Tapinauchenius latipes L. Koch 1875
Creators: name: Cifuentes, Yeimy
name: Bertani, Rogerio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theraphosidae
Tapinauchenius
Tapinauchenius latipes

description: Tapinauchenius latipes L. Koch, 1875
(Figs 19, 21–22, 63–77)
Tapinauchenius latipes L. Koch, in Ausserer, 1875: 183, pl. 6, fig. 36; Petrunkevitch 1911: 90; 1939: 290; Roewer 1942: 257; Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1945: 193, pl. XVII; Schenkel, 1953: 5, fig. 6a–b; Schmidt, 1995b: 14, fig. 2 (misidentification); Auer, Huber & Bochtler, 2007: 27, figs 35–36; World Spider Catalog 2021.
Diagnosis. Females of Tapinauchenius latipes resemble those of T. plumipes, T. cupreus, T. polybotes and T. rasti by the spermathecae with a constriction near the tip, forming a small and strongly sclerotized lobe (Fig. 70). They differ from all the species above by the shorter spermathecae. Additionally, they differ from T. plumipes by lacking an apical-ventral row of spiniform setae on tibia III; and legs, carapace and chelicerae lacking violet sheen. They differ from females of T. cupreus by the non-oval spermathecae, and from T. rasti and T. polybotes by the geographic distribution on South America mainland. Males of T. latipes resemble those of T. cupreus by the embolus 3.0 to 3.5 times subtegulum length in retrolateral view (Fig. 63). They differ from T. cupreus by embolus slender and gently curved to retrolateral side from its half (Fig. 66).
Type material. Holotype male from Puerto Cabello [10°28’N 68°01’W], deposited at BMNH 1961.9.26.1, examined by RB (2003).
Other material examined. TRINIDAD: Tunapuna-Piarco: Arima, Simla Biological St of Arima [10°43’N, 61°17’W], 4 males, R. West col., May 1981 (MNRJ 7699); 1 female, 4 immatures, same data of collection and collector (MZUSP 76531); 1 male same data and collector (MZUSP 76530); Arena Reserve [10°43’N, 61°17’W], 1 female, Mary Nieves col., 15 May 1959 (AMNH-Tap-47); Rio Claro-Mayaro: Nariva Swamp, Ex campus Bush, Bush Forest [10°22’N, 61°02’W], 1 male, T H G Aitken col., 15 June 1964 (AMNH-Tap-52); VENEZUELA: Miranda: Panaquire (10°13’01”N, 66°14’20”W), on Alocasia; dives into water filled leaf axis when disturbed, 1 male, J. H. Frank col., 2 February 1985 (CASENT, Exline-Peck Collection, unnumbered); GUYANA: Bartica, Kartabo [6°23’N, 58°42’W], 1 male, without additional data (AMNH-Tap-35); 1 male, no collector, 1928 (AMNH-Tap-51).
Redescription. Male (MNRJ 7699). Total length, not including chelicerae or spinnerets 20.92. Carapace 9.79 long, 9.02 wide, 4.51 high. Chelicera: 4.24 long. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 11.4, 5.68, 9.63, 8.54, 3.75, 39.00; II: 9.54, 4.63, 9.37, 8.25, 3.78, 35.57; III: 7.98, 3.68, 6.44, 7.50, 3.53, 29.13; IV: 10.42, 4.04, 9.58, 10.53, 3.65, 38.22; Palp: 6.47, 3.66, 5.12, -, 1.76, 17.01. Midwidths: femora I–IV= 1.71, 1.70, 1.70, 1.99, palp= 1.28; patellae I–IV= 1.60, 1.61, 1.59, 1.72, palp= 1.23; tibiae I–IV= 1.44, 1.28, 1.37, 1.41, palp= 1.40; metatarsi I–IV= 1.04, 1.09, 0.97, 1.03; tarsi I–IV= 1.00, 0.87, 0.97, 0.84, palp= 1.21. Abdomen: 9.92 long, 6.00 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.42 long, 0.50 wide, 1.00 apart; PLS 2.11, 1.10, 2.10; midwidths 0.74, 0.68, 0.50, respectively. Carapace: 1.08 times longer than wide; cephalic region slightly raised, thoracic striae conspicuous. Fovea: deep, straight, 0.76 wide. Eyes: eye tubercle 0.57 high, 1.49 long, 2.47 wide. Clypeus: absent. Anterior eye row straight, posterior recurved. Eye size and interdistances: AME 0.59, ALE 0.49, PME 0.37, PLE 0.43, AME–AME 0.38, AME–ALE 0.12, AME–PME 0.12, ALE–ALE 1.75, ALE–PME 0.32, PME–PME 1.23, PME–PLE 0.10, PLE–PLE 1.86, ALE–PLE 0.28. Maxilla: length to width 1.73. Cuspules: ca. 100 spread over ventral inner heel. Labium: 1.37 long, 1.52 wide, with ca. 98 cuspules spaced by one diameter from each other on anterior third. Chelicera: basal segment with 9 teeth in row. Sternum: 4.90 long, 3.90 wide.
Legs: Formula: I = IV II III. Length leg IV to leg I: 0.98. Scopula: Tarsi I–IV fully scopulate; IV with few sparse setae. Metatarsi I–II fully scopulate; III 2/3 distal; IV 1/4 distal. IV divided by rows of setae. Spination: Palps and legs (ventral apical: tibia/metatarsi): Palp 0; I: 1 behind retrolateral process of tibial apophysis; II: 2/0; III 1/2; IV 1/2. Tibial apophysis (Figs 67–69): two processes, retrolateral longer than prolateral, one spine at side of prolateral, one on apical part of retrolateral process. A conspicuous rounded protuberance behind retrolateral process. Metatarsus I folds on retrolateral side of tibial apophysis.
Palp (Figs 63–66): tegulum length 0.90, width 1.34, embolus proximal width 0.63, length 2.79. Embolus proximal portion straight. Embolus length to tegulum length: 3.10. Embolus slender and gently curved from its half to retrolateral side, distal portion narrows abruptly ending in a curved tip.
Color pattern (preserved in alcohol): Carapace, legs, palpal femora, and tibiae brown, with golden setae.
Redescription. Female (MZUSP 76531). Total length, not including chelicerae or spinnerets 25.99. Carapace 10.38 long, 8.43 wide, 5.48 high. Chelicera: 4.39 long. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 8.50, 4.80, 6.78, 6.20, 4.03, 30.31; II: 7.30, 4.81, 6.11, 5.74, 4.04, 28.00; III: 6.68, 3.64, 4.93, 5.82, 3.73, 24.80; IV: 8.72, 4.14, 8.11, 8.45, 3.99, 33.41; Palp: 6.14, 3.64, 3.82, -, 4.81, 18.41. Midwidths: femora I–IV= 1.44, 1.49, 1.46, 1.60, palp= 1.33; patellae I–IV= 1.64, 1.70, 1.48, 1.67, palp= 1.43; tibiae I–IV= 21.34, 1.76, 1.57, 1.50, 1.70, palp= 1.34; metatarsi I–IV= 1.54, 1.39, 1.17, 1.13; tarsi I–IV= 1.40, 1.38, 1.30, 1.04, palp= 1.42. Abdomen: 15.66 long, 10.7 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.19 long, 0.40 wide, 0.47 apart; PLS, 1.81 basal, 0.98 middle, 2.02 distal; midwidths 0.81, 0.83, 0.54 respectively. Carapace: 1.23 times longer than wide; cephalic region slightly raised, thoracic striae conspicuous. Fovea: deep, straight, 1.26 wide. Eyes: eye tubercle 0.77 high, 1.43 long, 2.42 wide. Clypeus: absent. Anterior eye row straight, posterior slightly recurved. Eye size and interdistances: AME 0.58, ALE 0.49, PME 0.36, PLE 0.47, AME–AME 0.29, AME–ALE 0.11 AME–PME 0.14, ALE–ALE 1.66, ALE–PME 0.32, PME–PME 1.25, PME–PLE 0.12, PLE–PLE 1.81, ALE–PLE 0.28. Maxilla: length to width 1.48. Cuspules: ca. 126 spread over ventral inner heel. Labium: 1.52 long, 1.88 wide, with ca. 121 cuspules spaced by one diameter from each other on anterior third. Chelicera: basal segment with 10 teeth in row. Sternum: 5.05 long, 4.13 wide.
Legs: Formula: I = IV II III. Length leg IV to leg I: 1.10. Scopula: Tarsi I–IV fully scopulate; IV with a few sparse setae. Metatarsi I–II fully scopulate; III 1/2 distal; IV 1/4 distal. IV divided by rows of setae. Spination: Palps and legs (ventral apical: tibia/metatarsi): Palp 0; I: 0/0; II 2/0; III 1/ 2; IV 0/2.
Spermathecae (Fig. 70): Two spermathecae completely separated, short and triangular, with an apical wellsclerotized rounded lobe.
Color pattern (preserved in alcohol): Carapace, legs, palpal femora, and tibiae brown with violet shades; abdomen light brown with a central longitudinal line.
Distribution. Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Venezuela (Figs 21–22).
description: Published as part of Cifuentes, Yeimy & Bertani, Rogerio, 2022, Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the tarantula genera Tapinauchenius Ausserer, 1871, Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1985, and Amazonius n. gen. (Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae), pp. 1-123 in Zootaxa 5101 (1) on pages 43-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5101.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6253223