Tolteca manzanillo Huber, 2023

Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, Král, Jiří, Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2023, Short-legged daddy-long-leg spiders in North America: the genera Pholcophora and Tolteca (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 880 (1), pp. 1-89 : 57-62

Tolteca manzanillo Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:97805AAF-C4EE-4A3E-A1F7-4B980E70005E

Figs 36E–F , 44A–C , 45– 46 , 55E

Pholcophora hesperia Gertsch, 1982: 102 (only specimens from 12 mi E of Manzanillo; see Remarks under T. hesperia ).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by the combination of: male genital bulb without dorsal ridge (unlike T. jalisco ); procursus tip gradually narrowing ( Fig. 44C ; unlike T. hesperia and T. sinnombre sp. nov.); male cheliceral apophyses wide apart ( Fig. 44A ; distance between tips ~65 µm, i.e., much wider apart than in T. huahua sp. nov. and T. oaxaca sp. nov.), in lateral view with small angle against distal-frontal face of chelicera ( Fig. 44B ; unlike T. hesperia ; not checked in T. jalisco ); main epigynal plate crescent-shaped ( Fig. 45A, C ; rather than band-like as in T. hesperia and T. jalisco ); sacs in female internal genitalia ~40–50 µm long ( Fig. 55E; i.e ., longer than in T. jalisco and T. oaxaca , shorter than in T. sinnombre ).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype MEXICO – Colima • ♂; ~ 17 km E of Manzanillo ; 19.0115° N, 104.1382° W; 35 m a.s.l.; 6 Oct. 2019; B.A. Huber and A. Valdez-Mondragón leg.; LATLAX.

Paratypes MEXICO – Colima • 7 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; one male used for SEM; ZFMK Ar 23958 • 4 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, 4 juvs; same collection data as for holotype; LATLAX .

Other material examined

MEXICO – Colima • 4 ♀♀, 9 juvs, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; two prosomata used for molecular work, two abdomens transferred to ZFMK Ar 23958; ZFMK Mex232 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; partly used for karyotype analyses; ZFMK 23959 .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.10, carapace width 0.45. Distance PME-PME 40 µm; diameter PME 30 µm; distance PME-ALE 20 µm; distance AME-AME 10 µm; diameter AME 25 µm. Leg 1: 2.01 (0.55 + 0.15 + 0.50 + 0.48 + 0.33), tibia 2: 0.40, tibia 3: 0.37, tibia 4: 0.60; tibia 1 L/d: 7; diameters of leg femora 0.10, of leg tibiae 0.07.

COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs monochromous ochre-yellow; abdomen slightly darker ochre-grey, also monochromous.

BODY ( Fig. 36E ). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified, short (clypeus rim to ALE: 120 µm). Sternum wider than long (0.36/0.30), almost round (i.e., not heart-shaped), with pair of small but distinct anterior processes (~40 µm diameter at basis, ~40 µm long) near coxae 1. Abdomen globular; gonopore apparently without epiandrous spigots ( Fig. 46G ); ALS with seven spigots each ( Fig. 46H ).

CHELICERAE ( Fig. 44A–B ). With pair of frontal apophyses pointing downwards; distance between tips of apophyses 65 µm; without stridulatory files ( Fig. 46F ).

PALPS. In general possibly indistinguishable from congeners (cf. Figs 37 , 50 ); coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally without process, distally widened but simple, slightly curved towards dorsal; femur-patella joints not shifted to one side; tibia very short, with two trichobothria; tibia-tarsus joints not shifted to one side; procursus very simple ( Figs 44C , 46A–B ), with distal ventral process; genital bulb large, complex ( Fig. 46A–B ), in light microscope possibly indistinguishable from congeners (cf. Figs 38D–F , 51D–F ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with slightly increased density of short vertical hairs on tibia 1 (barely visible in dissecting microscope); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 61%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with four pseudosegments, all fairly distinct.

Variation (male)

Tibia 1 in six males (incl. holotype): 0.45–0.52 (mean 0.48).

Female

In general, similar to male ( Fig. 36F ) but sternum without pair of anterior humps. Total body length: ~1.20–1.30; tibia 1 in eight females: 0.43–0.47 (mean 0.45). Epigynum ( Fig. 45A–D ) short crescent-shaped anterior plate slightly protruding in lateral view; posterior plate wide, median part slightly protruding anteriorly. With distinct knob between epigynum and pedicel. Internal genitalia ( Fig. 45E–G ) with pair of strong transversal sclerites, pair of distinct sacs (receptacles?), without (or with very small?) pore plates.

Distribution

Known from type locality and one poorly specified neighbouring locality in Mexico, Colima ( Fig. 35 ). We do not have exact coordinates for Gertsch’s (1982) specimens from “ 12 mi. E Manzanillo”, but that locality is probably within a few km from the type locality.

Natural history

The spiders were very abundant in the dry leaf litter of a low thorn forest covering a hill near the Laguna of Cuyutlán ( Fig. 56B ).

Figures

Fig. 36. Tolteca Huber, 2000 live specimens. A–B. T. hesperia (Gertsch, 1982), male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Sinaloa, S of Rosario. C–D. T. jalisco (Gertsch, 1982), females with egg-sacs from Mexico, Jalisco, N of La Quemada. E–F. T. manzanillo Huber sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Colima, E of Manzanillo. G–H. T. sinnombre Huber sp. nov., male and female from Mexico, Colima, S of Coquimatlán. I–J. T. huahua Huber sp. nov., male and female from Mexico, Michoacán, W of Huahua. K–L. T. oaxaca Huber sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Mexico, Oaxaca, NW of Tehuantepec.

Fig. 44. Tolteca spp., male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views, and left male palpal tarsi and procursi, retrolateral views. A–C. T. manzanillo Huber sp. nov., paratype from Mexico, Colima, E of Manzanillo (ZFMK Ar 23958).D–F. T. sinnombre Huber sp. nov., holotype from Mexico, Colima, S of Coquimatlán (LATLAX). G–I. T. huahua Huber sp. nov., paratype from Mexico, Michoacán, W of Huahua (ZFMK Ar 23957). Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 45. Tolteca manzanillo Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Colima, E of Manzanillo (ZFMK Ar 23958). A–D. Epigyna, ventral (A, C) and lateral (B, D) views. E–G. Cleared female genitalia, ventral (E) and dorsal (F) views, and detail of median internal structures (G). Arrows point at anterior epigynal knob. Asterisk: membranous sac (cf. Fig. 55E). Scale bars: A–D = 0.2 mm; E, F = 0.1 mm; G = 0.05 mm.

Fig. 46. Tolteca manzanillo Huber sp. nov.; male from Mexico, Colima, 17 km E of Manzanillo (ZFMK Ar 23958). A. Right palp, retrolateral-distal view. B. Left palp, retrolateral-dorsal view. C–D. Palpal tarsal organ.E. Tarsal organ on tarsus 2.F. Lateral face of right chelicera, showing absence of stridulatory file. G. Gonopore. H. ALS. Abbreviations: b = genital bulb; p = procursus. Scale bars: A–B, F = 20 µm; C–D = 2 µm; E = 1 µm; G–H = 10 µm.

Fig. 55. Tolteca Huber, 2000 internal female genitalia, median section of main transversal internal sclerite. A–B. T. hesperia (Gertsch, 1982); females from Mexico, Sinaloa, S of Rosario (ZFMK Ar 23953). C. T. jalisco (Gertsch, 1982), female from Mexico, Jalisco, N of La Quemada (ZFMK Ar 23956). D. T. huahua Huber sp. nov., female from Mexico, Michoacán, W of Huahua (ZFMK Ar 23957). E. T. manzanillo Huber sp. nov., female from Mexico, Colima, E of Manzanillo (ZFMK Ar 23958). F. T. sinnombre Huber sp. nov., female from Mexico, Colima, S of Coquimatlán (ZFMK Ar 23960). G–H. T. oaxaca Huber sp. nov., females from Mexico, Oaxaca, N of San Pedro Totolapa (ZFMK Ar 23961). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 37. Tolteca hesperia (Gertsch, 1982), male from Mexico, Sinaloa, S of Rosario (ZFMK Ar 23953). Left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Abbreviations: b = genital bulb; co = coxa; fe = femur; p = procursus; pa = patella; ta = tarsus; ti = tibia; tr = trochanter. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 50. Tolteca oaxaca Huber sp. nov., male paratype from Mexico, Oaxaca, N of San Pedro Totolapa (ZFMK Ar 23961). Left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 38. Tolteca hesperia (Gertsch, 1982), male from Mexico, Sinaloa, S of Rosario (ZFMK Ar 23953). A–B. Chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. C. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, retrolateral view. D–F. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 51. Tolteca oaxaca Huber sp. nov., male paratype from Mexico, Oaxaca, N of San Pedro Totolapa (ZFMK Ar 23961). A–B. Chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. C. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, retrolateral view. D–F. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 35. Known distribution of Tolteca Huber, 2000.

Fig. 56. Representative sample of habitats of Tolteca Huber, 2000 in Mexico. A. Sinaloa, 3 km S of Rosario (T. hesperia (Gertsch, 1982)). B. Colima, 17 km E of Manzanillo (type locality of T. manzanillo Huber sp. nov.; showing collection method). C–D. Oaxaca, 3 km N of San Pedro Totolapa (type locality of P. oaxaca Huber sp. nov.; overview and spot with high abundance of specimens).