Orinomana penelope, Grismado, Cristian J. & Rubio, Gonzalo D., 2015

Grismado, Cristian J. & Rubio, Gonzalo D., 2015, Three new species and the first known males of the Andean spider genus Orinomana Strand (Araneae, Uloboridae), Zootaxa 4052 (2), pp. 201-214 : 203-209

Orinomana penelope new species.

(Figs. 1, 2A–D, 3, 4)

Types. Female holotype, four males and three females paratypes (together with six juveniles) from Ecuador, Cuenca, " April 3, [19]42 (DLF - HEF)", deposited in CAS. Prep. CJG-00088.

Etymology. The species epithet, a noun in apposition, is taken the mythological character Penelope , wife of Odysseus, who waited many years for the return of her husband from the Trojan war. The name alludes to the long time that arachnologists have waited to find the males of Orionama

Diagnosis. The epigynum of O. penelope resembles that of O. mana and O. ascha ( Fig. 4 D, Opell 1979, fig. 126; Grismado 2000, fig. 8) in having a median projection; but that projection is broader than those of the other two species; it also differs by the internal genitalia, having bilobate anterior and posterior spermathecae ( Fig. 4 F).

Males are distinguished by having four branches of the embolus, two hooked projections on the median apophysis, and by the conductor pointing to forward ( Figs. 3 B, F).

Description. Female holotype: Total length 3.04, carapace length 1.20, sternum length 0.76, abdomen height 1.96. Leg I: femur length 1.58, tibia length 1.20, metatarsus length 1.26, tarsus length 0.54. Carapace brown with a medial yellowish strip between median eyes and posterior margin of prosoma; two irregular dark spots at sides of fovea; eyes bordered by dark rings. Chelicerae yellowish, endites and labium light brown with distal parts whitish; sternum brown with darker margins. Legs light brown with diffuse dark bands, more conspicuous in legs III and IV; femora-patellae-tibiae I with dark brown prolateral surfaces. Abdomen whitish yellow with a grayish brown band on cardiac area, bordered by a thin, white line in front to the humps. Ventrally uniform light brown. Epigynum with a broad median projection posteriorly directed ( Fig. 4 D); anterior spermathecae with two terminal rounded lobes, posterior spermathecae with two consecutive lobes; fertilization ducts arise from the dorsal one; copulatory ducts connected to the more ventral lobe of posterior spermathecae, near the constriction that lead to the anterior spermathecae ( Fig. 4 F). In posterior view are visible the copulatory openings (as two dark spots) and two pairs of lateral sclerotized elements ( Fig. 4 E).

Male paratype: Total length 2.28, carapace length 0.94, sternum length 0.56, abdomen height 1.00. Leg I: femur length 1.40, tibia length 1.18, metatarsus length 1.34, tarsus length 0.38. Color: as female except by the follows: carapace slightly lighter, endites and labium yellowish; sternum yellowish with dark grey borders; dorsum of abdomen whitish with a diffuse grey band on cardiac area; tenuous transversal bands posterior to the humps; in front to its and on the sides of abdomen there are few, small and irregularly spaced grey spots. Ventrally uniform whitish, except the grey epigastrium and two tenuous paraxial grey bands posterior to it. Palp (Figs. 1, 3, 4A–C): As for the genus (see above) in general aspects; median apophysis with two pointed projections, one smaller, basal, and other large, hook-shaped ( Fig. 3 A, B, F); conductor forwardly oriented, with a distal incision; embolus with four branches, one backwardly curved, looped, ribbon-shaped, that ends touching the embolus origin (b1), one distal, with the ejaculatory duct (b2), and two diverging, one more basally, pointed (b4) and other subdistal, more flattened, with rounded tip (b3).

Variation. The three paratype females have a general lighter coloration, with less conspicuous designs on abdomen and carapace than those of the holotype. Two males have darker general coloration, with abdomen more lavishly spotted in dorsum and sides, and have darker and more notorious the longitudinal post-epigastric grey bands in venter.

Material examined. Only the type series.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality, in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Orinomana penelope new species, palp morphology. A, left palp, prolateral view. B, same, ventral, C, same, retrolateral; D – E, left palp expanded, D, retrolateral, E, apical. F, left bulb, partially expanded, cleared (asterisk, membranous ventral area of the tegulum). Scale bars, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 4. Orinomana penelope new species. A – C. Right palp (inverted). A, prolateral view. B, ventral view, C, retrolateral view; D – F, female genitalia, D, epigynum, ventral view, E, same, posterior view, F, vulva, cleared, dorsal view. Scale bars, 0.2 mm.