Ixchela huasteca Valdez-Mondragón, 2013, new species
Creators: name: Valdez-Mondragón, Alejandro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Pholcidae
Ixchela
Ixchela huasteca

description: Ixchela huasteca new species
Figures 186–201
Type data. MEXICO: San Luis Potosí: 1 3 holotype (CNAN T0077) [6 May 2011; A. Valdez, O. Francke, J. Cruz, R. Monjaraz, G. Contreras] from Buenavista, near Ahuacatlan (lat 21.3406°, lon -99.0986°; 1700 m), Municipio Xilitla. Paratypes: 1 Ƥ (CNAN T0078), same data as holotype. Querétaro: 2 3 (CNAN T0079) [14 November 2009; A. Valdez, O. Francke, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz] from 1.5 km road to Microwave Station La Pingüica (lat 21.1253°, lon -99.6762°; 2680 m), Municipio Pinal de Amoles. 1 3, 2 ƤƤ, 2 immatures (CNAN T0080) [15 November 2009; A. Valdez, O. Francke, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz] from 200 m E of junction road Pinal de Amoles- Bucarelli (lat 21.1257°, lon -99.6391°; 2544 m), Municipio Pinal de Amoles.
Other material examined. MEXICO: Hidalgo: 2 ƤƤ (CNAN 3628) [7 November 2010; A. Valdez, O. Francke, J. Cruz, C. Santibáñez, E. Miranda] from “El Salto” (lat 20.9017°, lon -99.2147°; 2025 m), Municipio Jacala de Ledezma. 2 3, 1 Ƥ (with egg sac) (AMNH) [20 July 1956; V. Roth, W. Gertsch] from 16 km S of Jacala, Municipio Jacala. 1 Ƥ (with egg sac), 1 immature (AMNH) [8 November 1966; J. Reddell, J. Fish] from Cueva de Puerto de la Zorra. Querétaro: 1 immature (CNAN 3627) [16 April 2009; R. Paredes] from Cueva del Judío (lat 21.1217°, lon -99.6284°; 2594 m), Municipio Pinal de Amoles. 1 3 (CNAN 3629) [14 November 2009; A. Valdez, O. Francke, C. Santibáñez, J. Cruz] from Puerto Tejamanil (lat 21.1225°, lon -99.6536°; 2554 m), Municipio Pinal de Amoles. 1 Ƥ (CNAN 3630) [11 June 2005; P. Sprouse] from Sotano de la Culebra, Sta Monica de las Tinajas (lat 21.0573°, lon -99.4002°; 1751 m), Municipio San Joaquín. 1 Ƥ (AMNH) [26 November 1977; R. Jamenson] from Sotano of Herreras, San Joaquín (lat 20.8972°, lon -99.5752°, 2466 m), Municipio San Joaquín. 1 Ƥ (AMNH) [21 November 1977; R. Jameson] from Cueva del Rincon, Lagunita, El Doctor (lat 20.8497°, - 99.5851°; 2743 m), Municipio Cadereyta. 1 Ƥ (with egg sac) (AMNH) [June 1972; W. Russell] from Sotano del Pino #6, 20 km NNE of Pinal de Amoles. 1 Ƥ (AMNH) [9 July 1967; J. Reddell] from Sotano de la Lagunita, 1.6 km E of Río Blanco (lat 21.2093°, lon -99.7242°; 2050 m), Municipio Peñamiller. 1 immature (AMNH) [9 July 1967; J. Reddell, J. Fish, P. Russell] from Cueva del Puerto del León, 6.5 km SE of Río Blanco (lat 21.1672°, lon - 99.6971°; 2947 m), Municipio Peñamiller. 1 Ƥ, 1 immature (AMNH) [8 September 1966; D. McKenzie, J.
Reddell] from Cueva de Tejamanil. 1 Ƥ (AMNH) [11 July 1967; J. Fish] from Sotano del Tigre, 24 km SW of Jalpan (lat 21.0624°, lon -99.6479°; 1720 m), Municipio Peñamiller. 1 Ƥ (AMNH) [17 July 1969; S. Peck] from Iron mine at road, 2 km E of Pinal de Amoles, Municipio Pinal de Amoles. San Luis Potosí: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, 2 immatures (CNAN 3625) [23 September 1960; Bolívar, Medellín, Gómez, Vázquez] from Gruta de la Catedral (1600 m), Municipio Río Verde. 1 3 (CNAN 3626) [18 November 2007; P. Sprouse] from Xilitla, Viejo Miramar (lat 21.3918°, lon -99.0491°; 1496 m), Municipio Xilitla.
Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition and refers to ethnic and cultural region encompassing several states of Mexico named Huasteca, from North of Veracruz, South of Tamaulipas, Sierra Gorda of Querétaro, some places of Puebla and some parts of the states Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, in this last state is located the type locality.
Diagnosis. Resembles to I. simoni, distinguished by the FAC larger and rounded distally (Figs 189, 190); by the carapace with a marginal pattern arc-shaped on each side, on distal middle part (Fig. 187); and by the epigynum with apophysis wider (Figs 198, 201), in frontal view with rounded lateral corners (Figs 194, 195).
Description. Male (Holotype). Prosoma: Pale yellow. Ocular region orange, with one grey longitudinal line, and one small grey line behind each PME (Fig. 187). Fovea with wide grey region surrounding it, from poterior part of ocular region to posterior part of carapace (Fig. 187). Clypeus pale yellow, with inconspicuous brown longitudinal region, becoming darker distally (Fig. 188). Chelicerae orange, paler on FAC (Fig. 189). Chelicerae with SAC inconspicuous (Fig. 189). Sternum yellow, with small brown region anteriorly. Labium and endites brown, becoming pale on retrolateral apophysis of endites. Legs: Coxae beige. Trochanters brown. Femora pale orange, darker basally in femur I, with one sub-distal ring very marked. Patellae grey, paler basally. Tibiae orange with two grey rings, one basal and another sub-distal. Metatarsi and tarsi dark orange. Opisthosoma: Conical, larger than high (Fig. 186). Plate of genital gonopore pale grey, oval-shaped. Palp: Femur conical and wide, pale orange, becoming paler ventrally; with VAF wide, ending in small tip (Fig. 192). Patellae and tibiae pale orange. Procursus straight, brown, dark orange basally, with distal spine curved (Figs 192, 193). VPP rounded, with few and large setae (Fig. 192). Embolus dorsally with reduced spine, ventrally long and curved projection (Figs 192, 193). Measurements: Total length 6.20. Carapace 2.45 long, 2.15 wide. Clypeus 0.95 long. Diameter AME 0.12, ALE 0.22, PME 0.18, PLE 0.22. Distance ALE-PME 0.15, PME-PME 0.27. Leg I: 51.17 (13.68+1.00+13.12+18.37+5.00), tibia II: 9.70, tibia III: 7.50, tibia IV: 9.70; tibia I l/d 35.00.
Female (Paratype). (CNAN T0078). Similar to the male, differences: Prosoma: Carapace with marginal grey pattern on each side wider and darker than on male. Ocular region brown. Chelicerae distally brown in retrolateral and prolateral parts, basally grey in frontal part. Legs: Femora pale brown, the sub-distal ring darker than on male. Patellae darker than on male. Tibiae, metatarsi and tarsi pale brown. The two grey rings, one basal and another subdistal on tibiae, darker than on male. Epigynum: Wider than long (Figs 196, 199). PP wide, curved laterally, MSE with Y-shaped upside down, two large concavities sac-shaped between MSE and PP (Figs 197, 200). Measurements: Total length 6.90. Carapace 2.70 long, 2.50 wide. Clypeus 0.95 long. Diameter AME 0.14, ALE 0.25, PME 0.22, PLE 0.24. Distance ALE-PME 0.18. PME-PME 0.27. Leg I: 45.70 (12.25+1.15+12.12+15.43+4.75), tibia II: 8.87, tibia III: 7.12, tibia IV: missing; tibia I l/d 27.85.
Variation. There is variation in general coloration and leg coloration between males and females, and within each sex. There is considerable variation in size in each sex. There is variation in the external shape of the epigynum, in female paratype (CNAN T0078) the ventral apophysis of epigynum (Figs 194, 196, 198) is slightly shorter than on the other females (Figs 195, 199, 201). Internally, there is variation in the shape of PP and MSE, female paratype (CNAN T0078) has PP slightly wider than females (CNAN T0080), and the MSE in the first female has Y-shaped upside down (Fig. 197), whereas in other females has U-shaped upside down (Fig. 200), besides which, the two sac-shaped concavities between MSE and PP are thinner and larger (Fig. 200). Male tibia I: 11.25–13.12 (x = 12.41). Female tibia I: 9.37–15.25 (x = 11.84).
Natural History. The type locality is in a karstic zone, and the specimens were collected in pine-oak forest in their irregular sheet webs among boulders on the ground (Fig. 11). The specimens were collected from 1.5 km along the road from Microwave Station La Pingüica, Querétaro (Fig. 10). They were collected in pine-oak forest, in their irregular sheet webs in a small cave (around 4 m of long) on the embankment next to the dirt road, with a humidity ca 60%. The other specimens collected from 200 m East of the junction to Pinal de Amoles-Bucarelli, Querétaro; were collected in pine-oak forest in a small and cold cave (around 5 m of long) on the embankment next to the road, with humidity ca 70%.
Distribution. MEXICO: Hidalgo, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí (Fig. 214).
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 pages 320-321, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3608.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/216512