Loxosceles guayllabamba Duperre & Tapia sp. nov.

Figs 1, 2, 3, 9A, B, G, Map 1

Type material.

Male holotype from Ecuador, Pichincha Province, Quito, Lirios de Carcelen (-00.083424, -78.456323) 2586 m, 17 Nov. 2019, hand collected in holes and under rocks in dry area, E. Tapia, De Rossi Tapia, ECFN 3678 (QCAZ). Paratypes: same data as holotype: 1♀, ECFN 2777 (QCAZ); 1♂, ECFN 3677 (QCAZ); 1♀ ECFN 7773 (QCAZ) 2♀, ECFN 7768 7769 (QCAZ); 2♀1♂ ECFN 7764 (AMNH); 3♀ ECFN 7766 7772 (ZMH-A0014267, A0014268, A0014270); 2♂3juv., hand collected in house, E. Tapia, De Rossi Tapia,(ZMH-A0014271); 1♂, hand collected in garage, E. Tapia, De Rossi Tapia, ECFN 3676 (ZMH-A0015445); 1♂ ECFN 7762 (ZMH-A0014269); 1♀1♂ (USNM); 1♀1♂ (MCZ).

Other material examined.

Ecuador: Pichincha: Bosque Protector Jerusalem (00.000075, -78.355095) 7♂ 10♀, collected under rocks, dead trees, old tree bark and old Agave leaves, 23.XII.2022, E. E. Tapia (QCAZ, ZMH-A0019764, 19765, USNM); Quito, Lirios de Carcelen (-00.083424, -78.456323) 2586 m, 17 Nov. 2019, 2juv., hand collected in holes and under rocks in dry area, E. Tapia, De Rossi Tapia (ZMH-A0015443, A0015444); 3♂ 2♀ 5juv., ECFN 7761 7763 7765 7767 7771 7774 7937 7938 (DTC). Imbabura: Pimapiro [00°24'20.25"N, 77°56'20"W] 2038 m, 5 Jan 2003, 1♂ 1♀, R. Cardenas (QCAZ) .

Diagnosis.

Males most resemble L. rufipes (Lucas, 1834) and L. lutea Keyserling, 1877 but are distinguished as such: from L. rufipes by their shorter, non-sinuous embolus (Fig. 2A, B, D) while in the latter the embolus is long and sinuous (see Gertsch and Ennik 1983: fig. 335); from L. lutea by their palpal tibia not thickened in basal third and femur longer (6.5 × longer than wide) (Fig. 2A, B), while palpal tibia thicker in basal third (Fig. 8A, B; Gertsch 1967: plate 19, fig. 1) and 4.2 × longer than wide (Gertsch 1967: 166). Females most resemble L. alicea Gertsch, 1967, L. lutea, and L. binfordae sp. nov. but are distinguished by their short spermathecae (as long as wide) with wide bases and small pointed outer lobes (Fig. 3A-D, G, H); while L. alicea Gertsch, 1967 has spermathecae without outer lobes (Gertsch 1967: plate 10, fig. 11); L. lutea has elongated (1.3 × longer than wide) and constricted spermathecae (Fig. 7G, H) and L. binfordae sp. nov. has shorter (0.6 × longer than wide) spermathecae with wide outer lobes (Fig. 6A-D, G, H).

Description.

Male (holotype): Total length: 6.06; carapace length: 2.7; carapace width: 2.28; abdomen length: 3.36.

Cephalothorax. Carapace light yellow-brown, piriform, with darker red-brown pars cephalica dorsally (Fig. 1A); clypeus 0.22, light brown. Sternum light yellow, longer than wide; labium light yellow, trapezoidal, fused to sternum; endites yellow, white apically; longer than wide (Fig. 1B).

Chelicerae. Orange-brown; fused basally, with chelated chelicerae laminae; stridulatory organ well developed with ~34 files; fangs orange-brown, paler distally.

Eyes. Six eyes in three diads; PME: 0.12, ALE: 0.14, PLE: 016, PLE-PLE: 0.77 (Fig. 1A).

Abdomen. Dorsally grayish, elongated oval (Fig. 1A); ventrally light gray (Fig. 1B); colulus triangular.

Legs. Light yellow (Fig. 1A, B). Legs measurements: I 15.18 (4.10/0.73/4.49/4.59/1.27); II 18.32 (4.54/0.76/5.21/-5.27/1.54); III 13.37 (3.78/0.61/3.66/4.02/1.30); IV 15.45 (4.15/0.75/4.28/4.81/1.46). Leg formula: 2413.

Palp. Femora light yellow, long and thin (1.91 length/0.29 width = 6.5 ×) with stridulatory pick basally (Fig. 2A); patellae light yellow; tibiae light yellow, (1.07 length /0.56 width = 1.9 ×) long and thick, almost straight dorsally, thicker mid-ventrally; tarsus dark reddish orange (Fig. 2A, C). Palp bulb oval, with evenly, tightly curved embolus (Fig. 2B, D); tip of embolus not twisted (Fig. 9A, B, arrow).

Female (paratype): Total length: 8.03; carapace length: 3.27; carapace width: 2.7; abdomen length: 4.76.

Cephalothorax. Carapace red-brown, piriform; darker brown along radiation lines and fovea (Fig. 1C); clypeus 0.26, dark brown. Sternum orange, longer than wide; labium reddish-brown, trapezoidal, fused to sternum; endites reddish-brown, white apically; longer than wide (Fig. 1D).

Chelicerae. Dark reddish-brown; fused basally, with chelated chelicerae laminae; stridulatory organ well developed with ~29 files; fangs reddish-brown, paler distally.

Eyes. Six eyes in three diads; PME: 0.14, ALE: 0.16, PLE: 016, PLE-PLE: 0.98 (Fig. 1C). Abdomen. Dorsally grayish, elongated oval (Fig. 1C); ventrally light gray; colulus triangular (Fig. 1D).

Legs. Orange-brown (Fig. 1C, D). Legs measurements: I 13.73 (3.68/0.79/4.08/3.88/1.30); II 15.33 (4.42/0.88/4.59/4.03/1.41); III missing; IV 15.11 (4.41/0.87/3.93/4.52/1.38). Leg formula: 241-.

Palp. Femur light orange with basal stridulatory pick; patellae light orange; tibia and tarsus dark reddish brown.

Genitalia. Spermathecae elongated, apically rounded; as long as wide (1 ×); with small pointed outer lobe (Fig. 3A, arrow); bases of spermathecae wide (Fig. 3A-D, G, H).

Etymology.

The specific name is a noun in apposition taken from the region where the species was collected, Guayllabamba parish.

Distribution.

Ecuador, Imbabura and Pichincha provinces.

Natural history.

Specimens were collected between 2038-2586 m in the inter-Andean valley. Most specimens were collected under rocks, debris, in between leaves of dead Agave plants, and a few specimens were collected in a house or in adjacent garage (Fig. 10).