Porteria Simon 1904
Creators: name: Morrill, Elizabeth
name: Crews, Sarah
name: Esposito, Lauren
name: Ramírez, Martín J.
name: Griswold, Charles
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Desidae
Porteria

description: KEY TO SPECIES OF PORTERIA
1a. Male ............................................................................................................................................................(2)
1b. Female ......................................................................................................................................................(12)
2a. Paracymbium absent (Figs 26C, 29C, 33C, 39C); LRTA directed apicad, unbent (Figs 26D, 29D, 39D); tegulum without median concavity (Figs 26B, 33B), or if present, shallow (Fig. 39C) .......................... (3)
2b. Paracymbium present (Figs 46C, 51C, 59C, 62C, 67C, 72C); LRTA bent, projecting ventrally perpendicular to frontal plane (Figs 46C, 51C, 56C, 59C, 62C, 67C, 72C); tegulum concave, with median concavity (Figs 46B, 56B, 59B, 67B, 72B)..................................................................................................................(6)
3a. Palp with extremely long, hair-like embolus (Figs 39A, B, 40D); embolus base reduced to small mound on base of bulb on retrolateral side (Fig. 38B); conductor long, deeply grooved and tapering to a point at apex well past bulb (Fig. 40A, D). Tegulum with shallow (Fig. 39C) or no median concavity ....................................................................................................................................................... P. ajimayo
3b. Embolus of short to medium length, less than length of bulb (Figs 26A, 29A, 33A); embolus base more elongated, at least 1/3 length of bulb; conductor a straight projection on median line of bulb, simple and untwisted (Figs 26B, 29B, 33B). Tegulum convex, without median concavity (Figs 26B, 29B, 33B) ...........................................................................................................................................................(4)
4a. DTA absent (Figs 32E, 33C, 34C). Embolus greater than ½ length of bulb; embolus base less than ½ length of bulb (Fig. 32D). RTA short and stout, with thickly pointed apex (Figs 33B, 34A) ............................................................................................................................................... P. eddardstarki
4b. DTA present (Figs 28B, 29D). Embolus less than ½ the length of bulb; embolus base elongated, greater than ½ length of bulb. RTA bulbous (Fig. 28B) or slender and hook like (Fig. 25A) .............................(5)
5a. DTA small, tooth like (Fig. 29D). RTA round and bulbous, curving ventrad at apex (Figs 28B, D, 29B). Embolus base long, almost length of bulb, abruptly tapering to thick, hook-like embolus (Fig. 29A, B) ............................................................................................................................................................ P. fiura
5b. DTA elongated and spiniform (Figs 25E, 26D), directed towards retrolateral side. RTA long, slender and hook like (Figs 25A, 26B). Embolus base shorter and more gradually tapering to embolus (Fig. 26A, B) ............................................................................................................................................... P. albopunctata
6a. DTA serrate (Figs 50D, 51C, 52B).................................................................................................... P. faberi
6b. DTA smooth, at most with a few grooves, varying forms (Figs 46C, 56C, 62C, 67C, 72D)..................... (7)
7a. Embolus base with notch on anterior margin where embolus starts to differentiate (Figs 46B, 67B), shallow in some species (Fig. 62B) ...........................................................................................................(8)
7b. Embolus base with anterior margin smooth, embolus differentiating in line with base (Figs 56B, 59B, 72B) ..........................................................................................................................................................(10)
8a. DTA with sharp apex directed retrolaterally, rounded base, arrowhead like in dorsal view, appearing anvil shaped in lateral views (Figs 61E, 62D, 66D, 67D) ........................................................................(9)
8b. DTA thick and stubby in dorsal view (Figs 46D, 47B), ‘U’-shaped hook in lateral views (Figs 45A, D, 46C, 47C) ............................................................................................................................................ P. bunnyana
9a. Apex of DTA highly elongate, spear like (Figs 66D, 67D)......................................................... P. contulmo
9b. Apex of DTA shorter, tooth like (Figs 61E, 62D) ................................................................. P. correcaminos
10a. DTA thick and thumb like in lateral views (Figs 56C, 59C) .................................................................(11)
10b. DTA slender, finger like in retrolateral view (Fig. 7I D), not visible in prolateral view (Fig. 72A) ............................................................................................................................................. P. ariasbohartae
11a. Embolus base narrow, approximately ½ width of bulb (Fig. 56B), RTA with long, tapered apex (Fig. 56B, D) ................................................................................................................................................ .. P. torobayo
11b. Embolus base wide, greater than ½ width of bulb (Fig. 59B), RTA with thickened apex and tooth-like projection on anterior margin (Fig. 59B, D) ............................................................................... P. alopobre
12a. Epigyne with copulatory openings in atrium (Figs 45E, 48A, 53A, 55E, 61F, 64 A-C) ......................... (13)
12b. Epigyne without atrium, copulatory openings flush with surface of epigynal plate (Figs 25F, 28E, 35 AC, 41A, 43E) .............................................................................................................................................(18)
13a. Atrium with anterior margin less than or equal to width of posterior margin (Figs 48A, 64A); median septum absent, but fleshy median bulge may be present or absent; lateral margins of atrium ridged (Figs 45E, 61F, 64C, 69A, 71F) ................................................................................................................(14)
13b. Atrium with wide anterior margin forming hood (Figs 53A, 55E); atrium appearing wider anteriorly than posteriorly due to lateral lobes; smooth, wide median septum retreating into atrium anteriorly; lateral margins of atrium smooth (Figs 50F, G, 53C, D, 55E) ...............................................................(17)
14a. Atrium with large, fleshy median bulge (Figs 61F, 64A, 71F); scape attached to bulge, small and thumb like............................................................................................................................................................(15)
14b. Atrium without median bulge (Figs 48A, 66F); scape larger and tooth like, attached medially to anterior margin of atrium......................................................................................................................................(16)
15a. Large groove between lateral margins and posterior lobes of atrium (Figs 61F, 64A, C); scape on small bulge on anterior of epigyne (Fig. 64C) ............................................................................... P. correcaminos
15b. Lateral margins of atrium continuous with posterior margin, folded but no large groove; median bulge extended all the way to posterior margin (Fig. 71F); scape on posterior tip of bulge overlapping posterior margin ................................................................................................................................. P. ariasbohartae
16a. Vulva (Fig. 66E, G) with atrium ventral wall extended well past head of spermatheca, with series of ridges; copulatory ducts ‘S’-shaped; right and left Base 1s of spermathecae with small gap between them............................................................................................................................................. P. contulmo
16b. Vulva (Figs 45G, 48B) with atrium ventral wall extended just beyond spermatheca, smooth, heart shaped with deep median ‘V’ shape; copulatory ducts straight; right and left Base 1s of spermathecae almost touching.......................................................................................................................... P. bunnyana
17a. Epigyne with small median scape on anterior hood, finger like (Fig. 53A). Vulva with broad atrium ventral wall, taller than stalks of spermatheca and wider than base receptacles; left and right stalks of spermatheca separated by half of their lengths (Figs 50H, 53B) .................................................. P. faberi
17b. Epigyne lacking scape on anterior hood (Fig. 55E). Vulva with narrow and petite atrium ventral wall, stalks of spermatheca almost reaching anterior margin of atrium ventral wall; left and right stalks of spermatheca separated by less than 1/3 of their lengths (Fig. 55G) ........................................ P. torobayo
18a. Epigyne with long, sclerotized median strip (Figs 25F, 28E) ................................................................(19)
18b. Epigyne without median strip (Figs 35 A-C, 41A, 43E).......................................................................... (20)
19a. Darker median strip dilated anteriorly surrounding the small but visible scape (Fig. 28E); Bases 1 and 2 of spermatheca forming one large oval; left and right stalks not touching (Fig. 28F)................ P. fiura
19b. Darker median strip not dilated anteriorly (Fig. 25F); fleshy mound anterior to dark strip but without noticeable scape; internal structures form X-shape through cuticle (Fig. 25F); Bases 1 and 2 distinct lobes; stalks touching (Fig. 25H).......................................................................................... P. albopunctata
20a. Epigyne well sclerotized with two large posterior lobes (Fig. 35 A-C); large median scape extended beyond posterior lobes (Fig. 36C)............................................................................................. P. eddardstarki
20b. Epigyne without posterior lobes (Figs 41A, 43E); scape small (Fig. 43D) ............................................(21)
21a. Epigyne simple with little sclerotization (Fig. 41A); fleshy median septum dividing copulatory openings; two dark circles posterior to openings representing internal receptacles. Tiny nub-like scape on septum, visible in profile, difficult to see in ventral view. Vulva with extremely long copulatory ducts making longitudinal loops at sides (Fig. 41B, D) ........................................................................ P. ajimayo
21b. Epigynal plate lightly sclerotized, tapered posteriorly (Fig. 43E). Rims of copulatory openings darkly sclerotized, slit like. Small but elongated median scape anterior to openings, visible in ventral view (Fig. 43D). Internal structures visible through cuticle; two round receptacles separated far apart are connected by copulatory ducts forming a ‘peak’ in the middle of the epigyne (Fig. 43E). Copulatory ducts ‘S’-shaped, elongate but not making longitudinal loops at sides (Fig. 43F) .......................... P. misbianka the epigynal area, as well as the ‘X’ like configuration of the internal structures visible through the cuticle, are also diagnostic (Fig. 25F, H). Internally, the short copulatory ducts (Fig. 25H) separate this species from all but P. fiura. Vulvae of P. fiura and P. albopunctata are easily distinguished, with spermatheca stalks almost touching in P. albopunctata (Fig. 25H) and conspicuous Bennett’s gland pores in P. fiura, visible in dorsal view (Fig. 28F).
description: Published as part of Morrill, Elizabeth, Crews, Sarah, Esposito, Lauren, Ramírez, Martín J. & Griswold, Charles, 2023, A revision of the genus Porteria and the phylogeny and biogeography of Porteriinae (Araneae: Desidae), pp. 368-461 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 198 (2) on pages 397-398, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac093, http://zenodo.org/record/8007404