Stenosfemuraia exigua Huber, 2020

Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 718, pp. 1-317 : 275-277

Stenosfemuraia exigua Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE653834-FE5E-4243-BDB1-7156B1DB8B06

Figs 976–977 , 980–987 , 999–1002, 1064

Diagnosis

Distinguished from congeners by combination of: armature of male chelicerae ( Fig. 986 ; two pairs of small frontal processes, shorter and closer together than in S. parva González-Sponga, 1998 ); shape of procursus [ Figs 980–982 ; with subdistal transparent process as in S. pilosa ( González-Sponga, 2005) but tip not strongly bent against proximal part]; shapes of distal bulbal sclerites ( Figs 983–985 ; ventral distal sclerite straight as in S. pilosa ); epigynum (Figs 999, 1002; small trapezoidal plate on large protruding whitish area, large posterior plate); internal female genitalia ( Figs 987 , 1000–1001; shape of contiguous pore plates); and absence of curved hairs on legs.

Etymology

The species name (Latin: small) refers to the small size of this species compared to congeners; adjective.

Type material

VENEZUELA – La Guaira • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 22132), El Limón , above road Colonia Tovar- Puerto Cruz (10.4566° N, 67.2548° W), 1535 m a.s.l., 9 Nov. 2018 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M.) .

Other material examined

VENEZUELA – La Guaira • 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀, 1 juv., ZFMK (Ar 22133–34), and 2 ♀♀ in pure ethanol, ZFMK (Ven18-157), same collection data as for holotype .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.3, carapace width 1.0. Distance PME–PME 70 µm; diameter PME 90 µm; distance PME–ALE 60 µm; diameter AME 20 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 12.2 (2.9 +0.4 +2.9+4.8 +1.2), tibia 2: 1.9, tibia 3: 1.6, tibia 4: 2.1; tibia 1 L/d: 32. Femora 1–4 width (at half length): 0.22, 0.21, 0.20, 0.20.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre with darker ochre median and lateral marginal bands and indistinct radial lines, ocular area and clypeus also darker ochre; sternum monochromous brown; legs ochre to light brown, without dark rings; abdomen pale greenish-gray, dorsally and laterally densely covered with dark bluish marks, ventrally with dark ochre mark in gonopore area and bluish median mark behind gonopore; book lung covers not darkened.

BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 976 . Ocular area moderately raised. Carapace high, with deep thoracic groove, posteriorly not inflated. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.64/0.48), unmodified. Abdomen globular, pointed at spinnerets.

CHELICERAE. As in Fig. 986 , with two pairs of small frontal conical apophyses, without modified hairs.

PALPS. In general very similar to congeners (see, e.g., Huber & Arias 2017: figs 35–36); coxa with retrolateral-ventral apophysis; trochanter barely modified; femur with retrolateral-ventral process proximally and large ventral apophysis distally (arrow in Fig. 982 ); procursus with subdistal transparent process like S. pilosa but tip not strongly bent against proximal part ( Figs 980–982 ); genital bulb with complex distal process, distal ventral apophysis almost straight ( Figs 983–985 ).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 8%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsus 1 with ~20 pseudosegments, mostly distinct.

Female

In general similar to male ( Fig. 977 ), but carapace slightly less high. Tibia 1 in four females: 2.0, 2.0, 2.0, 2.1. Epigynum (Figs 999, 1002) very small trapezoidal plate on large protruding whitish area; large posterior plate. Internal genitalia ( Figs 987 , 1000–1001) with contiguous pore plates, median anterior receptacle, and pair of lateral anteriorly diverging sclerites.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in Venezuela, La Guaira (Fig. 1064).

Natural history

The species was found in the leaf litter in a fairly well preserved humid forest. The spiders ran very quickly when disturbed and then stopped abruptly, especially males.

Figures

Figs 972–979. Stenosfemuraia González-Sponga, 1998; live specimens. 972. S. cuadrata González- Sponga, 2005; male from Aragua, Colonia Tovar. 973. S.pilosa (González-Sponga, 2005); female with egg sac from Aragua, Colonia Tovar. 974–975. S. parva González-Sponga, 1998; male and female from Miranda, El Ávila National Park. 976–977. S. exigua Huber sp. nov.; male and female with egg sac from La Guaira, El Limón. 978–979. S. cumbre Huber sp. nov.; male and female with egg sac from Aragua, Henri Pittier National Park.

Figs 980–987. Stenosfemuraia exigua Huber sp. nov.; from La Guaira, El Limón (type locality; ZFMK Ar 22133–34). 980–982. Left palpal tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views (arrow: ventral femur apophysis). 983–985. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 986. Male chelicerae, frontal view. 987. Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view. Scale lines: 0.2 mm.