Cicurina (Cicurella) coryelli Gertsch 1992

Paquin, Pierre & Dupérré, Nadine, 2009, of 60 troglobitic species of the subgenus Cicurella (Araneae: Dictynidae), and a first visual assessment of their distribution, Zootaxa 2002, pp. 1-67 : 22

Cicurina (Cicurella) coryelli Gertsch 1992

( Figs 30–31, 129)

Gertsch 1992: 103, figs 71–72 (description of female). — Jackman 1997: 162; Cokendolpher & Reddell 2001: 40, figs 4–7; Cokendolpher 2004b: 59–61; Paquin & Hedin 2004: 3243–3245, 3249, 3253; Taylor et al. 2005: 98.

HOLOTYPE female: “ Texas; Coryell County; Tippit Cave . 31 Jan. 1992 J. Reddell, M. Reyes ”. Examined ( AMNH).

Additional material examined. UNITED STATES: Coryell County: Big Red Cave ( Fort Hood ), 06.v.1999, 1♀, J. Reddell, M. Reyes ( TMM); Egypt Cave (Fort Hood), 07.iv.1999, 1♀ [ TMM #14230 ], J. Reddell, M. Reyes ( TMM) .

Description. Female holotype

Total length: 3.80; carapace length: 1.70; carapace width: 1.10; opisthosoma length: 2.10. Eyes absent. Cheliceral promargin right side with 3 teeth (2 large, 1 small), left side with 3 teeth (2 large, 1 small); retromargin right side with 7 denticles (2 large, 5 small), left side with 6 denticles (2 large, 4 small). Leg I: total length: 5.00; femur: 1.40; patella: 0.55; tibia: 1.20; metatarsus: 1.05; tarsus: 0.80; leg IV: total length: 5.43; femur: 1.45; patella: 0.55; tibia: 1.25; metatarsus: 1.55; tarsus: 0.83. Tarsal claw IV: 0.13. Epigynum: 0.196 mm (half). Epigynal ventral plate with short transverse slit, bearing medial, deep, inverted U-shaped indentation; stalk, short, straight, horizontally directed.

Distribution. Reported from three caves: Big Red Cave, Egypt Cave, Tippit Cave (type locality), all located in Coryell County (Texas, Fig. 129). The map provided by Cokendolpher & Reddell (2001) places one of these three caves in Bell County, which appears incorrect.

Remarks. Male unknown. The epigynum description of the type specimen presented here is incomplete because this structure is heavily damaged. To bypass this problem and provide useable characters for species identification, Cokendolpher & Reddell (2001) illustrated another female collected in the same cave, that Gertsch (1992) also examined. As pointed by Cokendolpher & Reddell (2001), the holotype specimen epigynum was likely crushed when Gertsch described the species, as shown by his illustrations that do not show connecting ducts.