Ixchela pecki Gertsch 1971
Creators: name: Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Ixchela
Ixchela pecki

description: Ixchela pecki (Gertsch, 1971)
Figures 47–59
Coryssocnemis pecki Gertsch, 1971: 58, figs 4–18 (description Ƥ). Coryssocnemis pecki Huber, 1998c: 595, fig. 8F (3).
Ixchela pecki Huber, 2000: 153 (Ƥ transfer from Coryssocnemis).
Type data: MEXICO: Chiapas: 1 3 holotype (not examined), 2 3 and 6 ƤƤ paratypes (examined) (AMNH) [15 August 1969; S. Peck, J. Peck] from Grutas de Arcotete (lat 16.7254°, lon -92.5846°, 2323 m), 6 km E of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Municipio San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Material examined. MEXICO: Chiapas: 2 3 and 6 ƤƤ paratypes, 8 immatures (AMNH) (same data as holotype). 4 immatures (AMNH) [13 August 1969; S. Peck, J. Peck] from Cueva Rancho Nuevo (lat 16.6673°, lon -92.5649°; 2339 m), 10 km E of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Municipio San Cristóbal de las Casas. 2 3, 4 ƤƤ, 15 immatures (CNAN 3347) [17 June 2011; A. Valdez, O. Francke, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz, R. Monjaraz, G. Contreras, K. Zárate] from Cueva de Teopisca (lat 16.5455°, lon -92.4952°; 1825 m), Municipio Teopisca.
Diagnosis. Resembles I. mixe, distinguished by the short FAC with long sclerotized claws apically, larger than I. mixe, almost on median part of chelicerae above a pale region, inwardly directed, located on median part (Figs 49–51); by PAB smaller than I. mixe (Fig. 54); and by epigyna with an oval and small ventral apophysis on anterior part (Figs 56, 58, 59).
Description. Male. (CNAN 3347). Prosoma: Carapace beige, without spots, with a pale gray region in distal marginal part (Fig. 48). Ocular region brown; pale gray V-shaped around the fovea (Fig. 48). Clypeus with a wide longitudinal brown region (Fig. 51). Chelicerae brown, with pale region in median part below FAC (Fig. 49). Sternum pale orange, darker distally; labium dark brown, pale distally; endites brown, pale distally, and yellow on the retrolateral apophysis. Legs: Coxae yellow, pale brown in prolateral and retrolateral parts. Trochanters orange. Femora brown, paler basal and distally; without numerous rings, only a wide gray ring sub-distally, inconspicuous. Patellae dark gray. Tibiae orange, paler distally; with a wide gray ring sub-distally, inconspicuous. Metatarsi and tarsi orange. Opisthosoma: Globular, pale blue, larger than high (Fig. 47). Gonopore plate gray, trapezoidal. Palp: Femur yellow orange, paler ventrally; conical, VAF small and curved (Fig. 53). Patella and tibia dark orange. Procursus orange basally, darker distally; conical, with distal spine straight; with two dorsal basal projections (Fig. 53). VPP with long setae (Fig. 53). Embolus conical, with sclerotized retrolateral dorsal region longitudinal; sclerotized ventral line longitudinal, projected from PAB (Fig. 53). Embolus with long and thin spine distally (Figs 53–55); sub-distally with prolateral sclerotized, curved projection (Fig. 55). Measurements: Total length 6.10. Carapace 2.90 long, 2.70 wide. Clypeus 1.07 long. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.22, PME 0.18, PLE 0.23. Distance ALE-PME 0.10, PME-PME 0.29. Leg I: 56.82 (14.87+1.15+14.37+21.81+4.62). tibia II: 10.62, tibia III: 8.80, tibia IV: 10.25; tibia I l/d 39.16.
Female. (CNAN 3347). Similar to the male, differences: Prosoma: Ocular region brown, lighter than the male. Clypeus with brown region longitudinal region, paler than on the male. Chelicerae pale brown. Sternum pale orange, paler than on the male. Labium dark brown, paler than on the male. Endites brown, paler than on the male. Legs: Coxae yellow, paler than on the male. Trochanters orange, paler than on the male. Femora, tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi orange, paler than on the male. Epigynum: Wider than long, brown (Fig. 56). PP curved, MSE wide, with big sac-shape concavities between MSE and PP (Fig. 57). Measurements: Total length 6.10. Carapace 2.37 long, 2.15 wide. Clypeus 0.97 long. Diameter AME 0.07, ALE 0.20, PME 0.17, PLE 0.21. Distance ALE-PME 0.09. PME-PME 0.24. Leg I: 47.40 (12.50+0.97+12.31+16.87+4.75), tibia II: 8.85, tibia III: 7.35, tibia IV: 8.75; tibia I l/ d 32.66.
Variation. There is variation in coloration. Males have ocular region, clypeus and legs darker brown than the females. Male tibia I: 14.37 (missing in two males). Female tibia I: 10.62–12.50 (x = 11.65).
Natural History. The spiders were collected inside the cave about 60m from the entrance, in their irregular sheet webs on the walls and among boulders and karst formations (stalagmites and columns) (Fig. 3). The cave showed a high degree of human disturbance, because the people that live in the nearby town make religious ceremonies inside the cave.
Distribution. MEXICO: Chiapas (Gertsch 1971) (Fig. 85).
description: Published as part of Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Ixchela Huber, 2000 (Araneae: Pholcidae), with description of ten new species from Mexico and Central America, pp. 285-327 in Zootaxa 3608 (5) on page 298, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3608.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/216512