Loxosceles bodoquena Bertani & Gallão, 2024

Bertani, Rogério, Bichuette, Maria Elina, Cordeiro, Lívia Medeiros & Gallão, Jonas Eduardo, 2024, Three new species of Loxosceles Heinecken & Lowe, 1832 (Araneae, Sicariidae) from Brazilian caves, European Journal of Taxonomy 921 (1), pp. 98-115 : 109-113

Loxosceles bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:12887D5F-9548-4062-B85C-9545BB5108FC

Figs 32−45

Diagnosis

Males resemble those of L. gaucho , L. similis , L. adelaida , L. variegata , L. troglobia and L. planetaria sp. nov. by the cymbium more than half length of tibia of palpus ( Figs 41−43 ). They differ from L. troglobia by the shorter embolus, normal eyes and body pigmentation; from L. gaucho by the longer and less incrassate palp tibia, from L. similis by the slender and straighter embolus, from L. variegata by the shorter embolus, from L. adelaida by the shorter and slender embolus, and from L. planetaria by the longer embolus ( Figs 39−40 ). Females resemble those of L. gaucho , L. similis , L. variegata and L. planetaria by the well-developed and sclerotized transverse plate of the spermathecae ( Figs 34−36 ). They differ from L. similis and L. planetaria by the shorter receptacles, from L. gaucho by the shorter and straighter receptacles, and from L. variegata by the longer receptacles ( Figs 34−36 ). Additionally, males and females differ from those of the species above, except L. troglobia , by the weakly pigmented tegument ( Figs 32 , 37 , 44−45 ).

Etymology

The specific name is a name in apposition and refers to the type locality of the species, the Bodoquena mountain range (a huge karst area), in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Type material

Holotype

BRAZIL • ♀; Mato Grosso do Sul, Bodoquena, Dente de Cão Cave ; 20°44′48″ S, 56°47′04″ W; 13 Jun. 2022; M.E. Bichuette, D.F. Torres, L.M. Cordeiro, D.M. Borges, S.G. Jimenez, A. Chagas-Jr and J.E. Gallão leg.; LES 0028828

Paratypes

BRAZIL • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 1 immature; same collection data as for holotype; LES 0028829 to LES 0028831 .

Description

Female holotype (LES 0028828)

Total length 7.78. Carapace 3.15 long, 2.69 wide ( Fig. 32 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.15, PME 0.14, PLE 0.16, PME–PLE 0.04, PME–ALE 0.24; clypeus 0.34. Leg formula II, IV, I, III. Leg lengths: leg I: femur 7.54, patella 1.07, tibia 7.83, metatarsus 7.77, tarsus 1.67, total 25.88; II: 8.49, 1.07, 8.86, 9.36, 1.76, 29.54; III: 6.57, 1.05, 6.03, 7.31, 1.35, 22.31; IV: 7.41, 1.09, 7.16, 8.82, 1.64, 26.12. Palp: femur 1.30 long, 0.21 wide; patella 0.34 long, 0.29 wide; tibia 0.77 long, 0.22 wide; tarsus 1.02 long, 0.18 wide. Labium 0.73 long, 0.49 wide. Sternum 1.72 long, 1.55 wide. Femur I 2.39 times as long, tibia I 2.48 times as long, and leg I 8.21 times as long as carapace. Palp femur 6.19 times as long as wide; tibia 3.5 times as long as wide; tarsus not incrassate ( Fig. 33 ). Spermathecae transverse sclerotized plate short with almost-straight receptacles positioned at an angle of 45° to the inner side ( Figs 34−35 ). Dorsal part of the bursa copulatrix medially sclerotized ( Fig. 35 ). Cephalic region of carapace with some sparse, long greyish setae ( Fig. 32 ). Carapace light brown with slightly darker pars cephalica and border ( Fig. 32 ). Legs light brown, covered with short, greyish setae. Palp light brown, except for reddish-brown tibia and tarsus ( Fig. 33 ). Coxae and sternum light brown. Endites and labium reddish brown.

Male paratype (LES 0028829)

Total length 5.80. Carapace 2.52 long, 2.23 wide ( Fig. 37 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.12, PME 0.10, PLE 0.12, PME–PLE 0.04, PME–ALE 0.18; clypeus 0.32. Leg formula II, IV, I, III. Leg lengths: leg I: femur 7.25, patella 1.00, tibia 7.96, metatarsus 8.85, tarsus 1.77, total 26.83; II: 9.24, 1.04, 10.57, 12.67, 1.94, total 35.46; III: 6.65, 0.95, 6.40, 8.21, 1.42, 23.63; IV: 7.33, 0.96, 7.58, 9.88, 1.72, 27.47. Palp: femur 1.39 long, 0.29 wide; patella 0.37 long, 0.31 wide; tibia 0.69 long, 0.44 wide; cymbium 0.76 long, 0.42 wide. Labium 0.51 long, 0.38 wide. Sternum 1.48 long, 1.30 wide. Femur I 2.87 times as long, tibia I 3.16 times as long, and leg I 10.65 times as long as carapace. Palpal femur 4.79 times as long as wide, tibia 1.57 times as long as wide, cymbium oval ( Figs 41−43 ). Bulb suboval, roughtly half cymbium length. Embolus curved from its base, approximately 2.33 times as long as bulb length in retrolateral view, without carina ( Figs 38–40 ). Cephalic region of carapace covered with some greyish sparse setae ( Fig. 37 ). Carapace light brown. Cephalic region the same color of thorax. ( Fig. 37 ). Legs, palps, endites, coxae, sternum, and labium light brown. Labium and endites a little darker. Abdomen greyish.

Natural history

Specimens of Loxosceles bodoquena sp. nov. were only found in the aphotic zones in the deep zones of the Dente de Cão Cave. Specimens were found under rock boulders in a moist clay substrate ( Figs 44– 45 ). The caves and the region were sampled for a long time and no specimen of L. bodoquena was ever found in the epigean ( Cordeiro et al. 2014). Relative humidity in the cave was>90%.

Distribution

BRAZIL: State of Mato Grosso do Sul ( Fig. 1 ).

Remarks

The very similar genitalia morphology indicates Loxosceles bodoquena sp. nov. is closely related with L. planetaria sp. nov. and both are found in the same cave system. Interestingly, L. bodoquena shows some troglomorphisms as depigmentation and slightly longer legs ( Figs 32 , 37 , 44−45 ), and we propose it as a troglobitic species.

Figures

Figs 32−36. Loxosceles bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov. 32–35. Holotype, ♀ (LES 0028828). 32. Carapace. 33. Left palp, dorsal view. 34−35. Spermathecae. 34. Ventral view. 35. Dorsal view, bursa copulatrix unfolded below. 36. Paratype, ♀ (LES 0028831), spermathecae, ventral view. Abbreviations: bc = bursa copulatrix; r = receptacle; tp = transverse sclerotized plate. Scale bars: 32−33 = 1 mm; 34−36 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 37−43. Loxosceles bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (LES 0028829). 37. Carapace. 38−40. Left palp bulb. 38. Dorsal view. 39. Prolateral view. 40. Retrolateral view. 41−43. Left palp. 41. Retrolateral view. 42. Prolateral view. 43. Dorsal view. Scale bars: 37, 41−43 = 1 mm; 38−40 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 44−47. Loxosceles bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., in the wild. 44. Female. 45. Male. 46−47. Dente de Cão cave, general view.

Fig. 1.Map showing the occurrences in the caves of L. boqueirao Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., L. planetaria Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., and L. bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov. Abbreviations: BA = State of Bahia, Brazil; MS = State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.