, June 6, 1985, decayed wood (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15686), 1♀, June 13, 1985, decayed wood, dry forest (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15479), 1♀, June 19, 1985, leaf litter (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15439), 4♀, June 26, 1985, leaf litter, decayed wood (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15611–15613), 28, 17♀, Aug. 6, 1985, leaf litter (H. Müller, MHMG PBI_OON 15699), 1♀, Oct. 31, 1985, leaf litter (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15608), 18 ; Tayrona-Park , Bahía de Nenguange , ca. 25 km E Santa Marta, July 22, 1985, under bark (H. Müller, MHNG PBI_OON 15814), 2♀ .

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Colombia (map 12).

Figures

Figs. 570–577. Escaphiella gigantea, new species, male. 570. Carapace, dorsal view. 571. Same, lateral view. 572. Abdomen, lateral view. 573. Margin of carapace, lateral view. 574. Chelicerae, lateral view. 575. Same, ventral view. 576. Abdomen, digested, showing respiratory system. 577. Cephalothorax, ventral view.

Figs. 578–585. Escaphiella gigantea, new species, male. 578. Endites and labrum, anterior view. 579. Tip of endite, anterior view. 580. Epigastric region, ventral view. 581. Sperm pore, ventral view. 582. Spinnerets, posterior view. 583. Same, spinnerets spread to show absence of posterior median pair. 584. Anterior lateral spinneret, posterior view. 585. Posterior lateral spinneret, posterior view.

Figs. 586–593. Escaphiella gigantea, new species. 586. Male, habitus, dorsal view. 587. Same, ventral view. 588. Male, carapace, dorsal view. 589. Male, habitus, anterior view. 590. Same, lateral view. 591. Female, abdomen, anterior view. 592. Male, carapace, lateral view. 593. Male, anterior portion of abdomen, lateral view.

Figs. 594–599. Escaphiella gigantea, new species, male. 594. Left palp, prolateral view. 595. Same, ventral view. 596. Same, retrolateral view. 597. Abdomen, anterior view. 598. Cephalothorax, ventral view. 599. Epigastric region, ventral view.

Figs. 600–608. Escaphiella gigantea, new species, female. 600. Habitus, dorsal view. 601. Same, ventral view. 602. Carapace, dorsal view. 603. Habitus, anterior view. 604. Same, lateral view. 605. Epigynum, ventral view. 606. Carapace, lateral view. 607. Cephalothorax, ventral view. 608. Anterior portion of abdomen, oblique lateral view.