NERUDIA TRIGO HUBER SP. NOV.

(FIGS 1E, 22–24)

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 2D2F4A08-7C18-4ED6-8894-FE391F17E6C6.

Diagnosis: Easily distinguished from known congeners by male chelicerae (Fig. 22G, H; without frontal apophyses, with patches of strong hairs); also by shapes of procursus (Fig. 22A–C; similar to N. guirnalda, but without prolateral–ventral ridge proximally), by bulbal processes (Fig. 22D–F; ventral apophysis distally slender, curved towards ventral, same length as embolar process), and by epigynum and female internal genitalia (Figs 22I, 23; epigynal plate with short but wide posterior indentation, laterally strongly sclerotized; internal genitalia with indistinct ‘receptacle’.

Type material: ARGENTINA – Salta: • ♂ holotype; between Alemanía and Cafayate; 25.7023° S, 65.7022° W; 1340 m a.s.l.; 23 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; LABRE-Ar 589 • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, paratypes; same data as holotype; ZFMK Ar 23894 .

Other material examined: ARGENTINA – Salta: • 10 ♀♀, 2 juvs, in pure ethanol (one female used for SEM; three female prosomata used for molecular study); same data as holotype; ZFMK Arg 206 • 3 ♂♂; same data as holotype; LABRE-Ar 539 • 1 ♂; ~ 1 km SW Alemanía; 25.6300° S, 65.6180° W; 1210 m a.s.l.; 23 Mar. 2019; B. A. Huber and M. A. Izquierdo leg.; ZFMK Ar 23895 • 1 ♀, in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; ZFMK Arg 202 • 2 ♀♀, 1 juv., in pure ethanol; same data as preceding; LABRE-Ar 550 .

Etymology: The species epithet trigo (Spanish for ‘wheat’) is taken from Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Cien sonetos de amor’; noun in apposition.

Description

Male (holotype). Measurements: Total body length 1.70, carapace width 0.77. Distance PME–PME 80 µm; diameter PME 65 µm; distance PME–ALE 20 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm; diameter AME 50 µm. Leg 1: 7.50 (2.10 + 0.30 + 1.95 + 2.40 + 0.75), tibia 2: 1.80, tibia 3: 1.60, tibia 4: 2.10; tibia 1 L/d: 22.

Colour (in ethanol): Prosoma and legs mostly pale ochre-yellow; darker ochre Y-mark behind ocular area; legs without dark rings; abdomen monochromous pale grey.

Body: Habitus as in N. poma (cf. Fig. 1B). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace with indistinct thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.54/0.42), with pair of distinct anterior processes near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

Chelicerae: As in Figure 22G, H; with large patch of strong hairs on each side; without frontal processes; stridulatory files on low lateral protrusions.

Palps: Similar to N. colina (cf. Fig. 4); proximal segments apparently identical to N. colina; femur length/width 2.08; tibia length/width 1.10; procursus simple, in lateral view slightly directed towards dorsal, similar to N. colina but without subdistal ventral sclerite and slightly wider (Fig. 22A–C); genital bulb similar to N. colina but ventral apophysis less strongly curved towards ventral (Fig. 22D–F).

Legs: Without spines and curved hairs; apparently few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 63%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with seven to eight pseudosegments, distally distinct.

Variation (male): Tibia 1 in three other males from type locality: 1.71, 1.72, 1.83. The male from 1 km SW Alemanía has apparently identical chelicerae and pedipalps but is smaller: tibia 1: 1.40; carapace width: 0.63; chelicerae maximum width: 240 µm.

Female: In general, similar to male (Fig. 1E) but sternum without pair of anterior humps. Tibia 1 in four females: 1.46, 1.47, 1.65, 1.85. Epigynum (Fig. 23) anterior plate roughly rectangular, weakly protruding, with short but wide posterior indentation; posterior plate large, simple. Internal genitalia (Figs 22I, 23B– D) simple, with indistinct ‘receptacle’.

Distribution: Known only from two neighbouring localities in Salta, Argentina (Fig. 3).

Natural history: At the type locality, the spiders were found in small cavities or shelters composed of large rocks in a dry ravine. They were sitting relatively exposed on the ceiling of the cavities and were easy to collect as they barely moved. Several females carried egg-sacs that were consistently reddish, flattened, and contained approximately 15– 18 eggs. Near Alemanía, the single pair was found close together on the underside of a large rock. The spiders barely moved at disturbance. They shared the microhabitat with a tiny undescribed species of Modisiminae .