Niarchos ligiae, Platnick & Duperre, 2010

Platnick, Norman I. & Dupérré, Nadine, 2010, The Andean Goblin Spiders Of The New Genera Niarchos And Scaphios (Araneae, Oonopidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (345), pp. 1-120 : 57

Niarchos ligiae , new species Figures 430–452

TYPE: Male holotype taken in litter at an elevation of 665 m at Sacha Wagra Lodge , Río Hollín, 0u579180S, 77u449510W, Napo, Ecuador (Nov. 29, 2009; Niarchos Exped. ), deposited in QCAZ (PBI_OON 414) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Ligia Benavides, in recognition of her many contributions to the success of the Niarchos Expedition and her continuing assistance with our efforts to document the oonopid faunas of Colombia and Ecuador.

DIAGNOSIS: Males and females have not been collected together, but are tentatively matched here because they appear to be the closest relatives of the males and females of N. michaliki , respectively. Males have the dorsal abdominal scutum reduced even more than in that species (fig. 430), and have a longer, narrower dorsal prong of the embolus (figs. 439–442); females have a much shorter median section of the postepigastric scutum (figs. 451, 452).

MALE (PBI_OON 414, figs. 430–442): Total length 1.32. Posterior eye row straight from above; PLE-PME separated by less than PME radius. Sternum surface smooth. Endites with triangular anterior projections directed laterally. Leg spination: tibiae III, IV v0-0- 1p. Embolar base with triangular projection on ventral side, hairlike projection on dorsal side (figs. 439–442.

FEMALE (PBI_OON 430, figs. 443–452): Total length 1.68. Posterior eye row procurved from above. Leg spination: tibiae III, IV v0-0-2. Anterior receptaculum with wide median sclerotization extending about as far anteriorly as rounded anterior margin; postepigastric scutum with relatively short median sclerotization, not reaching close to posterior spiracular groove (figs. 451, 452).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: Ecuador: Napo: Jatun Sacha Biological Station, 1u03957.50S, 77u37900.20W, Dec. 1–5, 2009, pitfall, elev. 410 m (A. Santos, C. Rheims, Niarchos Exped., IBSP PBI _OON 430), 1 U.

DISTRIBUTION: Known only from Napo province, Ecuador.

Figures

Figs. 430–442. Niarchos ligiae, new species, male. 430. Habitus, dorsal view. 431. Same, ventral view. 432. Same, lateral view. 433. Carapace, dorsal view. 434. Habitus, anterior view. 435. Carapace, lateral view. 436. Epigastric region, ventral view. 437. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 438. Embolus, posteroventral view. 439. Same, prolateral view. 440. Palp, prolateral view. 441. Same, ventral view. 442. Same, retrolateral view.

Figs. 443–452. Niarchos ligiae, new species, female. 443. Habitus, dorsal view. 444. Same, ventral view. 445. Carapace, dorsal view. 446. Sternum and mouthparts, ventral view. 447. Habitus, lateral view. 448. Same, anterior view. 449. Carapace, lateral view. 450. Epigastric region, ventral view. 451. Genitalia, ventral view. 452. Same, dorsal view.