Tupigea ale Huber, 2011

Huber, Bernhard A. & Rheims, Cristina A., 2011, Diversity and endemism of pholcid spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, with descriptions of four new species of the Atlantic Forest endemic genus Tupigea (Araneae: Pholcidae), Journal of Natural History 45 (5 - 6), pp. 275-301 : 292-294

Tupigea ale Huber , sp. nov.

( Figures 3A,B , 4O,P , 8 A–D, 9A–E)

Types

Male holotype and 3♂, 2♀ paratypes from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro: Reserva Ecológica Rio das Pedras (22 ◦ 59.5 ′ S, 44 ◦ 06.0 ′ to 06.8 ′ W), 50–200 m a.s.l., day collecting, 26 September 2009 (B.A. Huber), in MNRJ (holotype and 1♂, 1♀ paratypes) and ZFMK (2♂, 1♀ paratypes) .

Etymology

Named for Alejandra Rojas Vargas in recognition of her hospitality during the 2009 trip by the first author. The name is here used as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis

Distinguished from the very similar T. guapia by armature on male chelicerae (modified hair-bases on proximal elevations, Figures 8C , 9B,D ) and by extremely simple external female genitalia (no large triangular scape; Figure 8D ); from other known congeners also by male palp (femur without ventral modification, procursus shape, bulb shape, Figure 8A,B ).

Male (holotype)

Total body length 1.8, carapace width 0.6. Leg 1: 19.3 (4.8 + 0.3 + 4.7 + 8.0 + 1.5), tibia 2: 3.0, tibia 3: 2.1, tibia 4: 2.9, tibia 1 L / d: 89. Habitus as in Figure 4O,P ; prosoma and legs pale ochre-yellow, abdomen pale greenish-grey. Distance PME–PME 140 µm, diameter PME 55 µm, distance PME–ALE 35 µm, no trace of AME. Ocular area barely elevated, each triad on low hump, thoracic furrow shallow but distinct, clypeus unmodified. Chelicerae as in Figures 8C and 9D , with distinctive rows of modified hair-bases ( Figure 9B ) on proximal elevations. Sternum wider than long (0.48 / 0.40), unmodified. Palps as in Figure 8A,B , coxa without retrolateral apophysis, trochanter barely modified, femur slender, only proximally with retrolateral projection, patella relatively long ventrally, procursus short and slender, distally with distinctive sclerotized and membranous elements, bulb large, with partly membranous embolic division with terminal apophysis. Legs without spines and curved hairs, with vertical hairs on femora ( Figure 9A ) and tibiae; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 9%; tarsus 1 with ∼ 22 pseudosegments. Gonopore without epiandrous spigots.

Variation. In males from Ubatuba the modified cheliceral hair-bases are less clearly in a row ( Figure 9E ). Some males from all localities with sternum medially slightly darkened. Tibia 1 in 11 other males: 4.2–5.3 (mean: 4.8).

Female

In general similar to male; tips of palps darkened, no vertical hairs on legs; sternum colouration variable as in males. Tibia 1 in six females: 3.1–3.5 (mean: 3.3). Epigynum very simple, barely anything visible in light microscope except for internal greenish transversal structure visible through cuticle, either with small protruding

scape (type locality), or without scape (Paraty, Ubatuba, Figure 9C ). Internal genitalia as in Figure 8D .

Natural history

Leaf-dwelling species (see above).

Distribution

Known from three localities in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states ( Figure 2 ). Material examined

BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Reserva Ecológica Rio das Pedras: 4♂, 2♀ types above; same data but 50 m a.s.l., night collecting, 25 September 2009 (B.A. Huber), 1♂, 1♀ in ZFMK . ∼ 3.5 km northwest Paraty (23 ◦ 11.5 ′ S, 44 ◦ 43.9 ′ W), degraded forest, ∼ 50 m a.s.l., 21 August 2007 (B.A. Huber), 2♂, 1♀ in ZFMK ; same data, 3♂ in pure ethanol in ZFMK . Cachoeira da Pedra Branca near Paraty (23 ◦ 11.8 ′ S, 44 ◦ 46.0 ′ W), forest near river, ∼ 230 m a.s.l., 22 August 2007 (B.A. Huber), 2♂, 1♀ in ZFMK ; same data, 1♂, 1♀ in pure ethanol in ZFMK . São Paulo: Ubatuba, Fazenda Angelim (23 ◦ 23.6 ′ S, 45 ◦ 03.8 ′ W), 16–18 December 2003 (B.A. Huber), 5♂, 4♀ in ZFMK (4♂, 3♀) and IBSP (1♂, 1♀) ; same data, 1♂ in pure ethanol, in ZFMK .

Figures

Figure 2. Known distribution of Tupigea. Grey shade in inset: extension of Atlantic Forest in Brazil (inset modified from Ribeiro et al. 2009). Grey shade in main map: extension of Serra do Mar biogeographic sub-region, from Silva and Casteleti (2003) in Ribeiro et al. (2009).

Figure 3. Leaf-dwelling Tupigea species and their web in the natural habitat. (A, B) T. ale from Rio das Pedras (A) and Paraty (B). (C–F) T. teresopolis from Penedo, males (C, D), female (E), and web dusted with starch to improve visibility (F). (G). Unidentified species from Guapiaçú (“Br09-32” in Table 2), female with egg sac.

Figure 4. Preserved specimens of Tupigea species showing habitus, epigynum and genital plugs. (A–C) T. angelim, male (A), epigyna without (B) and with (C) genital plug. (D–H) T. penedo sp. nov., male (D, E), female (F), epigyna without (G) and with (H) genital plug. (I, J) T. maza, male (I) and epigynum (J). (K–N) T. teresopolis, epigynum (K), male (L, M), and female (N). (O, P) T. ale sp. nov., male.

Figure 8. Tupigea ale sp. nov. (A–D) and T. guapia sp. nov (E). Male left palp in prolateral (A) and retrolateral (B) views, male chelicerae, frontal view (C), and cleared female genitalia in dorsal views (D, E). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 9. Scanning electron micrographs of Tupigea ale sp. nov. (A–E) and T. guapia sp. nov. (F–M). (A) Male femur 4, mid-section; (B) modified hair-bases on male chelicerae; (C) epigynum, female from Ubatuba; (D–F) male chelicerae, males from Rio das Pedras (D), Ubatuba (E) and Guapiaçú (F); (G, H) male prosoma in lateral and frontal views; (I) male spinnerets; (J) male gonopore; (K) epigynum; (L) cleared female genitalia, dorsal view; (M) detail of poreplate. Scale bars: 6 µm (M), 10 µm (B, I), 20 µm (J), 50 µm (A), 80 µm (C–F, K, L), 200 µm (G, H).