Niarchos baehrae Platnick & Duperre , 2010

Duperre, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2017, The goblin spiders (Araneae, Oonopidae) of the OTONGA Nature Reserve in Ecuador, with the description of seven new species, Evolutionary Systematics 1 (1), pp. 87-109 : 88

Niarchos baehrae Platnick & Duperre, 2010 Figs 3, 4

Female, Platnick and Dupérré (2010: figs 134-143).

Type material.

Female holotype from Ecuador, Cotopaxi Province, OTONGA Biological Reserve (0°25 ’11” S, 78°59 ’41” W) 1625m, 08.xii.2009, hand collecting from forest litter, B. Baehr, Niarchos Exped., (QCAZ PBI_OON 429). NOT EXAMINED.

New records.

ECUADOR: Cotopaxi Province: OTONGA Biological Reserve, 08-21.vi.2014, 2♂1♀, sifting moss, Berlese, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (DTC); 04-07.ix.2104, 4♂, sifting litter, Berlese, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); OTONGA Biological Reserve (00.41941°S, 78.99607°W) 1717m, 24-30.v.2014, 2♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); OTONGA Biological Reserve (00.41433°S, 79.00035°W) 1888m, 03-16.viii.2014, 4♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (DTC); 16. viii– 05.ix.2014, 2♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); OTONGA Biological Reserve (00.41994°S, 79.00623°W) 1997m, 16.viii. -05.ix.2014, 5♂1♀, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (QCAZ); 13-25.xi.2014, 1♂1♀, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); 25.xi.-08.xii. 2014, 2♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); OTONGA Biological Reserve (00.41994°S, 79.00623°W) 2105m, 03-16.viii.2014, 6♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); 13-25.xi.2014, 1♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); OTONGA Biological Reserve (00.41564°S, 79.00425°W) 2225m, 16. viii– 05.ix.2014, 2♂, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (ZMH); 16. viii– 05.ix.2014, 10♂4♀, pitfall, E. Tapia, C. Tapia, N. Dupérré (AMNH).

Diagnosis of male.

Males are distinguished from most species by the large up-right embolus accompanied by two dark projections (Fig. 3); and from Niarchos loja Platnick & Dupérré, 2010 by the small triangular sclerotization located at the prolateral base of the embolus (Fig. 3).

Description.

Male. Total length: 2.1; carapace length: 1.4; carapace width: 1.0.

COLORATION: Carapace orange; sternum, chelicerae, endites, labium, legs, and palpi pale orange; dorsal and ventral scuta pale orange, soft portions of abdomen white. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace without any pattern, elongate oval in dorsal view; pars cephalica slightly elevated in lateral view, entire surface with low granulation; fovea absent. Clypeus margin slightly rebordered, vertical in lateral view. Sternum longer than wide, surface finely reticulate, microsculpture covering entire surface. Labium triangular, not fused to sternum, anterior margin indented at middle (Fig. 4). Endites distally not excavated, anteromedian tip with recurved, posteriorly directed triangular projection (Fig. 4). Chelicerae straight; without teeth. EYES: Six; reduced in size, ALE much larger than posterior eyes; all eyes oval; posterior eye row recurved from above; PLE-PME touching; ALE touching; ALE-PLE touching; PME touching.

LEGS: Leg formula: 4123; leg spination: tibiae IV v0-0-1p. ABDOMEN: Cylindrical; book lung covers large; posterior spiracles connected by groove; dorsal scutum present, strongly sclerotized, covering most of dorsum but not fused to epigastric scutum, surface finely reticulate; epigastric scutum strongly sclerotized, surrounding pedicel, fused to long, strongly sclerotized postepigastric scutum; postepigastric scutum occupying most of the venter; supraanal scutum absent; spinneret scutum reduced. GENITALIA: Male palp not strongly sclerotized; cymbium ovoid in dorsal view, completely fused with bulb; bulb elongated; embolus dark, accompanied by two dark pointed projections, one basal and one apical (Fig. 3).

Natural history.

All specimens were collected between 1625 and 2225m, by pitfall or sifting mosses and litter.

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality.

Note.

In Platnick and Dupérré (2010), Niarchos baehrae was placed in the cotopaxi-group based on the female genitalic features (globose, tentlike anterior receptaculum). In light of the discovery of the male, we proposed that the species belongs in the loja -group instead. The males of Niarchos baehrae does not share the characteristic retroventral projection of the palpal bulb, but an elongated embolus originating distally on the bulb and protruding far beyond the bulb, characteristic of the male of the loja -group.