Escaphiella ocoa, 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 : 135-136

Escaphiella ocoa , new species Figures 881–899 ; map 18

TYPE: Male holotype taken in a pitfall trap at an unburned site at Palmas de Ocoa, Parque Nacional La Campana, Quillota , Región de Valparaíso (V), Chile (Sept. 27, 1985; R. Calderón G.), deposited in AMNH (PBI_OON 26879) .

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

DIAGNOSIS: Males resemble those of E. itys in having distinct pigmentation under the abdominal scuta (fig. 881), but can be distinguished by the symmetrical palps with a narrow bulb (figs. 888–891), the long embolar base (fig. 889), and the long embolus (fig. 890). Females are similarly pigmented (fig. 892) and can easily be recognized by the diamond-shaped epigynal area, with an atrium occupied by a large, broadly triangular anterior sclerite (figs. 893, 896).

MALE (PBI_OON 26879): Total length 1.62 (figs. 881, 882, 885). Carapace pale orange, surface of elevated portion of pars cephalica smooth, sides granulate, granulate microsculpture reaching pars cephalica; lateral margins with blunt denticles (figs. 883, 887, 897). Eyes: ALE circular, PME squared; ALE touching, ALE-PLE touching, PME touching throughout most of their length, PLE-PME touching (fig. 884). Sternum pale orange, with radial furrows between coxae I– II, II–III, III–IV, furrow smooth, surface smooth, microsculpture absent (fig. 886). Chelicerae, endites, and labium pale orange. Endites anteromedially modified, with long, spiniform process curving apically. Abdomen ovoid; dorsum with striped pigmentation visible under dorsal scutum; book lung covers large, ovoid; pedicel tube medium, ribbed, scutum extending far dorsal of pedicel; dorsal scutum pale orange, covering more than 3/4 of abdomen, no soft tissue visible from above, middle surface smooth, sides smooth; postepigastric scutum pale orange, sides finely striated (fig. 899). PMS present (compound microscope). Legs pale orange. Right and left palps symmetrical, proximal segments pale orange; embolus dark, greatly elongated (figs. 888–891); femur normal size; cymbium and bulb pale orange.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 26880): Total length 2.04 (fig. 898). ALE separated by less than their radius (figs. 894, 895). Abdomen with soft portions of dorsum white, with striped pigmentation (fig. 892); sides of postepigastric scutum smooth (fig. 893). Epigynal atrium distinctively diamond shaped (fig. 896).

VARIATION: The single male from Las Balsas has an embolus that is slightly shorter than those of the two more northern males. The anteromedian projection on the endites does not extend as far anteriorly as in those males, either, but the cuticle of the basal portion of the projection is very lightly sclerotized and we suspect that it expands and contracts with changes in hemolymph pressure. Until and unless these differences can be shown to separate populations, we regard all three males as conspecific.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: CHILE: Región Metropolitana: Cordillera : Guayacán, Río Colorado, Jan. 1984 (P. Goloboff, MACN PBI_OON 26880), 1♀. Santiago: N slope, Quebrada de La Plata, Maipu, Oct.

1959 (W. Noodt, MNHNS PBI_OON 26840), 18. Región O’Higgins (VI): Cachapoal: Las Balsas, Rapel, May 1975 (H. Zapfe, MNHNS PBI_OON 26839), 18.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from central Chile (map 18).

Figures

Figs. 881–891. Escaphiella ocoa, new species, male. 881. Habitus, dorsal view. 882. Same, ventral view. 883. Carapace, dorsal view. 884. Habitus, anterior view. 885. Same, lateral view. 886. Cephalothorax, ventral view. 887. Carapace, lateral view. 888. Left palp, dorsal view. 889. Same, prolateral view. 890. Same, ventral view. 891. Same, retrolateral view.

Figs. 892–899. Escaphiella ocoa, new species. 892. Female, habitus, dorsal view. 893. Same, ventral view. 894. Female, carapace, dorsal view. 895. Female, habitus, anterior view. 896. Female, epigynum, ventral view. 897. Male, carapace, anterior view. 898. Female, cephalothorax, ventral view. 899. Male, epigastric region, ventral view.