Ochyrocera monica Brescovit, Zampaulo, Pedroso & Cizauskas, 2021

Brescovit 1, Antonio Domingos, Zampaulo 2, Robson de Almeida, Pedroso 1, Leandro Mota & Cizauskas 3, Igor, 2021, Four new species of the genus Ochyrocera (Araneae, Ochyroceratidae) from iron caves of the state of Minas Gerais, with the description of the third anophtalmic species from Brazil, Subterranean Biology 41, pp. 43-68 : 43

Ochyrocera monica Brescovit, Zampaulo, Pedroso & Cizauskas sp. nov.

Figures 9 , 10 , 14

Type material.

Holotype 1♂ (IBSP 196679a) and paratype 1♀ (IBSP 196679b), Brazil, Minas Gerais, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Barão de Cocais, Cave RF_0058 (19°56'04"S, 43°31'31"W), 22/VI─03/VII/2009, R. Bessi et al. col. Paratypes: 1♂, 2♀ (UFMG 25398), Brazil, Minas Gerais: Barão de Cocais, Cave RF_0049 (19°55'45"S, 43°30'46"W), 22/VI-03/VII/2009, R. Bessi et al. col.

Other material examined.

Brazil, Minas Gerais: 2♀ (IBSP 196676), Barão de Cocais, Cave RF _0058; 1♀ (IBSP 196677), Barão de Cocais, Cave RF _0041 (19°55'41"S, 43°30'34"W); 8♀ (IBSP 196678), Barao de Cocais , Cave RF _0049 (19°55'45"S, 43°30'46"W); 1♀ (IBSP 196680), Barao de Cocais , Cave RF _0043 (19°55'42"S, 43°30'33"W), all collected in 10-21/III/2009 by R. Andrade et al col.; 6♀ (IBSP 264547), Barão de Cocais, Cave RF _0058; 1♂ 2♀ (IBSP 196681), Barão de Cocais, Cave RF _0049; all collected in 22/VI-03/VII/2009 by R. Bessi et al; 1♂ 2♀ (IBSP 264547), Mariana, Cave LTA_0043 (20°11'05"S, 43°31'27"W), 20/VIII/2020, BioEspeleo Cons. Ambiental col. ; 1♂ 2♀ (IBSP 264096), Mariana, Cave LTA_0047 (20°11'05"S, 43°31'27"W), 20/VIII/2020, BioEspeleo Cons. Ambiental col.

Etymology.

Noun in apposition is a tribute to the fictional character of the Brazilian "Turma da Mônica” comic books by Maurício de Sousa. She is one of the main characters, along with her friend Cebolinha. She is a girl of strong genius, who has no patience for the nicknames she receives from other children because of her physical appearance and usually responds to such actions with her extreme brute strength, far superior to that of a girl her age.

Diagnosis.

Ochyrocera monica sp. nov. is distinguished from the other species of Ochyrocera from the Quadrilátero Ferrífero by having cymbium with a conspicuous apical cuspule, enlarged palpal tibiae and elongated and sinuous embolus with a coiled tip (Fig. 9B-E ). The female of Ochyrocera monica sp. nov. differs from other species by its large and elongated spermathecae and narrow and smooth columnar uterus externus (Fig. 9H, I ).

Description.

Male (Holotype, IBSP 196679a). Total length 0.8. Carapace length 0.4, ovoid; narrowing gradually anteriorly; pars cephalic yellowish, flat, fovea absent (Fig. 9A ). Clypeus length 0.06, with a pair of long bristles (Fig. 10A , broken in the photo). Eyes (Fig. 10A ): with black edges, PME oval, slightly larger than others, ALE and PLE rounded. Chelicerae white; promargin with 6 teeth attached to very long lamina (Fig. 10B ); retromargin without teeth. Endites cream, with large serrula with more than 30 denticles, distal macrosetae paired and crosier-like, many multifid macrosetae present. Labium white, rounded with 6-8 setae with enlarged base. Sternum white. Legs: yellowish; formula 1423; total lengths: I 4.7; II 4.9; III 3.8; IV 5.1. Male palp: palpal femur length 0.22; palpal tibia longer than cymbium, enlarged basally; cymbium with short distal projection, bearing short apical cuspule, with thickened base; retrolateral paired long setae on non-projected base (Fig. 9B, D ), tarsal organ subdistal, with non-elevated base and bifid and elongated proprioceptor, three basal setae present on rounded cymbial prolateral extension; bulb oval; embolus long, ribbon-like, distal third coiled (Fig. 9B-E ). Abdomen length 0.5, oval; uniformly yellowish. Six epiandrous spigots with short base (Fig. 10C ).

Female (Paratype, IBSP 196679b). Total length: 0.9; carapace length: 0.4; Carapace as in male, yellowish white (Fig. 9F ). Pedipalp thin, without claw, with conical tip; trichobothrium subdistal, with elongated base (Fig. 10F ). Clypeus: diameter 0.05, with three pairs of long bristles (Fig. 10D ). Eyes, chelicerae, sternum, endites (Fig. 10D, E ) and labium as in male. Legs as in male; formula 4123, total lengths: I 5.8; II 5.5; III 3.6; IV 5.3. Abdomen length 0.5. Colulus triangular with approximately 6-8 bristles. Epigynal plate slightly sclerotized, with small sulcate lateral borders (Fig. 9G ). Internal genitalia with elongated and distally enlarged spermathecae under small oval pore-plate; elongated and cylindrical medial columnar uterus externus, no visible chambers internally. Uterus externus ending in a narrow neck and with V-shaped sulcus latero-basally. Oval pore-plates on spermathecae with approximately 20-25 glandular ducts (Fig. 9H, I ).

Variation.

Males (n = 3): total length 0.7-0.8; carapace 0.4-0.55; femur I 0.46-0.48. Females (n=10): total length 0.9-0.11; carapace 0.35-0.5; femur I 0.56-0.59.

Distribution.

Known only from six iron caves located in the municipalities of Barão de Cocais and Mariana, in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil (Fig. 14 ).

Figures

Figure 9. Ochyrocera monica sp. nov., male (IBSP 196681) A habitus, dorsal view B palp, prolateral view C same, retrolateral view D same, retrolateral view E same, prolateral view F habitus, dorsal view, female (IBSP 196676) G epigynal plate, ventral view H internal genitalia, dorsal view I same, enzyme cleared, dorsal view. Abbreviations: C, cymbium; CE, cymbial extension; E, embolus; LP, lateral pockets; NUE, neck of uterus externus; PP, pore-plate; SP, spermathecae; T, tegulum; UE, uterus externus.

Figure 10. SEM images of Ochyrocera monica sp. nov., male (IBSP 196681) A carapace, anterior view B chelicerae, frontal view C epiandrous area, abdomen, ventral view D female (IBSP 196676), carapace, dorsal view E chelicerae, frontal view F pedipalp, prolateral view.

Figure 14. Distribution map of the four new species of Ochyrocera from the state of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil: O. dorinha sp. nov. (yellow triangles), O. magali sp. nov. (blue circles), O. monica sp. nov. (pink circles), and O. rosinha sp. nov. (green stars).