Tupigea guapia 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 : 295-296

Tupigea guapia Huber , sp. nov.

( Figures 8E , 9 F–M)

Types

Male holotype and 2♂, 3♀ paratypes from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro: Cachoeiras de Macacú, Reserva Ecológica Guapiaçú (22 ◦ 24.4 ′ to 25.3 ′ S, 42 ◦ 44.2 ′ to 44.3 ′ W), 140– 280 m a.s.l., 25 September 2009 (B.A. Huber), in MNRJ (holotype, 1♀ paratype), and ZFMK (2♂, 2♀ paratypes) .

Etymology

The specific name is a noun in apposition, taken from the type locality.

Diagnosis

Very similar to T. ale , distinguished by male chelicerae (slightly stronger hairs on proximal elevation, no modified hair-bases; Figure 9F ) and epigynum (large triangular scape, Figures 8E , 9K ). From other known congeners also by male palp (femur without ventral modification, procursus shape, bulb shape).

Male (holotype)

Total body length 1.8, carapace width 0.6. Leg 1: 20.3 (5.1 + 0.3 + 4.9 + 8.5 + 1.5), tibia 2: 3.1, tibia 3: 2.2, tibia 4: 2.9, tibia 1 L / d: 79. Habitus as in T. ale (cf. Figure 4O,P ); prosoma and legs pale ochre-yellow, abdomen pale greenish-gray. Distance PME–PME 170 µm, diameter PME 60 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 Figure 9F , with slightly stronger hairs on proximal elevation but without modified hair-bases. Sternum wider than long (0.46 / 0.40), unmodified. Palps mostly as in T. ale (cf. Figure 8A,B ), only bulbal apophysis slightly stronger and straighter; tarsal organ exposed. Legs without spines and curved hairs, with vertical hairs on femora and tibiae; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 9%; tarsus 1 with> 20 pseudosegments, poorly visible. Anterior lateral spinnerets with two spigots each ( Figure 9I ).

Variation. Tibia 1 in seven other males: 4.4–5.4 (mean: 4.9).

Female

In general similar to male; tips of palps darkened, no vertical hairs on legs. Tibia 1 in nine females: 3.3–3.9 (mean: 3.5). Epigynum with large triangular scape directed backwards ( Figures 8E , 9K ); internal genitalia as in Figures 8E and 9L .

Distribution

Known from type locality only ( Figure 2 ).

Material examined

BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Cachoeiras de Macacú , Reserva Ecológica Guapiaçú: 3♂, 3♀ types above; same data but 23 September 2009 (B.A. Huber, A. Giupponi), 1♂, 1♀ in ZFMK; same data but 23–24 September 2009 (B.A. Huber), 1♀, 1 juvenile in pure ethanol, in ZFMK; forest fragment near Res. Ecol. Guapiaçú (∼22 ◦ 27.9 ′ S, 42 ◦ 45.8 ′ W), ∼ 150 m a.s.l., 24 September 2009 (A. Giupponi), 5♂, 7♀ in MNRJ (3♂, 5♀) and ZFMK (2♂, 2♀) .

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 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).