Palliduphantes megascapus Barrientos 2020, n. sp.
Creators: name: Barrientos, José Antonio
name: Brañas, Neus
name: Mederos, Jorge
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Linyphiidae
Palliduphantes
Palliduphantes megascapus

description: Palliduphantes megascapus Barrientos n. sp.
(Figs 12; 15 D-F)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 885DDD66-4851-4A1D-BC5E-812B5D20ADBE
TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Morocco. 1♀; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 8, Azour ou Aghroud, Tarhazoute, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 27.IX.2016; C. Fontgivell leg.; MZB 2016-4101.
Paratypes. Morocco. 3♀; same locality and date as the holotype; MZB 2017-0668.
OTHER MATERIAL. — Morocco. 1♀; Ifri Laghar (= Ifri Tagaderth, = Al Andalus), Tizgui N’Chorfa, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 23.VII.2003; J. Esquius leg.; MZB 2003-1261 • 2♀; same locality; 23.VII.2003; F. Fadrique & J. Esquius leg.; MZB 2003-1288 • 1♀; same locality; 13.X.2015; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2015-8618 • 1♀; Puits Cochrisco C.A. 10, Azour ou Aghroud, Tarhazoute, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 26.VII.2003; F. Fadrique & J. Esquius leg.; MZB 2013-2950 • 1♀, 1 juv.; Cv. Imi Ougoug, Assif N’Talma, Immouzzer, Agadir Ida Ou Tanane; 27.VII.2003; F. Fadrique leg.; MZB 2013-2949.
DIAGNOSIS. — The epigyne is very developed, occupying a large part of the middle ventral zone of opisthosoma. Its anterior and lateral walls are lengthened and oriented backwards. The scape acquires a great development. The proscape is narrow, elongating backwards, the middle part is very long, almost reaching the opisthosomal wall, where it curves in “C” and connects with the distal part. The whole structure is very sclerotized. Its development and appearance is visible particularly laterally.
ETYMOLOGY. — The name of the new species refers to the enormous development of the female genitalia, in relation to the size of the opisthosoma, especially; to the length of the scape.
DISTRIBUTION. — The four cavities in which this species is found are in the province of Agadir Ida Ou Tanane (two in Tarhazoute [C.A.8 and C.A.10], one in Tizgui N’Chorfa [Ifri Laghar] and another in Immouzzer [Cv. Imi Ougoug]), in Antiatlas, southern Morocco.
DESCRIPTION
Female (holotype)
Body. Total body length: 2.40. Carapace: 1.03 long by 0.83 wide, light brown, without additional pigmentation pattern, but with some hairs scattered on the cephalic part. Eyes developed and pigmented, with black areolas that meet the eyes MA, LA and LP; arranged in the two typical transverse lines. Chelicerae: 0.42 in length and with a similar coloration to that of carapace; three teeth on the promargin (the basal much smaller and separated from the others) and unarmed retromargin. Brown legs, with darker femurs, long and thin; measurements: leg I (1.37 + 0.27 + without + without + without), leg II (1.30 + 0.27 + 1.22 + 1.17 + 1.59), leg III (1.15 + 0.22 + 0.93 + 0.95 + 0.22), and leg IV (1.40 + 0.25 + 1.30 + 1.22 + 0.73). Opisthosoma, 1.37 long by 1.08 wide, more or less uniform grayish, and without dorsal pigmentation pattern, but covered with thin and scattered hairs.
Female genitalia. Epigyne (Figs 11A, B; 15 D-F) highly developed and protruding on the ventral side of the epigastrum, tilted backwards and covering the central half of the postepigastrum. Its basal part elongate in front and on the sides, orienting itself towards the back; bursa copulatrix opening in its distal part. Anterior and lateral walls with a scattered and clearly distinct pilosity, with some long hairs areolated at their base. Posterior wall with a middle plate, not very visible because arranged against the opisthosomal surface. The side walls not forming “wings”, although they cover the base of the scape. Proscape quite narrow and not very individualized; merging with the end of the anterior wall and elongate backward, giving a rather voluminous structure. Middle part of the scape bending and facing forward. Entire scape narrowed, elongated and well sclerotized. Near the back wall, distal part of the scape widening and curved again, describing a “C. The whole structure forming a rigid and narrow structure revealing the fertilization ducts by transparency. The two receptacles also observed, at the base of the structure.
Male
Unknown.
description: Published as part of Barrientos, José Antonio, Brañas, Neus & Mederos, Jorge, 2020, The high complexity of Micronetinae Hull, 1920 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) evidenced through ten new cave-dweller species from the Morocco, pp. 1-29 in Zoosystema 42 (1) on pages 20-21, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2020v42a1, http://zenodo.org/record/3627057