Mecolaesthus alegria Huber 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Huber, Bernhard A.
name: Villarreal, Osvaldo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Mecolaesthus
Mecolaesthus alegria

description: Mecolaesthus alegria Huber sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DB90E250-72DE-47EB-ACB1-4A4D1C11E22D
Figs 476–478, 488–493, 1044
Diagnosis
Easily distinguished from most known congeners (except M. pusillus Huber sp. nov.) by armature of male chelicerae (Figs 491–492; pair of large frontal apophyses set with large modified hairs and pair of simple distal apophyses), by shape of procursus (identical to M. pusillus Huber sp. nov., cf. Figs 479– 481; without retrolateral process; tip with pair of dark sclerites connected by transparent membrane), and by epigynum with pair of dark internal structures distinct in uncleared specimens (Fig. 476). From very similar M. pusillus Huber sp. nov. by details of male cheliceral armature (large frontal apophyses directed forward rather than downward; simple distal apophyses with accompanying globular hairs), by shape of bifid distal bulbal sclerite (Figs 488–490; dorsal sclerite much wider in dorsal view), by shape of epigynum (Fig. 476; wider than long), and by internal female genitalia (Figs 477–478, 493; shape of large lateral ear-shaped structures). From most known congeners (except M. pusillus Huber sp. nov., M. arepa Huber sp. nov., and M. guasacaca Huber sp. nov.) also distinguished by distinct median process posteriorly on male carapace.
Etymology
The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Type material
VENEZUELA – Falcón • ♂ holotype, ZFMK (Ar 21938), forest near Santa Cruz de La Alegría (10.8795° N, 68.4949° W), 100 m a.s.l., 15 Feb. 2020 (B.A. Huber, O. Villarreal M., Q. Arias C.).
Other material examined
VENEZUELA – Falcón • 1 ♀ in pure ethanol (abdomen transferred to male holotype), ZFMK (Ven20- 147), same collection data as for holotype.
Description
Male (holotype)
MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 2.8, carapace width 0.95. Distance PME–PME 90 µm; diameter PME 90 µm; distance PME–ALE 50 µm; diameter AME 20 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm. Leg 1: 31.1 (7.4 +0.4 +7.6+13.8 + 1.9), tibia 2: 4.9, tibia 3: 3.9, tibia 4: 4.5; tibia 1 L/d: 95.
COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre with darker median band and lateral marginal bands not connected posteriorly, ocular area and clypeus dark ochre; sternum ochre-yellow; legs ochre-yellow to light brown, without dark rings; abdomen pale greenish gray, dorsally and laterally densely covered with dark bluish marks, ventrally with small brown mark in gonopore area and bluish median band behind gonopore; book lung covers light brown; with small light brown plate above pedicel.
BODY. Habitus as in M. pusillus Huber sp. nov. (cf. Fig. 471). Ocular area slightly raised. Carapace anteriorly with shallow but distinct thoracic groove, posteriorly not inflated but with distinct median process. Clypeus unmodified. Sternum wider than long (0.62/0.40), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, pointed at spinnerets.
CHELICERAE. As in Figs 491–492, similar to M. pusillus Huber sp. nov. but larger, with pair of large frontal apophyses, each provided with three large modified hairs near tip and two large modified hairs proximally, and pair of simple distal apophyses, each accompanied by globular hair.
PALPS. In general as in M. pusillus Huber sp. nov.; coxa with retrolateral apophysis, trochanter barely modified, femur proximally with large retrolateral-ventral process, dorsally with low hump, distally with ventral conical process; retrolateral trichobothrium on tibia very distal; procursus apparently indistinguishable from M. pusillus Huber sp. nov. (cf. Figs 479–481), at basis with dorsal process with obtuse tip, without retrolateral process, with pair of distal sclerites connected by transparent membrane; genital bulb (Figs 488–490) with large process partly membranous/whitish, with distinctive distal sclerite divided into two lobes.
LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; few vertical hairs; coxa 4 unmodified; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 3%; prolateral trichobothrium present on all leg tibiae; tarsus 1 with ~35 pseudosegments, fairly distinct.
Female
In general similar to male but carapace posteriorly without median process, abdomen shorter. Tibia 1: 5.1. Epigynum (Fig. 476) simple rectangular plate, anteriorly straight, posteriorly weakly curved, pair of dark internal structures distinct in uncleared specimens; no posterior plate. Internal genitalia (Figs 477– 478, 493) with large lateral ear-shaped structures, pore plates in lateral position.
Distribution
Known from type locality only, in Venezuela, Falcón (Fig. 1044).
description: Published as part of Huber, Bernhard A. & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2020, On Venezuelan pholcid spiders (Araneae, Pholcidae), pp. 1-317 in European Journal of Taxonomy 718 on pages 137-139, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.718.1101, http://zenodo.org/record/4069574