Tafana pittieri, De Oliveira & Brescovit, 2021

De Oliveira, Luiz Fernando M. & Brescovit, Antonio Domingos, 2021, Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of ghost spiders of the genus Tafana Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Dionycha, Anyphaenidae), with the descriptions of twelve new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 742, pp. 1-77 : 49-50

Tafana pittieri sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5763F405-387A-4B81-B2A2-D2A309390260

Figs 28 , 33F , 35

Diagnosis

Males of Tafana pittieri sp. nov. resemble those of the silhavyi group by having the secondary looping in the middle in the tegulum, but differ from them by having the large laminar, ring-shaped apophysis at the base of the embolus and retrolateral tibial apophysis short and truncated ( Fig. 28C–E ). Females differ from the other species by having the lateral lobes wing-shaped in the median region, covering part of the atrium, and secondary spermathecae with slender shape ( Fig. 28F–G , 33F ).

Etymology

The specific name is a patronym in honor of Henri Pittier, a botanist, geographer and ethnologist who devoted himself to the study of the flora and fauna in the National Park Henri Pittier, where the specimen was collected. In the year of 1953 the park (until then called Rancho Grande) was renamed in honor of H. Pittier.

Material examined

Holotype VENEZUELA • 1 ♂; Aragua, Rancho Grande, current National Park Henri Pittier ; [10°20′58″ N, 67°41′08″ W]; 8–15 Apr. 1945; M. Beebe et. al. leg.; AMNH.

Paratype VENEZUELA • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; AMNH .

Description

Male (holotype, AMNH)

COLOR. Exemplar probably discolored. Carapace orange with cephalic region dark ( Fig. 28A ). Labium, sternum and endites yellow. Chelicerae reddish. Legs I–IV yellow, darkest at tarsi. Abdomen yellow with spots in dorsal view ( Fig. 28A ).

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 6.3, carapace length 2.8, width 2.21. Clypeus height 0.08. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.1, ALE 0.12, PME 0.1, PLE 0.12; AME–AME 0.04, AME–ALE 0.04, PME– PME 0.12, PME–PLE 0.1, ALE–PLE 0.04. Chelicerae 1.1 long, with four promarginal teeth and four retromarginal denticles.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. I—femur 3.0/ patella 1.1/ tibia 3.5/ metatarsus 3.12 /tarsus 1.2/ total 11.92; II— 2.7/ 1.1/ 2.4 /2.8 / 0.93 /9.93; III—1.98 / 0.8/ 1.53 / 2.0/ 0.6/ 6.91; IV—2.7/ 0.9 /2.5 / 3.1/ 0.7/ 9.9.

LEG SPINATION. I—tibia v2-2-2, p1-1-0, r1-1-0, metatarsus v2-0-0, p1-0-0, r1-0-0; II—tibia v2-2-2, p1-1-0, r1-1-0, metatarsus p1-0-0, r1-0-0; III—tibia p1-1-1, r1-1-1; IV—tibia p1-1-1.

PALP. Cymbium with large retrolateral projection, embolus long with large base and narrow apex; median apophysis long and curved apically; ventral tegular process short and hyaline; tegulum without basal protuberance; sperm duct with secondary looping in horizontal position; median apophysis laminar, long and curved at the apex ( Fig. 28C–E ).

ABDOMEN. Length 3.4, epigastric furrow 0.5 from tracheal spiracle, spiracle 1.9 from base of spinnerets.

Female (paratype, AMNH)

COLOR. Exemplar probably discolored. Coloration as in males of this species, except for chelicerae reddish brown ( Fig. 28B ).

MEASUREMENTS. Total length 5.4, carapace length 2.2, width 1.8. Clypeus height 0.06. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.08, ALE 0.1, PME 0.1, PLE 0.1; AME–AME 0.04, AME–ALE 0.02, PME– PME 0.14, PME–PLE 0.08, ALE–PLE 0.04. Chelicerae 2.2 long, with four promarginal teeth and four retromarginal denticles.

LEG MEASUREMENTS. I—femur 1.9 /patella 0.8/ tibia 1.8/ metatarsus 1.6/ tarsus 0.8 /total 6.9; II— 1.5/ 0.6/ 1.05 / 1.4/ 0.6 /5.15; III—1.2/ 0.5/ 0.7 /1.1 /0.4 / 3.9; IV—1.7/ 0.7 /1.6 / 2.0/ 0.52 / 6.52.

LEG SPINATION. I—tibia v2-2-2, p1-1-0, r1-1-0, metatarsus v2-0-0, p1-0-0, r1-0-0; II—tibia v2-2-2, p0-1-0, r1-1-0, metatarsus p1-0-0, r1-0-1; III—tibia v1-2-2, p1-1-0, r1-1-0, metatarsus v2-1-2, p0-1-1, r0-1-1; IV—tibia v1-2-2, p1-1-1.

EPIGYNUM. Triangular hood with sclerotized border; atrium short; epigynal plate not covered by cuticle, covered in the posterior region; lateral lobes sinuous with wing form in the median region. Internally, copulatory ducts short and curved; primary spermathecae oval and separated; secondary spermathecae small in the posterior region of the copulatory ducts; fertilization ducts longer than primary spermathecae ( Figs 28F–G , 33F ).

ABDOMEN. Length 3.2, epigastric furrow 0.6 from tracheal spiracle, spiracle 1.1 from base of spinnerets.

Distribution

Known only from Aragua, Venezuela ( Fig. 33 ).

Figures

Fig. 28. Tafana pittieri sp. nov. (A, C–E =holotype, ♂, AMNH; B, F–G=paratype, ♀, AMNH). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Left palp, ventral view. D. Left palp, retrolateral view. E. Left palp, dorsal view. F. Epigynum, ventral view. G. Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: A=atrium; ABE= apophysis of base of the embolus; CD=copulatory ducts; CO =copulatory opening; E =embolus; FD =fertilization ducts; H =hood; LL=lateral lobes; RTA=retrolateral tibial apophysis; S1 =primary spermathecae; S2 =secondary spermathecae; T = tegulum; VTP=ventral tegular process. Scale bars: A–B =3.5 mm; C–D =0.4 mm; F–G=0.25 mm.

Fig. 33. Female genitalia, digested. A. Tafana huatanay sp. nov. (MUSM). B. Tafana ruizi sp. nov. (IBSP 258183). C. Tafana silhavyi (Caporiacco, 1955) (MNHN). D. Tafana maracay sp. nov. (MNHN 11314). E. Tafana arawak sp. nov. (MNHN 11320). F. Tafana pittieri sp. nov. (AMNH). G. Tafana oliviae sp. nov. (MCZ). H. Tafana orinoco sp. nov. (MIZA 07062). Abbreviations: CD =copulatory ducts; FD =fertilization ducts; H =hood; S1 =primary spermathecae; S2 =secondary spermathecae. Scale bars: A–H =0.25 mm.

Fig. 35. Distribution map of species of Tafana.