Loxosceles tazarte, Planas & Ribera, 2015

Planas, Enric & Ribera, Carles, 2015, Description of six new species of Loxosceles (Araneae: Sicariidae) endemic to the Canary Islands and the utility of DNA barcoding for their fast and accurate identification, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 47-73 : 54-56

LOXOSCELES TAZARTE SP. NOV. ( FIGS 4 , 5 )

Loxosceles sp. GC-1 ( Planas & Ribera, 2014)

Holotype

1♂, ULL-DZUL-34177 ( LX1165 ) (MorphoBank: M326610−M326615), Barranco del Draguillo , Gran Canaria, 27.94599 N, 15.44626 W, 28.xii.2008, Macías, N. leg.

Paratypes

1♀, ULL-DZUL-34181 ( LX2302 ) (MorphoBank: M326616−M326621) , 1♂ ULL-DZUL-34182 ( LX2303 ), same locality as holotype, 26.xii.2010, López, H. leg. Other material examined

Gran Canaria: 1♂ ULL-DZUL-34180, Los Majaletes – Cazadores , 27.94833N 15.50232W, 13.x.2003, López, H. leg. ; 1♂, CRBA-LX1818 , Los Corralillos , 27.88377 N, 15.45515 W, 140 m a.s.l., 27.ii.2011, Opatova, V. & Planas, E .; 1♀, CRBA-LX1160 , Cueva Santa Lucía, 27.91022 N, 15.52989 W, 868 m a.s.l., 25.iv.2009, Espluga, R. & Planas, E. leg. ; 1♂, CRBA-LX1688 , 1♀, CRBA- LX1689, Cueva de las Niñas, 27.92462 N, 15.67237 W, 928 m a.s.l., 12.xii.2012, Araya, M. & Planas, E. leg. ; 4♀, ULL-DZUL-34184, -34185 ( LX2306 ), -34186 ( LX2307 ), -34187 ( LX2308 ), Llanos de la Pez , Tejeda, 27.964311 N, 15.58555 W, 31.iii.2012, de la Cruz, S. & Macías, N .; 1♂, ULL-DZUL-34178, Cabecera Valle Temisa , 29.90928 N, 15.51331 W, 28.xi.2004, Castro, R. leg .; 1♂, CRBA-LX1692 , 1♀, CRBA-LX1693 , La Isleta , 28.17405 N, 15.41882 W, 251 m a.s.l., 13.xii.2010, Araya, M. & Planas, E .

Etymology

The species epithet is a noun in apposition in honour of Tazarte, faycan (spiritual leader) of Telde, who actively participated in the resistance against the Castilian conquest of Gran Canaria, and who died jumping from a cliff before surrendering.

Diagnosis

Differs from L. rufescens and L. mrazig by the same morphological combination as L. mahan sp. nov. (see above). Males of L. tazarte sp. nov. can be distinguished from the remaining Canary Island species by the shape of the embolus ( Fig. 4A–C ), and females by the long inner lobe of the apical part of seminal receptacles ( Fig. 5 ). Morphologically similar to Loxosceles bentejui sp. nov. but males can be distinguished by the less oval shape of the tibia palp ( Fig. 4A, B, E ), and females by the U-shaped inner lobe of the apical part of seminal receptacles ( Fig. 5A, B ), although some variation exists regarding these characters. Loxosceles tazarte sp. nov. also can be distinguished from the remaining Canary Island endemic species and from L. rufescens by two [156 (A); 435 (C/ T)] COI diagnostic nucleotide changes based on the alignment deposited in TreeBASE (accession number 15746; Fig. S1 ).

Description

Male (holotype). Specimen preparation and condition: specimen collected in mesocavernous shallow substratum ( MSS) traps and preserved in 96% ethanol. Pedipalps removed and conserved with specimen and left legs 1, 2, and 3 removed. Owing to preservation, the pedipalp tibia is slightly compressed in its dorsoanterior part and most setae had fallen off. Coloration: carapace yellowish, clypeus and median groove slightly darkened. Conspicuous dark V-mark posteriorly on pars cephalica, expanding finely towards the median groove ( Fig. 4D ). Carapace with few dispersed short black setae. Eye tubercles black. Chelicerae reddish brown, darkened in its distal part. Sternum bright yellowish, paler than carapace. Labium and gnathocoxae pale reddish brown. Legs pale yellowish with the apical segments slightly darkened. Abdomen pale yellowish to greyish, coated by short setae. Cephalothorax: carapace slightly longer (2.34) than wide (2.23), truncated behind, widely rounded on sides, narrowed in front. Carapace evenly convex, with median groove moderately deep, elongated, occupying roughly the posterior third. Pars cephalica elongated (1.15 long, 0.76 wide). Most of larger setae rubbed off to leave integument with conspicuous alveoli, forming seven parallel rows in the pars cephalica, and six radial rows beginning from its posterior part. Clypeus height 0.21. Eye sizes: ALE 0.16, ME 0.13, PLE 0.15. LE separat- ed from ME by narrowest diameter of ME. Sternum longer (1.4) than wide (1.25). Abdomen: elongate oval (2.48 long, 1.6 wide) in dorsal view. Legs: leg formula 2 1 4 3; Leg 1 (15.42): femur 4.15/patella 0.87/tibia 4.59/ metatarsus 4.65/tarsus 1.16; Leg 2 (17.44): 4.77/0.87/ 5.12/5.44/1.24; Leg 3 (13.51): 3.75/0.85/3.57/4.31/1.03; Leg 4 (15.11): 4.11/0.81/4.12/4.83/1.24. Male palp ( Fig. 4 ): femur cylindrical (1.06 long, 0.26 wide). Patella subglobular, roughly as long as wide (0.4). Tibia wider at the base (0.77 long, 0.45 wide), paunchy ventrally, rounded more abruptly towards the patella than the tarsus. Tarsus longer than wide, as large as bulb (0.41). Bulb globular, slightly compressed dorsally. Maximum bulb width 4.5 times wider than embolus base. Embolus long, approximately 1.9 times longer than bulb width, gently curved with an apparent bending at midlength and slightly sinuous towards the tip ( Fig. 4A– C ). Long, curved setae facing apically, situated in tarsus. Conspicuous setae alveoli distributed sparsely on femur and tibia. Variation (Table 1): Leg 1 (N = 7): 14.71−24.09 (mean: 18.3); Leg 2 (N = 6): 17.01–28.68 (mean: 21.14); Leg 3 (N = 6): 13.51−20.38 (mean: 16.46); Leg 4 (N = 7): 15.09–22.34 (mean: 17.68); CL (N = 7): 2.34–3.21 (mean: 2.73); CW (N = 7): 2.2–2.88 (mean: 2.5). General coloration ranges from pale-yellow to darker yelloworange, depending on the time since the last moult. The shape of the dark V-shaped patterns also presents some variation in intensity and extent.

Female (paratype, ULL-DZUL-34181)

Specimen preparation and condition: specimen collect- ed in MSS traps and preserved in 96% ethanol. Genitalia removed and conserved in a vial with specimen. Legs 3 and 4 left removed. Coloration: similar as in male but slightly darker. Carapace yellow-orange, with pars cephalica slightly darkened. Palps and chelicerae reddish. Cephalothorax: carapace slightly longer (2.88) than wide (2.63). Carapace evenly convex, with median groove moderately deep, elongated, occupying roughly the posterior third. Pars cephalica elongated (1.98 long, 0.95 wide). Clypeus height 0.302. Eye sizes: ALE 0.18, ME 0.12, PLE 0.16. LE separated from ME by 0.17. Sternum longer (1.6) than wide (1.46). Abdomen: elongate oval (4.06 long, 2.7 wide) in dorsal view. Legs: leg formula 2 4 1 3; Leg 1 (14.65): femur 4.28/patella 0.94/tibia 4.19/metatarsus 4.12/tarsus 1.12; Leg 2 (15.77): 4.55/0.92/4.56/4.59/1.15; Leg 3 (13.12): 3.89/0.98/3.4/ 3.77/1.08; Leg 4 (15.14): 4.31/1.02/3.98/4.6/1.23. Female genitalia ( Fig. 5 ): atriobursal orifices situated in two large, rounded, and almost contiguous pouches, slightly sclerotized around the edges. Base of seminal receptacles conical and wide, reinforced laterally with a curved, dark, sclerotized band. Medium part very short, bifurcating towards the tip in two cylindrical lobes. External lobe short and tapered, whereas the inner is more than three times longer, U-shaped, and pointing ventrally or laterally. Seminal receptacles not touching each other, separated at their closer point by roughly the apical diameter of the inner lobes. Variation (Table 1): Leg 1 (N = 4): 14.16−16.30 (mean: 15.32); Leg 2 (N = 3): 15.45−17.84 (mean: 16.36); Leg 3 (N = 4): 13.06–15.38 (mean: 14.03); Leg 4 (N = 4): 14.83–16.68 (mean: 15.76); CL (N = 4): 2.6–3.14 (mean: 2.89); CW (N = 4): 2.43−2.78 (mean: 2.61). Similar range of general coloration variation as in males. Seminal receptacles variable, especially in the shape of the inner lobe.

Distribution and natural history

Endemic to Gran Canaria. Known from the central, south, and eastern parts of the island, and from Peninsula de la Isleta. Distinguished from L. bentejui sp. nov., also endemic to Gran Canaria, based on allopatric distribution ( Fig. 1 ). Some specimens have been collected in MSS traps.

Figures

Figure 1. A, geographical position of the Canary Islands, indicated by the inset box. B, phylogenetic relationships amongst the Canary Islands endemic Loxosceles species; lineages with more than one individual are collapsed (see Planas and Ribera, 2014 for further information). C, sampling localities of the Canary Islands endemic Loxosceles; colours correspond to B.

Figure 4. ♂ Loxosceles tazarte sp. nov. A, palp, prolateral view; B, palp, retrolateral view; C, bulb and embolus; D, cephalothorax, dorsal view; E, palp, dorsal view. Scale bars: A, B, C, E = 0.5 mm; D = 1 mm.

Figure 5. ♀ Loxosceles tazarte sp. nov. vulva: A, ventral view; B, dorsal view; C, anterior view; D, posterior view. Abbreviations: il, inner lobe of seminal receptacle; ol, outer lobe of seminal receptacle. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.