Galapa gabito Huber 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Huber, Bernhard A.
name: Meng, Guanliang
name: García, Jimmy Cabra
name: Carvalho, Leonardo S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Galapa
Galapa gabito

description: Galapa gabito Huber sp. nov.
Figs 2E, F, 12–16
Diagnosis. Males are distinguished from known congeners by simple (not bifid) retrolateral process on procursus directed towards dorsal (Fig. 12C); from G. spiniphila also by absence of ventral apophyses on genital bulb (compare Fig. 12A with Fig. 17A), by shape of distal bulbal apophysis (Fig. 12C; smaller than in G. spiniphila), and by prolateral distal apophysis on genital bulb (arrow in Fig. 12B). Females are distinguished from known congeners by distinctive sclerite in ventral wall of uterus externus (arrow in Fig. 16D; visible in cleared specimens, but also in posterior view of uncleared specimens with slightly spread open epigynal cleft); internal genitalia (Fig. 16C–F) with bilobed membranous structure covered by posterior epigynal plate (similar to G. murphyi), without median membranous process (as opposed to G. spiniphila).
Etymology. The species name honors the Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014), considered one of the most significant authors of the 20 th century and known affectionately as Gabo or Gabito in Latin America. The epithet is used as a noun in apposition.
Type material. COLOMBIA: Magdalena • ♂ holotype; Santa Marta; 11.2126°N, 74.2307°W; 110 m a.s.l.; 16 Sep. 2022; B.A. Huber leg.; MUSENUV-Ar 2657 • 6 ♂, 3 ♀, paratypes (one male and one female used for SEM); same collection data as for holotype; MUSENUV-Ar 2658 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, paratypes (plus two cleared female abdomens); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 24219.
Other material examined. COLOMBIA: Magdalena • 1 ♂, 15 ♀, in pure ethanol (two cleared female abdomens transferred to ZFMK Ar 24219); same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Col272.
Description.
Male (holotype)
MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 0.96, carapace width 0.38. Distance PME-PME 35 µm; diameter PME 30 µm; distance PME-ALE 15 µm; distance AME-AME 10 µm; diameter AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 1.68 (0.46 + 0.12 + 0.44 + 0.38+ 0.28), tibia 2: 0.34, tibia 3: 0.30, tibia 4: 0.48; tibia 1 L/d: 9; diameters of leg femora 0.075, of leg tibiae: 0.050.
COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs pale ochre-yellow, carapace without pattern, legs without darker rings; abdomen ochre-grey with indistinct internal marks.
BODY. Habitus as in Fig. 2E. Ocular area not raised. Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus slightly more protruding than in female, with sclerotized rim. Sternum slightly wider than long (0.26/0.23), with pair of small anterior processes near coxae 1 (Fig. 13D; 20 µm long, 20 µm diameter at basis). Abdomen globular. Gonopore with four epiandrous spigots (Fig. 13E). Spinnerets apparently as in female (see below; dirty in scanned male).
CHELICERAE. In general, very similar to congeners (cf. Fig. 3), with curved process proximally on fang (Fig. 13C); with stridulatory files consisting of ~30 ridges, distances between ridges proximally 2.0 µm, distally 1.1 µm (Fig. 13A), proximal ridges with further fine subdivision.
PALPS. As in Figs 12, 14A–D; coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick, distally slightly widened but without modification; femur-patella joints slightly shifted towards prolateral side; tibia oval, with two trichobothria; tibia-tarsus joints slightly shifted towards retrolateral side; palpal tarsal organ strongly raised (Fig. 14E), diameter 5.5 µm, diameter of opening 1.3 µm; procursus with pointed retrolateral-distal process distinctively directed towards dorsal and with dorsal process curved towards prolateral and lodged in pocket of genital bulb (Fig. 14B); genital bulb with small distal apophysis and similar prolateral distal apophysis; sperm duct opening apparently on prolateral-ventral side directly on bulb.
LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs. With round cuticular plates (Fig. 15D; diameter 4–5 µm) and rimmed pores (Fig. 15E; outer diameter 3 µm, diameter of opening 0.3 µm) apparently on all leg segments. Sexually dimorphic short vertical hairs present on tibiae 1 and 2 (Fig. 15A, B), barely visible in dissecting microscope, length ~15 µm, diameter at basis 1.0 µm. Chemoreceptive hairs similar in size (length ~10 µm, diameter at basis 1.3 µm) but with side branch (cf. Fig. 15F). Retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 57%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1. Tarsus 1 with five pseudosegments, fairly distinct; leg tarsal organs capsulate. Main tarsal claws with ~9–11 tines.
Variation (male)
Tibia 1 in eight males (including holotype): 0.41–0.44 (mean 0.43).
Female
In general, similar to male (Fig. 2F) but sternum without pair of anterior humps, chelicerae without stridulatory files (Fig. 13B), cheliceral fangs unmodified, clypeus less protruding and without sclerotized rim, and palpal tarsal organ less raised (Fig. 14F) and slightly smaller (diameter 4.3 µm, diameter of opening 1.0 µm). Tibia 1 in 15 females: 0.37 – 0.40 (mean 0.39). ALS with one strongly widened spigot, one long pointed spigot, and apparently five cylindrical spigots, of which one is much wider than the others (Fig. 13F); PMS with two conical spigots; PLS without spigots. Epigynum (Fig. 16A, B) with simple semicircular anterior plate, weakly protruding, posteriorly not indented medially; posterior plate short and simple, with indistinct median division. Internal genitalia (Fig 16C–F) with distinctive sclerite in ventral wall of uterus externus (arrow in Fig. 16D); apparently without pore plates; with bilobed membranous structure (without median process), covered by posterior epigynal plate.
Natural history. Most specimens were beaten out of dead cacti lying on the ground in a dry forest covering hills near the sea (Fig. 5C). They shared this microhabitat with another species of Ninetinae, an undescribed representative of Ibotyporanga.
Distribution. Known from type locality only, in Magdalena, Colombia (Fig. 4).
description: Published as part of Huber, Bernhard A., Meng, Guanliang, García, Jimmy Cabra & Carvalho, Leonardo S., 2024, Thriving in dry conditions: on the Neotropical spider genus Galapa (Araneae: Pholcidae), pp. 301-347 in Zootaxa 5419 (3) on pages 317-322, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5419.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10791767