Galianora sacha Maddison

Maddison, Wayne P., 2006, New lapsiine jumping spiders from Ecuador (Araneae: Salticidae), Zootaxa 1255, pp. 17-28 : 23-25

Galianora sacha Maddison , new species

Figs. 9–16

Type material. Holotype female in UBC­SEM from Jatun Sacha , Ecuador with label: " ECUADOR: NAPO: Estación Biológica Jatun Sacha . S 1.067 W 77.617; 400 m el. Forest and nearby disturbed areas. 21–24 July 2004 Maddison, Agnarsson, Iturralde, Salazar. WPM#04–055"; "UBC­SEM AR00002"

Paratypes: Two additional females, a male, and two juveniles, same data as the holotype (UBC­SEM). A female was chosen as holotype because the carapace of the single male was crushed when the specimen was alive. Molecular data gathered for this species by Maddison & Needham (2006) were obtained from one of the juveniles ( DNA voucher d116).

Etymology. The name is from the Quechua “ sacha ”, referring both to its habitat (“tree” or “forest”) and to the type locality.

Diagnosis. Pale, elongate, long­legged and somewhat flattened ( Fig. 11 ), superficially resembling Itata Peckham & Peckham (but not so narrow) or Helpis Simon. The first legs are elongate and appear raptorial. This species is distinguished from all other known neotropical salticids by the body form combined with the distinctive male palp having a small apophysis accompanying the embolus ( Fig. 9 , ma), a claw on the female palp ( Fig. 16 ), and four pairs of ventral macrosetae on the first metatarsus.

Description. Both females and male have the body and legs pale and yellowish, except for pigmented areas around the eyes, dark speckles on the abdomen, and some darker areas of the legs, especially the distal half of the first tibia. First legs large and well­spined in both male and female. Body and legs thinly but more or less completely covered by small, fine hairs. On the legs these hairs are mostly upright and black; on the body are they are largely orange or white and recumbent. These orange setae are densest covering the pigmented integument around eyes. None of the setae are flattened and widened to the extent of the "scales" of many salticids. The integument of the legs has a subtle blue­purple iridescence, at least under alcohol.

Male paratype: Carapace length 2.3; abdomen length 2.7. Leg lengths 1> 4> 2 = 3. Macrosetae on tibia I D 0­1­1 P 1­0­1 V 2­2 ­2 R 1­0­1. First metatarsus with four pairs of ventral macrosetae, although the terminal pair might be considered lateral. Second leg anterior tarsal claw with ca. 14 teeth, posterior with 12. Chelicerae ( Fig. 13 ): three promarginal teeth, the distalmost long and projecting forward slightly; two distinct retromarginal teeth. On the retrolateral corner of the basal segment, near the fang articulation, is a small apophysis (arrow in Fig. 13 ). Fang with swelling near base. Palpus ( Figs. 9, 10 ): embolus long, wrapping two times around perpiphery of round tegulum. Embedded within a membrane accompanying the embolus is a sclerotized projection ( Fig. 9 , ma), which I interpret as the median apophysis. (This interpretation would suggest that what appears to be the basal portion of the embolus is actually an extension of the tegulum.) A sharp retrolateral tibial apophysis is accompanied by two lobes, one dorsal and one ventrolateral.

Female holotype: Carapace length 2.3, width 1.6, height 1.2; abdomen length 3.2. Leg lengths 4> 1> 2 = 3. Macrosetae on tibia I D 0­1­1 P 1­0­1 V 2­2 ­2 R 1­0­1. First metatarsus with four pairs of ventral macrosetae, although the terminal pair might be considered lateral. Second leg anterior tarsal claw with approximately 12 teeth, posterior with approximately 11. Chelicerae: two retromarginal and two retromarginal teeth. Palpus: with tarsal claw ( Fig. 16 ), curved and with teeth. Epigynum ( Fig. 14, 15 ): a central shallow crater containing a dark longitudinal structure. The openings appear to be longitudinal slits within this dark structure. From the openings, ducts proceed anteriorly near the midline, then posteriorly to the back of the epigynum, then loop laterally and anteriorly to the fertilization ducts (arrows in Fig. 15 ).

Natural history. All specimens were collected beating understory trees two to three metres tall and within one or two metres of a small stream (ca. 1 metre width) within lowland rainforest. One female was from a point on the stream within but near the edge of the forest. All other specimens were well inside the forest, where the canopy of the forest appeared somewhat more open than elsewhere but was not broken by the presence of the stream.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 16. Galianora sacha, new species. 9, left palpus of male paratype, ventral; 10, left palpus, retrolateral; 11, habitus of holotype female; 12, female face; 13, male chelicerae from below; 14, epigynum of holotype female, ventral; 15, epigynum of paratype female, dorsal (cleared with clove oil); 16, tip of female palpus, showing tarsal claw. e = embolus, ma = median apophysis.