Sparianthis tuparro Casas & Rheims, 2024, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Casas, Cristian M.
name: Rheims, Cristina A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Sparassidae
Sparianthis
Sparianthis tuparro

description: Sparianthis tuparro spec. nov.
Figs 17A–E, 18A–D, 19A–F, 20
Type material: Holotype: ♂, COLOMBIA: Vichada: Municipio Cumaribo, corregimiento Santa Rita, Parque Natural Nacional El Tuparro (05º19’54”N, 67°53’27”W), 135 m, 8–10 February 2004, I. Quintero & E. Gonzales leg. (ICN-Ar-13561). Paratypes: 1♀, with same locality as for holotype 7–9 February 2004, I. Quintero & E. Gonzales leg. (ICN-Ar-13562).
Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. Males of Sparianthis tuparro spec. nov. resemble those of Sparianthis crulsi (Rheims 2020: figs 58–60, 63–65) and Sparianthis beebei (Rheims 2020: figs 11–13) in having a tooth-shaped mRTA arising from the base of the dRTA. They are distinguished from the latter species by vRTA reduced to a small triangular projection, TBE with a lamellar, distally rounded apical projection and TBC short (very slightly wider than long), atop a medial bulge (Figs 17D–E, 19B–C) (vRTA almost as large as dRTA, TBC long, keel-like, 2–3 times wider than long in both other species; TBE with apical projection resembling a fish tail in S. beebei and short, keel-like in S. crulsi). Females resemble those of and S. beebei (Rheims 2020: figs 11–13) and S. juazeiro (Rheims 2020: figs 90–92) by the lateral furrows reaching the anterior furrow and LL without secondary furrows. They differ from the latter species by the MS vase-shaped, widest at CO (Figs 18C, 19D) (hourglass-shaped and widest anteriorly in S. juazeiro; beer glassshaped and widest medially in S. beebei). Additionally, they are distinguished from S. beebei by the IDS reaching more than half the length of AA (half the length of AA in S. beebei) and from S. juazeiro by the IDS with first winding anteriad (mediad in S. Juazeiro) (Figs 18D, 19E–F).
Description. Male (holotype): Specimen badly preserved (probably dried before preservation); prosoma brownish yellow; fovea and thoracic striae brown; eye borders black; chelicerae brownish yellow; legs yellowish brown; labium and endites brownish yellow; sternum brownish yellow with slightly darker margins; opisthosoma yellowish gray; dorsally with pattern of irregular brown lateral marks on anterior half, brown cardiac impression and one large and three small posterior chevrons down posterior half; ventrally with few dark, round marks; spinnerets yellowish brown, lighter in ventral view (Figs 17A–B). Total length 5.37. Prosoma: 2.91 long, 2.49 wide. Opisthosoma: 2.61 long, 1.80 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.18, 0.15, 0.14, 0.15; interdistances: 0.46, 0.37, 0.51, 0.37, 0.44 0.35. Legs (2143): I: 10.71 (2.90, 1.41, 2.94, 2.79, 0.67); II: 11.12 (3.11, 1.40, 2.96, 2.87, 0.78); III: 8.82 (2.49, 1.11, 2.35, 2.19, 0.68); IV: 10.82(3.06, 1.20, 2.64, 3.10, 0.82). Spination follows the generic pattern except: femur I: p1-1-0; tibia IV: v2-2-0; metatarsus III: p1-1-0, r1-1-0. Palp: tibia almost ¾ cymbium length, with three prolateral spines (barely reaching margin of alveolus), slightly displaced dorsally; dRTA sub-squared, longer than wide, with small point (seen in retrolateral view); ST visible between 3:00−4:00 o’clock; tegulum with large, retro-proximal protrusion; MA cup-shaped, roughly as long as wide; embolus filiform (Figs 17C–E, 19A–C).
Female (paratype): Specimen badly preserved; prosoma brown with dark brown lateral margins; fovea and thoracic striae dark brown; eye borders black; chelicera reddish brown; legs pale brown, with slightly lighter femora; labium brown; endites pale brown, distally whitish brown; sternum whitish brown with darker margins; opisthosoma brownish gray; dorsally with sparse pattern of small irregular spots on anterior half and one large and three small chevrons down posterior half; ventrally with small brown spots and large irregular mark located close to spinnerets; spinnerets brown lighter in ventral view (Figs 18A–B). Total length: 6.24. Prosoma: 3.09 long, 2.66 wide. Opisthosoma: 3.21 long, 1.70 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.19, 0.16, 0.12, 0.13; interdistances: 0.48, 0.45, 0.51, 0.49, 0.41, 0.32. Legs (4213): I: 9.41 (2.55, 1.46, 2.56, 2.23, 0.61); II: 9.78 (2.86, 1.56, 2.60, 2.19, 0.57); III: 7.98 (2.38, 1.32, 1.96, 1.75, 0.57); IV: 9.59 (2.84, 1.05, 2.33, 2.63, 0.74). Spination follows the generic pattern except: femur III: r1-0-1; tibiae I–II: v2-0-0; tibia III: p0, v2-0-0; tibia IV: d1-0-1. Epigyne: epigynal field rectangular, longer than wide; anterior furrow gently curved posteriorly; AA slightly less than 1.5 times longer than wide; MS roughly as wide as long (Figs 18C, 19D). Vulva: GP small, medio-anteriad; SP ovoid, slightly over 1.5 times longer than wide; FD laterad (Figs 18D, 19E–F).
Distribution. Only known from the type locality (Fig. 20).
description: Published as part of Casas, Cristian M. & Rheims, Cristina A., 2024, An update on the genus Sparianthis Simon, 1880 (Sparassidae: Sparianthinae), pp. 343-369 in Zootaxa 5496 (3) on pages 362-364, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5496.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/13346799