Philoponella opelli Faleiro & Santos, 2014, new species
Creators: name: Faleiro, Bárbara T.
name: Santos, Adalberto J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Uloboridae
Philoponella
Philoponella opelli

description: Philoponella opelli new species
(Figs. 1 AB, 2A–G, 5A–F, 7A)
Types. Male holotype (UFMG 11223) from Brazil: Santa Catarina: São Bento do Sul (Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais Rugendas, 26º19’S 49º18’W, 617 m), 16–20 December 2011, I.L.F. Magalhães et al. leg. Female paratype (UFMG 7770) from Brazil: Mato Grosso: Cotriguaçu (Fazenda São Nicolau, 9º50’S 58º14’W), 2– 14 October 2010, A.J. Santos leg.
Etymology. The species name is a patronym in honour of Brent D. Opell, in recognition of his extensive contributions to the current knowledge on uloborid systematics, evolution, and natural history.
Diagnosis. Males of Philoponella opelli resemble those of the P. republicana species group (see Opell 1979: 524) in having the conductor spike shorter than the apical projection of the median apophysis spur, but differ from all other species of the group by having the conductor spike rounded in the apex (Figs. 2A,B; 5A,B) and by the retrolateral tubercle of the palpal femur larger than the prolateral one (Fig. 2G). Females resemble P. vittata (Keyserling, 1881) in having the copulatory openings in the posterior sixth of the atrium and in the copulatory ducts not coiled, but differ by having the copulatory ducts with one loop anteriorly to the connection with the spermatheca (Figs. 2E, 5 EF).
Description. Male (holotype). Total length 3.71, carapace length 1.55, sternum length 0.86, abdomen length 2.16, leg I, length of articles: femur 2.29, patella 0.61, tibia 1.81, metatarsus 1.83, tarsus 0.64. Length of tibiae: II 0.94, III 0.51, IV 1.04. Carapace pale-yellow with two marginal longitudinal dark-brown bands and two paramedian longitudinal diffuse dark bands (Fig. 1A). Chelicerae, endites, labium and sternum pale-yellow. Legs I and IV pale-yellow with dorsal dark bands, legs II and III pale-yellow ventrally and dark brown dorsally (Fig. 1A). Abdomen light grey with dorsal white spots and lateral black spots, one central and one anterior (Fig. 1A). Anal tubercle and spinnerets light grey. Embolus long, in clockwise direction in the left palp (Figs. 2A, B; 5A). Median apophysis bulb not tumescent, covering the embolus (Figs. 5A, B). Median apophysis spur hooked ventrally (Figs. 2A, B; 5A, B). Conductor basal lobe longer than wide, canoe-shaped, conductor spike rounded (Figs. 2A, B; 5A– G). Leg I with plumose and filiform setae and squamous macrosetae (Fig. 5D).
Female (paratype). Total length 4.09, carapace length 1.17, sternum length 0.76, abdomen length 2.92, leg I, length of articles: femur 1.55, patella 0.28, tibia 1.53, metatarsus 1.70, tarsus 0.89. Length of tibiae: II 0.69, III 0.46, IV 1.04. Carapace homogeneously dark-brown (Fig. 1B). Chelicerae, endites, labium and sternum light brown. Leg femora brown, tibiae light brown dorsally and brown in the ventral side; patellae, metatarsi and tarsi pale-yellow (Fig. 1B). Dorsum of abdomen dark brown laterally, light brown medially, with three pairs of transversal, dark-brown spots (Fig. 1B). Transversal spots paler in the centre. Venter of abdomen dark brown laterally, light brown medially, with dark brown rectangular post-epigastric area. Anal tubercle and posterior lateral spinnerets brown, median and anterior lateral spinnerets pale-yellow. Epigynum with large and deep atrium, posterior rim continuous, copulatory openings in the posterior half of atrium (Fig. 2C), posterior plate hexagonal (Fig. 2D). Spermathecae oval, covered with pores in the anterior and ectal surface (Figs. 5E, F); copulatory ducts with a 180° loop anterior to spermathecae (Figs. 2E, 5 EF), fertilization ducts adhered to the posterior plate (Figs. 2E).
Variation. Male (N = 17). Carapace length 1.14–1.53, sternum length 0.53–0.76, abdomen length 1.37–2.03. Female (N = 2). Carapace length 1.17–1.27, sternum length 0.76–0.92, abdomen length 2.92–3.69.
Additional material examined. Brazil, Acre: Senador Guiomard (Estação Experimental Catuaba, 10°5’8”S 67°37’30”W, 214 m), 9–18.IV.2012, P.R. Zanoli & I.A. Barros leg., 1♂ (UFMG 12255); 1♂ (UFMG 12256); ditto, 6–16.VII.2012, P.R. Zanoli & I.A. Barros leg., 3♂ (UFMG 12257); 2♂ (UFMG 12258); 1♂ (UFMG 12259); 1♂ (UFMG 12260); Mato Grosso: Cotriguaçu (Fazenda São Nicolau, 9°50’24”S 58°14’54”W), 2–14.X.2010, A.J. Santos leg., 1♂ (UFMG 11448); 2♂ 1♀ (UFMG 11791); Santa Catarina: São Bento do Sul (Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais Rugendas, 26°19’30”S 49°18’26”W, 617 m), 16–20.XII.2011, I.L.F. Magalhães et al leg., 1♂ (UFMG 11790). Ecuador, Napo: (Estación Biológica Jatun-Sacha, 1°3’57”S 77°37’W, 410 m), 1–5.XII.2009, A.J. Santos leg., 3♂ (UFMG 10959).
Distribution. Northern to southern Brazil and Ecuador (Fig. 7A).
description: Published as part of Faleiro, Bárbara T. & Santos, Adalberto J., 2014, Three new species and new records of the orb-weaving spider genus Philoponella (Araneae, Uloboridae) from Brazil and Ecuador, pp. 572-582 in Zootaxa 3754 (5) on pages 573-575, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3754.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/226016