Tullgrenella melanica (Mello-Leitao, 1941)

Marta, Kimberly S., Bustamante, Abel A., Hagopián, Damián, Teixeira, Renato A., Brescovit, Antonio D., Valiati, Victor H. & Rodrigues, Everton N. L., 2024, Taxonomic revision of the jumping spider genus Tullgrenella Mello-Leitão, 1941 (Araneae: Salticidae: Freyina), Zootaxa 5411 (1), pp. 1-71 : 35-36

melanica group

Species included. Tullgrenella melanica ( Mello-Leitão, 1941) and T. yungae Galiano, 1970 . Diagnosis. Males can be distinguished by the suboval cymbium ( Figs 4C , 27C–D , 29C–D ), the bifid RTA with dorsal prong larger than the ventral prong ( Figs 27D , 29D ). Females have copulatory opening C-shaped, located antero-medially at the anterior border of the epigynum ( Figs 7I–J , 28C , 30C ).

Distribution. Bolivia [Santa Cruz], Brazil (Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul), Paraguay [Ñeembucú], Uruguay (Canelones, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandú, Río Negro, and Rocha) and Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Junín, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Mina Clavero , Misiones, and Tucumán) ( Figs 52A–B ).

Natural history. Collected in Uruguay on grassland and under rocks. These species can be found associated with soil and under rocks. They are sympatric in the Chacoan subregion, with T. yungae and T. melanica occurring in the South America Transitional Zone ( Figs 52A–B ). The variation in altitudinal occurrence of these species is 4–2088 m a. s. l. ( Figs 52A–B ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Scanning electronic microscopy of male left palp, ventral view.A T. musica (Mello-Leitão, 1945) (MCN 53370). B T. quadripunctata (Mello-Leitão, 1944) (MCTP 16531). C T. yungae Galiano, 1970 (MCN 44133). D T. serrana Galiano, 1970 (MCTP 31126). E T. aisenbergae Marta, sp. nov. (IBSP 118477). F T. peniaflorensis Galiano, 1970 (FNAG36 1464). Scale bars: 0.50 mm. Colored homology: purple and purple arrow (tegular membranous process), blue (embolar base), green (conductor), magenta (tegulum), orange (embolus), red (pars pendula).

FIGURE 7. Illustrations of female epigynum of Tullgrenella, dorsal view. A–E morenensis group: A T. morenensis (Tullgren, 1905) (MCN 19940), B T. guayapae Galiano, 1970 (MCN 55520), C T. brescoviti Estol, Marta & Rodrigues, 2020 (MCN 24104), D T. musica (Mello-Leitão,1945) (MCN 53372), E T. corrugata Galiano, 1981 (MACN-Ar 7206). F–H quadripunctata group: F T. quadripunctata (Mello-Leitão, 1944) (MCTP 2239), G T. nadjae Estol, Marta & Rodrigues, 2020 (MCN 56814), H T. lunata (Mello-Leitão, 1944) (MACN-Ar 6214). I–J melanica group: I T. melanica (Mello-Leitão, 1941) (MACN-Ar 6244), J T. yungae Galiano, 1970 (MCTP 39713). K–O serrana group: K T. serrana Galiano, 1970 (MCTP 12173), L T. legalissima Marta & Hagopián, sp. nov. (IBSP 118228), M T. aisenbergae Marta, sp. nov. (IBSP 123129), N T. gertschi Galiano, 1981 (MACN-Ar 7206), O T. sciosciae Marta & Bustamante, sp. nov. (MCTP 31135). P–Q peniaflorensis group: P T. peniaflorensis Galiano, 1970 (MACN-Ar 6242), Q T. selenita Galiano, 1970 (FNAC 36). Scale bars: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 27. Male of T. melanica (Mello-Leitão, 1941). A habitus (MACN-Ar 6243), dorsal view. B same, ventral view. C left palp (MCN 23782), ventral view, red arrow: tegulum central depression. D same, retrolateral view, red arrow: hook between RTA and prolatero-dorsal tibial apophysis, white dashed line: RTA. Scale bars: A–B 1 mm, C–D 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 28. Female of T. melanica (Mello-Leitão, 1941). A habitus (MACN-Ar 1328), dorsal view, red arrow: spotted coloration pattern. B same, ventral view. C epigynum (MACN-Ar 6244), ventral view. D same, dorsal view. Scale bars: A–B 1 mm, C–D 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 29. Male of T. yungae Galiano, 1970 (MCN 44133). A habitus, dorsal view. B same, ventral view. C left palp, ventral view, red arrow: tegulum central depression. D same, retrolateral view, red arrow: hook between RTA and prolatero-dorsal tibial apophysis, red dashed line: prolatero-dorsal tibial apophysis, white dashed line: RTA. Scale bars: A–B 1 mm, C–D 0.50 mm.

FIGURE 30. Female of T. yungae Galiano, 1970. A habitus (MCTP 39627), dorsal view, red arrow: spotted coloration pattern. B same, ventral view. C epigynum (MCTP 39713), ventral view. D same, dorsal view. Scale bars: A–B 1 mm, C–D 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 52. Neotropical and Andean regionalization (Morrone 2014) and distributional records for species of the melanica group. A Neotropical, South America, Brazilian subregion Chacoan subregion, South America Transition Zone and Andean region. B Southern South America, focusing on species occurrence. C habitat inference, Uruguay: Río Negro, Estancia Las Cadenas, photographed by collector Damián Hagopián.