Niarchos michaliki, Platnick & Duperre, 2010

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2010, The Andean Goblin Spiders Of The New Genera Niarchos And Scaphios (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (345), pp. 1-120 : 57

Niarchos michaliki , new species Figures 407–429

TYPES: Male holotype and female allotype taken from litter at an elevation of 1005 m in the Parque Nacional Napo-Galeras , 0u449000S, 77u289070W, Napo, Ecuador (Nov. 27, 2009; Niarchos Exped. ), deposited in QCAZ (PBI_ OON 411) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Peter Michalik of the Zoological Institute, University of Greifswald, in recognition of his many contributions to the success of the Niarchos Expedition.

DIAGNOSIS: Males resemble those of N. ligiae in having the dorsal abdominal scutum reduced to just a narrow strip covering the cardiac area (fig. 407) and the epigastric scutum reduced to the spiracular area (fig. 413), but can be distinguished by the shorter, thicker dorsal prong of the embolus (figs. 415–419). Females also resemble those of N. ligiae but have a much longer median section of the postepigastric scutum (figs. 428, 429).

MALE (PBI_OON 411, figs. 407–419): Total length 1.17. Posterior eye row straight from above; PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum surface smooth. Endites with triangular anterior projections, tip pointing laterally. Leg spination: tibiae: III v0-0-1p; IV v0-0-2. Embolar base with strongly sclerotized ventral projection and hairlike, curved dorsal projection (figs. 415– 419).

FEMALE (PBI_OON 411, figs. 420–429): Total length 1.78. Leg spination: tibiae: III v0-0-1p; IV v0-0-2. Anterior receptaculum with wide median sclerotization extending slightly farther anteriorly than rounded anterior margin; postepigastric scutum with relatively long median sclerotization, reaching almost to posterior spiracular groove (figs. 428, 429).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: None.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the Parque Nacional Napo-Galeras in Napo province, Ecuador.

Figures

Figs. 407–419. Niarchos michaliki, new species, male. 407. Habitus, dorsal view. 408. Same, ventral view. 409. Same, lateral view. 410. Carapace, dorsal view. 411. Habitus, anterior view. 412. Carapace, lateral view. 413. Epigastric region, ventral view. 414. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 415. Embolus, posteroventral view. 416. Same, prolateral view. 417. Palp, prolateral view. 418. Same, ventral view. 419. Same, retrolateral view.

Figs. 420–429. Niarchos michaliki, new species, female. 420. Habitus, dorsal view. 421. Same, ventral view. 422. Carapace, dorsal view. 423. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 424. Habitus, lateral view. 425. Same, anterior view. 426. Carapace, lateral view. 427. Epigastric region, ventral view. 428. Genitalia, ventral view. 429. Same, dorsal view.