Paratropis cryptica Dupérré & Tapia, 2024, new species
Creators: name: Dupérré, Nadine
name: Tapia, Elicio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Paratropididae
Paratropis
Paratropis cryptica

description: Paratropis cryptica new species
Figs 23–28, 29D, Map. 1
Type material. Female holotype from Napo province: Tena, Communidad Campos Felices, Colonso Chalupas Natural Reserve (–00.914889° –77.878056°) 784 m, hand collected inside Ungurahua palm on ground, half rotten, egg sac [with 15 juveniles none types], E. Tapia, ECFN 7834 (QCAZ). Paratypes: 1 ♂, Tena, Communidad Campos Felices, Colonso Chalupas Natural Reserve (–00.914889° –77.878056°) 1048 m, hand collected, N. Dupérré. A. Tapia, E. Tapia, ECFN 4861 (QCAZ); 1♀, Misahualli via Arajuno (–1.098282° –77.549760°) 458 m, 21 May 2019, hand collected under dead log in native forest, E. Tapia ECFN 1320 (ZMH-A0003000).
Other material. Napo province: Misahualli, Jungle Lodge (1°2’S, 77°40’W) [–1.0385384° –77.66649°] 11–20 iv. 1999, 1♀, A.C. Rehn, C.L. Alexander (CASENT 9060470); 20 km E Puerto Napo, Aliñahui (1°0’S, 77°25’W) [–1.00062° –77.416542°] 450 m, May 1994, 1♀, V. D. Roth & B. Roth (CASENT 9060448); 20 km E Puerto Napo, Aliñahui (01°0’S, 77°25’W) [–1.00062° –77.416542°] 450 m, Nov.–Dec. 1995, 1♀, E.S. Ross (CASENT 9060463); Misahualli, via aeropuerto (–01°05.010’, –77°37.946’) [–1.083310° –77.632352°] 396 m, 26 Feb. 2018, 1♀, en tierra pegado a base de arbol con Avicularia, E. Tapia ECFN 228 (ZMH-A0003000).
Etymology. The specific epithet is an adjective taken from the Latin, and refers to the cryptic nature of the species.
Diagnosis. Females and males are distinguished from those of other species by the presence of large dorsal abdominal tubercles (Fig. 24A) Furthermore, they most resemble P. arenosa sp. nov., but are distinguished by their spermathecal heads with short, condensed vesicles (Fig. 25C–F), while elongated in the latter (Fig. 22C, D); males are diagnosed by the following combination of characters: short bulb (2.9x longer than wide); subtegulum without notch; embolus tip curved (Fig. 28C–E), and absence of basal retrolateral conic process on tibia (Fig. 29D).
Description. Coloration (live female paratype ECFN 1320). Female carapace black, completely covered with soil particles, mud; abdomen completely covered with soil particles; legs blackish, covered with soil particles, mud (Fig. 23A). (Female holotype): Total length: 17.74; carapace length: 9.28 carapace width: 9.57; abdomen length: 10.20. Coloration in ethanol. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace dark orange-brown, caput arched; fovea straight (Figs 24A, 25B). Chelicerae dark orange-brown; promargin 13 teeth, retromargin 12 teeth. Labium sub-rectangular, ~90 cuspules anteriorly (Fig. 25B). Maxillae longer than wide, anterior prolateral lobe elongated, conical; 88 cuspules (Fig. 25B). Sternum length 3.98; width 5.56, oval; three pairs of oval sigilla (Fig. 25B). EYES: Eight eyes on tubercle, elevated, height 0.97; AME: 0.28, ALE: 0.30, PLE: 0.30; PME: 0.11, PME–PME: 0.76. ABDOMEN: Strongly encrusted with soil; dorsally beige with six transversal rows of large tubercles, with small spatulate setae; laterally beige with few tubercles and thinner spatulate setae; ventrally beige with thin spatulate setae (Fig. 24A, B). LEGS: Uniformly dark orange-brown, completely encrusted with soil particles. Macrosetae ventrally on tibia, metatarsi and tarsi II–IV. Spinules on leg I ventrally, tibia: 18; metatarsus: 38; tarsus: 26; tarsal scopula absent. Trichobothria: palpal tarsus: 10; tarsus I: 12, II: 10, III: 9, IV: 10; metatarsus I: 6/7, II: 5, III: 4, IV: 4/5. Legs measurements: I 24.70 (7.33/3.42/6.77/4.75/2.43); II 18.52 (5.96/2.31/4.27/3.72/2.26); III 17.19 (4.78/2.49/3.70/3.79/2.43); IV 24.59 (6.89/3.24/5.62/6.21/2.63); leg formula 1423. Tarsus I, third claw present; tarsi II–IV without third claw; all paired claws with one tooth. GENITALIA: Two short spermathecae (1.5x longer than wide); spermatheca heads with narrow constriction; spermathecal head with condensed vesicles; stalk wider basally than apically (Fig. 25C–F).
(Male paratype ECFN 4861). Total length: 11.76; carapace length: 5.90; carapace width: 5.86; abdomen length: 5.91. CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace dark reddish-brown, pars cephalica darker, caput arched; fovea almost straight (Fig. 27A). Chelicerae dark reddish-brown; promargin 13 teeth, retromargin 8 teeth. Labium sub-rectangular, 66 cuspules anteriorly (Fig. 27B). Maxillae longer than wide, anterior prolateral lobe elongated, conical; 76 cuspules (Fig. 27B). Sternum length 2.23; width 3.10, oval; three pairs of oval sigilla (Fig. 27B). EYES: Eight eyes on tubercle, elevated, height 0.81; AME: 0.28; ALE: 0.23; PLE: 0.21; PME: 0.15; PME–PME: 0.50. ABDOMEN: Slightly encrusted with soil particles, dorsally beige medially, with six rows of large tubercles, with spatulate setae; laterally grayish with few tubercles and thinner spatulate setae; ventrally beige with thin spatulate setae (Fig. 26A, B). LEGS: I–II uniformly dark reddish-brown, III–IV reddish-brown, without soil particles. Macrosetae ventrally on metatarsi and tarsi II, tibia, metatarsi and tarsi III–IV. Spinules absent on leg I; tibia without conical process (Fig. 29D); apical scopula on tarsi I–III. Trichobothria: palpal tib: drl 3, dpl 4; tarsus I: 10, II: 7/8, III: 7, IV: 8; metatarsus I: 4, II: 4/5, III: 4, IV: 4. Legs measurements: I 20.09 (5.56/2.20/5.45/4.54/2.34); II 15.68 (4.39/1.59/3.82/3.75/2.13); III 15.80 (3.21/1.37/3.00/3.13/1.88); IV 19.09 (5.44/1.83/4.36/5.14/2.28); leg formula 4123. GENITALIA: Palp: tibia 1.88 length, 076 width; bulb + embolus length 1.59, bulb 0.55 width. Subtegulum straight without notch in ventral view (Fig. 28D); bulb elongated oval; embolus straight; embolus tip bent (Fig. 28C–E).
Variation. Females: (ECFN 1320) carapace length: 8.48; abdomen length: 9.49; (ECFN 1323) carapace length: 5.43; abdomen length: 6.60; CASENT (9060470) carapace length: 6.83; abdomen length: 9.88; CASENT (9060463) carapace length: 7.07; abdomen length: 9.06; CASENT (9060448) carapace length: 7.09; abdomen length: 10.26; ZMH (A0003000) carapace length: 5.00; abdomen length: 7.34; body length: 12.03–17.97, x 15.75, n = 7.
Males: (ECFN 7221) carapace length: 4.50; abdomen length: 5.15; body length: 9.65–11.76, x 10.70, n = 2.
Distribution. Known from Napo province (Map 1).
Natural History. The species was collected between 396–1048 m a.s.l., in the evergreen foothill forest of the north Eastern Cordillera of the Andes (BsPn03) (Guevara et al. 2013b). Specimens were collected under log or inside a rotten log or in soil fixed at the base of tree with an Avicularia specimen.
description: Published as part of Dupérré, Nadine & Tapia, Elicio, 2024, Seven new species of the enigmatic spider genus Paratropis Simon, 1889 (Mygalomorphae, Paratropididae) from Ecuador, pp. 451-486 in Zootaxa 5519 (4) on pages 477-485, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5519.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/13916138