Mesabolivar azureus (Badcock, 1932)

Huber, Bernhard A., 2018, The South American spider genera Mesabolivar and Carapoia (Araneae, Pholcidae): new species and a framework for redrawing generic limits, Zootaxa 4395 (1), pp. 1-178 : 63-66

Mesabolivar azureus (Badcock, 1932)

Figs 253–254 , 261–265 , 271 , 292–293

Blechroscelis azurea Badcock, 1932: 8 , fig. 3 (♂♀, Brazil: Rio de Janeiro). Synonymized with Blechroscelis cyaneotaeniatus ( Keyserling, 1891) in Mello-Leitão 1946: 55 .

Mesabolivar azureus: Huber 2000: 227 (transferred and removed from synonymy with M. cyaneotaeniatus ). Huber & Rheims 2011: 281.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from very similar M. brasiliensis by shape of procursus (more evenly curved; tip with distinctive bifid process; Figs 262 , 271 ) (females of the two species appear barely distinguishable but M. azureus females tend to have shorter abdomens); from M. kathrinae and M. pallens by thicker procursus tip (compare Figs 271–273 ); from M. kathrinae also by presence of epigynal pocket ( Fig. 264 ); from other congeners by combination of: relatively small pedipalps and epigynum (compared to body size), relatively long leg femora (male femur 1/ tibia 1: 1.3), thickened male femora 2 (in most males except smallest); and pale greenish coloration (in life; in ethanol pale ochre-yellow and greenish-gray).

Type material. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: 1♂ lectotype (designated herein), BMNH (1932.9.2.2), 1♀ paralectotype, BMNH (1932.9.2.3), “Corcavada” [Corcovado, 22.95°S, 43.21°W], 3.viii.1926 (G.S. Carter, L.C. Beadle), examined.

Note. A lectotype is chosen because the two syntypes are not conspecific. In agreement with ICZN (1999), Recommendation 74B, the male is chosen because the only illustration in the original description is of the male palp.

Other material examined. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: 5♂ 11♀, ZFMK (Ar 19087), Cachoeiras de Macacu , Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçú (22°24.3’S, 42°44.1’W), ~ 300–400 m a.s.l., 24.ix.2009 (B.A. Huber, A. Giupponi) ; 1♂ 3♀, same locality at 22°24.4’–25.3’S, 42°44.2’–44.3’W, 140–300 m a.s.l., 25.ix.2009 (B.A. Huber) ; 3♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK ( Br 09-105), same locality at 22°24.4’–25.3’S, 42°44.2’–44.3’W, 140–280 m a.s.l., 23– 24.ix.2009 (B.A. Huber) . 1♂, USNM, near Petrópolis, Independência [22.551°S, 43.212°W], 5.v.1932 (D.M. Cochran). 2♂, ZFMK (Ar 19088), Paraty, degraded forest near Morro do Forte (23°11.7’S, 44°42.8’W), ~ 10–30 m a.s.l., 23.viii.2007 (B.A. Huber) ; 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Br 07/100-33), same data . 2♂ 7♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 19089–91), ~ 4 km NW Penedo (22°24.5’S, 44°33.0’–33.4’W), forest along river, 700–770 m a.s.l., 14– 16.viii.2007 (B.A. Huber).

Bahia: 3♂ 4♀ 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 19092), Reserva Biológica de Una , ‘site 1’ (15°11.0’S, 39°04.7’W), ~ 70–100 m a.s.l., 4.x.2011 (B.A. Huber, A. Pérez-González, M. Alves Dias) ; 1♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Br 11-178), Reserva Biológica de Una (15°10’–11’S, 39°03’–04’W), ~ 50–100 m a.s.l., 4.x.2011 (B.A. Huber, A. Pérez- González, M. Alves Dias).

Description. Male (ZFMK Ar 19087)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 3.0, carapace width 1.05. Distance PME-PME 100 µm, diameter PME 70 µm, distance PME-ALE 60 µm, distance AME-AME 30 µm, diameter AME 40 µm. Sternum width/length: 0.7/ 0.5. Leg 1: 48.0 (13.3 + 0.5 + 10.4 + 21.3 + 2.5), tibia 2: 7.1, tibia 3: 5.3, tibia 4: 6.8; tibia 1 L/d: 80. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.16, 0.23 (0.25 in distal third), 0.14, 0.14.

COLOR (in ethanol). Prosoma ochre-yellow, carapace with dark median line; legs ochre-yellow to light brown, femora and tibiae with whitish tips ( Fig. 253 ); abdomen monochromous greenish-gray (in life greenish with darker internal marks dorsally and laterally).

BODY. Habitus as Figs 253–254 ; ocular area weakly raised; carapace with distinct but shallow median furrow; clypeus unmodified; sternum unmodified.

CHELICERAE. With pair of apophyses distally close to laminae (weakly protruding; not visible in lateral view) and pair of indistinct light processes proximally ( Fig. 263 ).

PALPS. As in Figs 261–262 ; coxa very large relative to palp size (i.e. palps very small relative to body size; Fig. 254 ), with strong retrolateral apophysis; trochanter barely modified; femur with rounded retrolateral apophysis proximally and rounded ventral protrusion distally; procursus strongly curved, with distinctive widened tip with bifid, apparently hinged process ( Fig. 271 ); bulbal process distally with slightly sclerotized pointed process.

LEGS. Without spines, without curved hairs, few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia 1 at 2%; prolateral trichobothrium present on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~50 indistinct pseudosegments.

Male (variation). Males from Penedo with barely visible proximal cheliceral processes and minimally less widened procursus tip; males from Bahia with slightly thicker procursus tip. Tibia 1 in 12 other males: 8.1–10.7 (mean 9.9). Males from Paraty with shortest legs (tibia 1: 8.1, 8.7) and with femora 2 barely wider than other femora. Some males with dark mark in gonopore area.

Female. In general similar to male but femora 2 not thicker than other femora. Tibia 1 in 22 females: 6.9–8.4 (mean 7.4). Anterior epigynal plate as in Figs 264 , 292 , small, weakly sclerotized, barely protruding, with median pocket close to posterior margin, internal membranous ‘valve’ clearly visible through cuticle in most females; posterior plate indistinct, in some females barely visible. Internal genitalia as in Figs 265 , 293 , with large oval pore-plates.

Natural history. The spiders were found in domed webs freely suspended among the vegetation, usually about 1–2 m above the ground.

Distribution. Known from several localities in Rio de Janeiro state and from one locality in southern Bahia state ( Brazil) ( Fig. 730 ).

Figures

FIGURES 253–260. Live specimens, Mesabolivar kathrinae group and M. cyaneotaeniatus group. 253–254. M. azureus (Badcock, 1932), males from Penedo. 255–256. M. kathrinae Huber, 2015, male and female from Murici. 257–258. M. cyaneotaeniatus (Keyserling, 1891), male and female from St. Hilaire/Lange. 259–260. M. kaingang sp. n., male and female from St. Hilaire/Lange.

FIGURES 261–265. Mesabolivar azureus (Badcock, 1932) (ZFMK Ar 19087). 261–262. Left male palp, prolateral and retrolateral views. 263.Male chelicerae, frontal view. 264.Epigynum, ventral view.265.Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines:0.3.

FIGURES 271–279. Left procursi, retrolateral views. 271. Mesabolivar azureus (Badcock, 1932) (ZFMK Ar 19087). 272. M. pallens sp. n. (ZFMK Ar 19093). 273. M. kathrinae Huber, 2015 (ZFMK Ar 12621). 274–279. M. brasiliensis (Moenkhaus, 1898), males from Cantareira (274, ZFMK Ar 19106), Ubatuba (275, ZFMK Ar 19105), Paraty (276–277, ZFMK Ar 19109, 19116), Rio das Pedras (278, ZFMK Ar 19113), and Guapiaçú (279, ZFMK Ar 19110). Arrows point at present/absent dorsal widening possibly indicating presenceof two species.Scale line:0.2 (all at same scale).

FIGURES 292–305. Female epigyna in ventral views and cleared female genitalia in dorsal views, Mesabolivar kathrinae group and M. cyaneotaeniatus group. 292–293. M. azureus (Badcock, 1932) (ZFMK Ar 19087). 294–295. M. pallens sp. n. (ZFMK Ar 19093). 296. M. kathrinae Huber, 2015 (ZFMK Ar 12621). 297. M. sp., undescribed species (ZFMK Ar 19104), from Paraná, Fazenda Experimental Gralha Azul.298–299. M.brasiliensis (Moenkhaus, 1898), from Ubatuba (298, ZFMK Ar 19105) and Guapiaçú (299, ZFMK Ar 19110). 300–303.M.cyaneotaeniatus (Keyserling, 1891) (‘true’) from St.Hilaire/Lange (300, ZFMK Ar 19134) and Vargem Alta (301, ZFMK Ar 19136), and possible heterospecific specimens from Guapiaçú (302, ZFMK Ar 19120) and Pau Brasil (303, ZFMK Ar 19141). 304–305. M. kaingang sp. n. (ZFMK Ar 19142). Arrows point at present (300)/absent (302) dark ridges.

FIGURES 730–731. Known distribution of the Mesabolivar kathrinae group. “?”: dubious record of M. brasiliensis in Mello- Leitão (1947c).TL, type locality.