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The Genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe 1832 (Araneae

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The Genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe 1832 (Araneae Zootaxa 4012 (2): 396–400 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Correspondence ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4012.2.12 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F1299560-3B0F-425E-BC62-B155F1D08032 The genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe 1832 (Araneae: Sicariidae) in Colombia, with description of new cave-dwelling species FRANKLYN CALA-RIQUELME1, MIGUEL A. GUTIÉRREZ-ESTRADA2 & EDUARDO FLÓREZ DAZA3 1Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad (BIOECO), Museo de Historia Natural “Tomas Romay”, Enramada No. 601 esq Barnada, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. CP: 90100. E-mail: [email protected] 2Ecología y Biodiversidad en Ecosistemas Tropicales (EBET), Facultad Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de la Guajira, La Guajira, Colombia. E-mail: [email protected] 3Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. E-mail: [email protected] The genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832, the so-called brown or violin spiders, currently includes 107 species distributed in the subtropical-areas and tropics of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and America (World Spider Catalog 2015). Species of this genus may live in both natural habitats (under rocks, trunks, inside tree holes and caves) and inside houses (Gertsch 1967; Bertani et al. 2010). Loxosceles is a group of medical importance in several regions of the world, due to the large number of cases of envenomation registered annually (Swanson & Vetter 2006; Vetter 2008; Vetter et al. 2009). Gertsch (1967, 1983) conducted the most comprehensive revisions for Loxosceles in America, and proposed several species groups. More recently, the genus has been the focus of several studies including taxonomic revisions, phylogenetic analyses and biogeography (Duncan et al. 2010; Bertani et al. 2010; Gonçalves-de-Andrade et al. 2012; Lotz 2012; Sánchez-Ruiz & Brescovit 2013; Planas & Ribera 2014; Binford et al. 2008). Only two species of Loxosceles occur in Colombia: Loxosceles lutea Keyserling, 1877 and Loxosceles rufipes (Lucas 1834). In this paper, we describe a new Colombian species that we include in the laeta species group due to the male’s sub-oval palpal bulb, elongated embolus longer than the bulb’s diameter, swollen palpal tibia at least two times longer than the tarsus, and by the female’s blunt seminal receptacle lacking any globular lobes at the tip (Gertsch 1967). We also provide new records for L. lutea and L. rufipes. Specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol. Illustrations of carapace and male palp for each species were done using a Canon EOS 40D digital camera with Fotodiox Canon EOS Macro Extension Tube Set for Extreme Close-Ups. After dissection and digestion in potassium hydroxide (KOH), the female genitalia were illustrated using a Nikon Camera HeadDS-SI1 digital camera mounted to a Carl Zeiss 4024913 microscope. General morphological terminology follows Gertsch & Ennik (1983) and Sánchez & Brescovit (2013). The material examined was deposited in the Arachnological Collection of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia (ICN-Ar Eduardo Flórez). All measurements are in mm. Family Sicariidae Keyserling, 1880 Genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832 Loxosceles guajira sp. nov. Figs. 1–7 Type material. Male holotype (ICN-Ar2677) from Colombia, La Guajira, Riohacha: “Cueva de bañaderos”, Cerro Bañaderos, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 11°07'33.3"N, 72°47'06.9"W, elev.785 m, 24 August 2014, Coll. M. A. Gutiérrez-Estrada. Paratypes: 1 female (ICN-Ar2677), 4 males, 3 females and 4 immatures (ICN-Ar2678), same data as holotype. Etymology. Noun in apposition referring to La Guajira, the department where the type specimens where collected. Diagnosis. The male of L. guajira sp. nov can be distinguished from other species by the palpal tibia 4.5 times longer than the cymbium and the embolous inserted prolateraly, basally thick and not curved, approximately three times 396 Accepted by F. Labarque: 17 Aug. 2015; published: 3 Sept. 2015 longer than bulb width (Figs. 2–4). The female can be recognized by its two subtriangular spermathecae and a central blind pouch, presumable a receptacle. Spermathecae bases 3.5 times wider than their tip and separated by 2.2 times their width (Figs. 6, 7). FIGURES 1–7 Habitus and genitalia of L. guajira sp. nov. 1–4. Male holotype: 1, carapace. 2, palp, prolateral view. 3, bulb, prolateral view. 4, same, retrolateral view. 5–7. Female paratype: 5, carapace. 6, female genitalia. 7, right spermathecae, detail. S: spermathecae; R?: receptacle, EP: epigastric furrow; BC: bursa copulatrix; GD: gland ductless. Scale bars, figs. 1, 2, 5= 1 mm; figs. 3, 4= 0.5 mm. Description. Male (holotype: ICN-Ar2677): Carapace light orange, slightly stained dark, cephalic region orange, with faint darker gray bands (Fig. 1). Chelicerae and labium dark orange. Endites orange distally and light orange basally. Legs light orange. Palp with cymbium and tibia orange, rest light orange. Abdomen gray. Total length 7.2. Carapace 3.5 long, 3.1 wide. Clypeus 0.4 high. Eye diameters: ALE 0.2, PME 0.1, PLE 0.2. Leg measurements: I: femur 7.7/ patella 1.3 / tibia 8.8 / metatarsus 8.6 / tarsus 1.7 / total 28.1; II: 9.6 / 1.4 / 10.7 / 10.2 / 1.7 / 33.6; III: 7.2 / 1.3 / 7.3 / 8.4 / 1.4 / 25.6 IV: 7.5 / 1.3 / 7.6 / 9.3 / 1.4 / 27.1. Leg formula: 2143. Sternum 2.0 long, 1.7 wide. Palpal femur 3.4 / patella 1.4 long, 0.5 wide /tibia 1.8 long, 0.6 wide/ cymbium 0.4 long, 0.5 wide. Femur I 2.2 times longer than carapace. Palpal femur 2.4 times longer than patella; patela 2.8 times longer than wide; tibia 3 times longer than wide and 4.5 times longer than the cymbium; cymbium as longer as wide (Fig. 2–4). Bulb suboval as wider as cymbium (Fig 3, 4). Embolous inserted prolateraly, but basally thick and not curved, approximately three times longer than bulb width (Fig 3, 4). Female (paratype: ICN-Ar2677): Carapace dark orange, stained dark, cephalic with gray faint darker bands (Fig. 5). Chelicerae and labium dark orange. Endites dark orange at base and gray distally. Legs gray-orange. Palp with tarsus and tibia dark orange, rest gray-orange. Abdomen gray. Total length 9.1. Carapace 3.4 long, 3.1wide. Clypeus 0.6 high. Eye diameters: ALE 0.2, PME 0.2, PLE 0.2. Leg measurements: I: femur 5.9 / patella 1.4 / tibia 6.5 / metatarsus 6.1 / tarsus 1.4 / total 21.3; II: 6.8 / 1.4 / 7.1 / 6.8 / 1.8 / 23.9; III: 6.0 / 1.2 / 5.2 / 5.7 / 1.2 / 19.3; IV: 6.1 / 1.4 / 5.7 / 6.2 / 1.7 / 21.1. Leg formula: 2143. Sternum 2.1 long, 1.5 wide. Palpal femur 1.7 long, 0.3 wide, patella 0.6 long 0.35, tibia 1.1 long 0.3 wide tarso 1.3 long. Femur I 1.7 times longer than carapace. Palpal femur 5.7 times longer than wide, patella 1.7 longer than wide, tibia 3.7 times longer than wide, tarsus not incrassate. Female genitalia with two subtriangular spermathecae and a central blind pouch. Spermathecae bases 3.5 times wider than their tip and separated by 2.2 times their width (Figs. 6, 7). Distribution. L. guajira sp. nov. is only known from the type locality, Cerro Bañaderos, Colombia. LOXOSCELES IN COLOMBIA AND NEW SPECIES Zootaxa 4012 (2) © 2015 Magnolia Press · 397 FIGURE 8 Map showing the geographical distribution of L. guajira sp. nov. (yellow circle) and the new records of L. rufipes (yellow squares) and L. lutea (red circles) in Colombia. 398 · Zootaxa 4012 (2) © 2015 Magnolia Press CALA-RIQUELME ET AL. Natural history: Specimens of L. guajira sp. nov. were found inside a cave in the mountain range of Cerro Bañaderos at 785 m of elevation (Figs. 8–14). The cave is surrounded by fragmented secondary forest; however, is possible to observe extensive areas of tropical dry forest. Adults and immatures of L. guajira were found between the rocks, cracks and other cavities inside the cave. Remains of butterflies, beetles and other arthropods were found in large quantities meshed in the webs. New records. Below, new records of two known Loxosceles species are listed, including our findings and the remaining individuals present in the Arachnological Collection of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia (ICN-Ar. Eduardo Flórez). Loxosceles lutea Keyserling (1877) COLOMBIA, Santander, Barichara, La Loma, elev.2300 m, 16 March 2002, Coll. M. Portocarrero (ICN-Ar5866, 1 male and 3 female). Cundinamarca, Mosquera, Mondoñedo-Zabrisky, subxerophytic forest, elev. 2600m, 23 March 2002, Coll. J. Martínez, G. Mora, A. Castañeda and C. Niño (ICN-Ar2090 1 male, 3 female and 5 immature). Cundinamarca, Mosquera, Mondoñedo-Zabrisky, elev. 2600 m, 29 June 2002, Coll. C. Niño, J. Martínez, G. Mora and A. Castañeda (ICN-Ar2089, 8 male, 12 female and 7 immature). Cundinamarca, Mosquera, Mondoñedo-Zabrisky, elev. 2600m, 18 May 2002, Coll. G. Mora, J. Martínez, C. Niño and A. Castañeda (ICN-Ar2087, 5 male, 24 female and 19 immature). Distribution. Colombia, Ecuador. Loxosceles rufipes (Lucas, 1834) COLOMBIA: Tolima, Ibague, in house, elev. 1280m, 5 March 2002, Coll. Hannier Pulido (ICN-Ar1731, 1 male and 1 female). Santander, Chipatá, Vereda salitres seco, Quebrada “La Tormenta”, Cave “El Cenicero”, 6°05'27.9"N, 73°35'10.5"W, 5 August 2008, Coll. D. Casallas-Pabón, Y. Muñoz-Saba and M. Murcia (ICN-Ar2682, 8 female and 4 immature). Distribution. Guatemala, Panama, Colombia. Acknowledgments We are grateful to Alexander Sabogal G.
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