Naatlo fauna (Simon, 1897)

Figs 1, 26–27

Theridiosoma fauna Simon, 1897: 483, figs 1–2, 7–8

[ ♀ lectotype, one ♂ and 18 ♀♀ paralectotypes from Venezuela, Carabobo, San Esteban (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris), designated by Coddington 1989, not examined].

Naatlo fauna – Coddington 1986: 50, figs 69, 91–98

[♂, ♀] [from Colombia, Valle] [transferred from Theridiosoma].

Diagnosis

Females of Naatlo fauna resemble those of Naatlo splendida (Taczanowski, 1879) by the elongated opisthosoma (i.e., projecting behind the spinnerets) and by the epigynal flap narrowly hinged anteriorly and wider than the sternum (Fig. 27A–D; Coddington 1986: figs 84–86, 88, 91–93; Wienskoski 2010: figs 1a–c, 4d), but N. fauna can be distinguished by the three pairs of dorsal whitish-gray patches laterally on the opisthosoma (Fig. 27A–B; Coddington 1986: figs 91–92; Wienskoski 2010: fig. 1a–b), whereas N. splendida have two lateral silver stripes (Coddington 1986: figs 84, 86; Wienskoski 2010: fig. 4a–b). Males of N. fauna can be distinguished from those of N. splendida by the embolus with four lobes distally (Fig. 26E; Coddington 1986: fig. 83), whereas N. splendida have three lobes (Coddington 1986: fig. 73).

Material examined

PANAMA – Chiriquí Province • 1 ♂; Reserva Forestal Fortuna, Quebrada Honda, one-hectare PANCODING inventory; 8.750083° N, 82.239083° W; 1135 m a.s.l.; 7–12 Jun. 2007; M. Arnedo, D. Dimitrov, G. Hormiga, F. Labarque and M. Ramírez leg.; voucher code SFB1DAR028; preparation codes FML-00720, LNP-00258; DNA code naafa056; GenBank code PX096967; MACN-Ar 29057 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFC1DBR019; preparation codes FML-00725, LNP-00263; DNA code naafa118; GenBank code PX096966; MACN-Ar 29056 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFB1D9R032; DNA code naafa191; GenBank code PX096968; MCZ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFB2D9R026; DNA barcode SPIPA373-10; MCZ • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFD1NBR033; DNA barcode SPIPA374-10; CRBA • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFU1N8A036; DNA barcode SPIPA376-10; MCZ • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFU1N8R028; DNA barcode SPIPA375-10; CRBA • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFU1NBR037; DNA code naafa189; GenBank code PX096969; MCZ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFU1NCD031; DNA barcode SPIPA377-10; MCZ • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; voucher code SFU1NCL016; DNA code naaga190; GenBank code PX096970; MCZ • 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; MCZ • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; MIUP • 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; MACN-Ar 29054 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; MACN-Ar 29058 • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; MACN-Ar 29055 • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; MACN-Ar 29053 • 5 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; CRBA • 6 ♀♀; same locality as for preceding; 21–24 Jun. 2008; L. Piacentini and F. Labarque leg.; non-quantitative sample; MACN-Ar.

Redescription

Male (MACN-Ar 29057)

Total length 1.53. Prosoma: length 0.69, width 0.67, height 0.56. Sternum: length 0.37, width 0.35. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, PME 0.06, AME–PME 0.08. Opisthosoma: length 0.92, width 0.83, height 0.94. Leg formula: 1243. Dorsal shield of prosoma yellowish-white laterally, olive-green centrally (Fig. 26A–B). Dorsum of ocular area olive-green (Fig. 26A). Sternum light olive-green (Fig. 26C). Dorsum of opisthosoma olive-green with three pairs of dorsal whitish-gray patches laterally (Fig. 26A). Epiandrium, booklung cover, tracheal spiracle, and behind anal tubercle olive-green, surrounded by whitish-gray area; spinneret field light olive-green (Fig. 26C). Legs I–II darker than III– IV, femora yellowish-white but distally orange, patella, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi orange (Fig. 26A–C). Palp: paracymbium wider than long, tegulum retrolaterally narrow, tegular spur rounded, wide, median apophysis rounded, distally notched, with projection extending distally, conductor reduced, partially covering embolus, embolus distally lobed (Fig. 26D–F).

Female (MACN-Ar 29056)

Total length 1.88. Prosoma: length 0.63, width 0.53, height 0.46. Sternum: length 0.41, width 0.38. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.07, PME 0.06, AME–PME 0.06. Opisthosoma: length 1.36, width 1.10, height 0.94. Leg formula: 1243. Coloration olive-greener than in male (Fig. 27A–C). Epigynal plate brownish-orange (Fig. 27C), domed, with transverse groove, epigynal flap hinged anteriorly (Fig. 27C). Vulva: copulatory ducts massive, proximally with patch of gland ducts dorsally, heavily sclerotized distally inserting dorsolaterally posteriorly into spermathecae, spermathecae ovoid, sclerotized, and connate (i.e., fused along the midline), fertilization ducts sclerotized, emerging dorsally posteriorly from spermathecae, curving anteriorly to meet uterus externus (Fig. 27D). For further species description details, see Coddington (1986).

Records and biology

Naatlo fauna is distributed from Costa Rica to Brazil including Trinidad and Tobago (World Spider Catalog 2025). Records in this study are limited to collections made at 1135 m a.s.l. in the premontane rainforest from Reserva Forestal Fortuna (Fig. 1). Males and females have been collected mostly at night by looking up, although some specimens were also collected at night by looking down and others during the day by beating and cryptic techniques.