Loxosceles planetaria 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 : 106-109

Loxosceles planetaria Bertani & Gallão sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D63E5652-6A16-4E0C-813D-00CD1A44B7BB

Figs 20−31

Diagnosis

Males resemble those of L. gaucho , L. similis , L. adelaida , L variegata , L. troglobia and L. bodoquena Bertani & Gallão sp. nov. by the cymbium more than half length of tibia of palpus ( Figs 24−26 ). They differ from L. troglobia and L. bodoquena by the shorter embolus and normal body pigmentation ( Figs 20−26 ); from L. gaucho by the longer and less incrassate palp tibia ( Figs 24−26 ); from L. similis by the slender and straighter embolus ( Figs 24−26 ), from L. variegata by the shorter embolus ( Figs 24−26 ), and from L. adelaida by the shorter and slender embolus ( Figs 24−26 ). Females resemble those of L. gaucho , L. similis , L. variegata Simon, 1897 and L. bodoquena by the well-developed and sclerotized transverse plate of the spermathecae ( Figs 29−30 ). They differ from L. similis by the shorter receptacles, from L. gaucho by the shorter and straighter receptacles, and from L. variegata and L. bodoquena by the longer receptacles ( Figs 29−30 ).

Etymology

The specific name is a name in apposition and refers to the Terra Planetária Cave, where the type specimens were collected.

Type material

Holotype

BRAZIL • ♂; Mato Grosso do Sul, Bonito, Terra Planetária Cave ; 21°07′48″ S, 56°35′28″ W; 15 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 0028823 .

Paratypes

BRAZIL • 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; LES 0028824 to LES 0028827 .

Other material examined

None.

Description

Male holotype (LES 0028823)

Total length 7.63. Carapace 3.37 long, 3.18 wide ( Fig. 20 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.18, PME 0.21, PLE 0.20, PME–PLE 0.07, PME–ALE 0.18; clypeus 0.38. Leg formula II, I, IV, III. Leg lengths: leg I: femur 8.74, patella 1.44, tibia 10.28, metatarsus 10.84, tarsus 1.97, total 33.27; II: 10.34, 1.42, 12.04, 13.72, 2.20, 39.72; III: 7.53, 1.34, 7.20, 8.52, 1.30, 25.89; IV: 8.53, 1.31, 8.48, 9.88, 1.57, 29.77. Palp: femur 2.06 long, 0.37 wide; patella 0.40 long, 0.39 wide; tibia 0.88 long, 0.54 wide; cymbium 0.87 long, 0.49 wide. Labium 0.95 long, 0.47 wide. Sternum 1.95 long, 1.69 wide. Femur I 2.6 times as long, tibia I 3.05 times as long, and leg I 9.9 times as long as carapace. Palp femur 5.6 times as long as wide, tibia 1.63 times as long as wide, cymbium oval ( Figs 24−26 ). Bulb suboval, about half cymbium length. Embolus curved from its base, approximately 2 times as long as bulb length in retrolateral view, without carina ( Figs 21–23 ). Carapace covered by some greyish sparse setae ( Fig. 20 ). Thoracic region of carapace light brown, marginated with brown. Cephalic region darker and reddish ( Fig. 20 ). Legs and palps brown. Endites, coxae, sternum, and labium light brown. Labium and endites a little darker. Abdomen greyish.

Female paratype (LES 0028824)

Total length 8.25. Carapace 3.89 long, 3.52 wide ( Fig. 27 ). Eye sizes and interdistances: ALE 0.20, PME 0.20, PLE 0.23, PME–PLE 0.07, PME–ALE 0.26; clypeus 0.54. Leg formula II, I, IV, III. Leg lengths: leg I: femur 7.25, patella 1.42, tibia 7.62, metatarsus 7.34, tarsus 1.52, total 25.15; II: 7.84, 1.45, 8.10, 8.37, 1.49, 27.25; III: 6.59, 1.40, 5.64, 6.52, 1.20, 21.35; IV: 7.19, 1.40, 6.77, 7.45, 1.38, 24.19. Palp: femur 1.47 long, 0.28 wide; patella 0.43 long, 0.34 wide; tibia 0.99 long, 0.29 wide; tarsus 1.48 long, 0.26 wide. Labium 0.90 long, 0.57 wide. Sternum 2.27 long, 1.89 wide. Femur I 1.86 times as long, tibia I 1.96 times as long, and leg I 6.46 times as long as carapace. Palpal femur 5.25 times as long as wide; tibia 3.41 times as long as wide; tarsus not incrassate ( Fig. 28 ). Spermathecae transverse sclerotized plate short with almost-straight receptacles positioned at an angle of 45° to the inner side ( Figs 29−30 ). Dorsal part of the bursa copulatrix medially sclerotized ( Fig. 30 ). Carapace covered with some greyish sparse setae ( Fig. 27 ). Thoracic region of carapace light brown, marginated with brown. Cephalic region darker and reddish ( Fig. 27 ). Legs and palps greyish. Femora of leg I reddish brown on their basal portion. Coxae greyish, sternum light brown. Labium and endites reddish brown. Abdomen greyish.

Natural history

Specimens of Loxosceles planetaria Bertani & Gallão sp. nov. were found on the ground at the entrance and twilight zones of the cave as well as in the epigean environment. In the cave, specimens were near each other. Due to the absence of morphological troglomorphisms and its distribution inside and outside caves, we propose that L. planetaria has troglophilic populations.

Distribution

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

Figures

Figs 20−26. Loxosceles planetaria Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (LES 0028823). 20. Carapace. 21−23. Left palp bulb. 21. Dorsal view. 22. Retrolateral view. 23. Prolateral view. 24−26. Left palp. 24. Retrolateral view. 25. Prolateral view. 26. Dorsal view. Scale bars: 20, 24−26 = 1 mm; 21–23 = 0.5 mm.

Figs 27−31. Loxosceles planetaria Bertani & Gallão sp. nov., paratypes, ♀♀. 27−30. LES 0028824. 27. Carapace. 28. Left palp, dorsal view. 29−30. Spermathecae. 29. Dorsal view. 30. Ventral view, bursa copulatrix unfolded below. 31. LES 0028826, spermathecae, ventral view. Abbreviations: bc = bursa copulatrix; r = receptacle; tp = transverse sclerotized plate. Scale bars: 27−28 = 1 mm; 29−31 = 0.5 mm.

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.