Avicularia sooretama Bertani & Fukushima, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bertani, Rogério
name: Fukushima, Caroline Sayuri
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Arachnida
Araneae
Theraphosidae
Avicularia
Avicularia sooretama

description: Avicularia sooretama sp. nov.
(Figs 5 ─8, 17; Appendix II, Figs B1─B4)
Diagnosis: The male resembles those of A. diversipes and A. gamba sp. nov. by lacking a tibial apophysis on leg I. It differs from that of A. diversipes by the embolus being two to three times longer than the tegulum, with a curvature of less than 180° (Figs 5 ─7); from those of A. gamba sp. nov. by the presence of a small spiniform process on the cymbium and a longitudinal black stripe on the dorsocentral red abdomen (Fig. B1). The female resembles A. gamba sp. nov. by retaining the characteristic juvenile color pattern on the abdomen (Fig. B2) and by the spermathecae shape (Fig. 8). It can be distinguished from those of A. gamba sp. nov. by having spermathecae with a multilobular apex (Fig. 8) and a single red spot inside the central longitudinal black stripe on dorsal abdomen (Fig. B2).
Etymology: The specific name refers to the type locality, the Reserva Biológica de Sooretama.
Material examined: Holotype male, Brazil, State of Espírito Santo, Reserva Biológica de Sooretama [18o59’S 40o07’W], at night, AMNRJ, 18 April 2006 (MNRJ 18435); paratype female, Brazil, State of Espírito Santo, Pinheiros, Reserva Biológica Córrego do Veado (18o37’0.16"S 40o14’1.60"W), 71 m a.s.l., AMNRJ, 22 October 2005 (MNRJ 12930).
Additional material examined: BRAZIL: Bahia: Itamaraju [17o03’ S, 39o32’ W], Fazenda Pau Brasil, CEPLAC, R 3000, 1 female, 22 December 1969 (MNRJ 12920); Itamaraju zone [17o03’ S, 39o32’ W] or Fazenda Furtado, Prado, CEPLAC, R 3049, 1 immature male, 2 immatures (MNRJ 13798); Prado, CEPLAC, R 3134, 1 male (MNRJ 13791); Teixeira de Freitas [17o31’ S, 39o44’ W], 1 male, Cooperativa Agrícola de Cotia, April 1981 (IBSP 4680); Una, Reserva Biológica do Una [15º09’ S, 39º02’ W], on forest floor, 1 male, A.D. Brescovit and R. Bertani, April 1998 (IBSP 9714); 1 immature female, same collectors, 13 April 1998 (IBSP 8066); Espírito Santo: Conceição da Barra [18º35’ S, 39º43’ W], Floresta Nacional de Rio Preto, 1 female, U. Caramaschi and H. D. Niemeyer col., 27–31 January 1998 (MNRJ 12949); Linhares [19o06’ S, 39o56’ W], Reserva Natural da Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, 1 immature female, A.D. Brescovit et al. (IBSP 8600); Linhares, Floresta Nacional de Goytacazes [19o26’ S, 40o04’ W], in afternoon, 1 immature female, 25 October 2005 (MNRJ 12915); Pinheiros [18o20’ S, 40o08’ W], Reserva Biológica Córrego do Veado (18o37’0.16"S 40o14’1.60"W), 71 m a.s.l., 2 immature females (MNRJ 12917); 1 female (MNRJ 12954); 1 immature male (MNRJ 12916), AMNRJ, 12–26 October 2005; Sooretama, Reserva Biológica de Sooretama [19°00' S 40°07' W], estrada do Paraisópolis, during day, 1 immature, AMNRJ, 19 April 2006 (MNRJ 18436); Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia [22o19’ S, 44º35’ W], Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, Casa do Lago Azul, 780 m a.s.l., 1 female, 30 May 1956 (IBSP 3478).
Description: Holotype male. Carapace 10.8 long, 9.0 wide, chelicerae 4.7. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 11.8, 5.9, 10.6, 9.5, 5.3, 43.1. II: 10.6, 5.4, 9.2, 8.5, 4.5, 38.2. III: 9.8, 4.2, 7.7, 8.5, 4.1, 34.3. IV: 12.3, 5.2, 11.6, 11.8, 4.3, 45.2. Palp: 6.4, 3.5, 4.7, –, 1.6, 16.2. Midwidths: femora I–IV=1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 1.9, palp=1.5; patellae I–IV=1.5, 1.9, 2.0, 2.0, palp=1.7; tibiae I–IV=1.4, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, palp=1.5; metatarsi I–IV=1.2, 1.1, 1.0, 1.1; tarsi I–IV=1.1, 1.2, 1.1, 1.0, palp=1.3. Abdomen 10.3 long, 6.2 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.2 long, 0.5 wide, 0.1 apart; PLS, 1.1 basal, 0.8 middle, 2.0 distal; midwidths 0.9, 0.8, 0.6, respectively.
Carapace: length to width 1.2; cephalic area not raised, thoracic striae inconspicuous. Fovea: shallow, straight, 1.0 wide. Carapace covered by short, slender setae and some long scattered setae mainly in cephalic region.
Eyes: tubercle high, length 1.8, width 2.3. Clypeus absent. Anterior eye row procurved, posterior slightly recurved. Sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.66, ALE 0.53, PME 0.21, PLE 0.41, AME–AME 0.42, AME– ALE 0.34, AME–PME 0.11, ALE–ALE 1.48, ALE–PME 0.48, PME–PME 1.39, PME–PLE 0.02, PLE–PLE 1.78, ALE–PLE 0.33, AME–PLE 0.30. Ratio of eye group width to length, 2.10.
Maxillae: length to width: 1.65. Cuspules: 100─200 spread over ventral inner heel; lyra absent. Labium: length 1.2, width 1.5, with ca. 130 cuspules spaced by more than one diameter from each other on anterior third centrally. Labio-sternal groove shallow, flat, with two slightly separate large sigilla.
Chelicerae: rastellum absent, basal segments with nine teeth in row and some small teeth on promargin.
Sternum: length 5.4, width 4.1. Posterior angle sharp, but not separating coxae IV. Sigilla not evident.
Legs: legs formula: IV=I II III. Clavate trichobothria on distal half of tarsus I and 2/3 of tarsi II–IV. Leg coxae with sparse soft setae; no stridulatory or modified setae. Scopula: tarsi I–III fully scopulate, IV divided by row three setae wide; metatarsi I–II fully scopulate; III for distal 2/3; IV 2 /3 distal scopulate. IV divided by three-wide row of setae. Scopula hairs longest at lateral areas of tarsi and metatarsi, giving spatulate aspect to articles. Spines: entirely absent. Claws: ITC absent; STC without teeth. Tibial apophysis absent, distal prolateral area of leg I tibia with concentration of stiff setae.
Urticating hairs: Type II on abdomen dorsum.
Palp. Embolus slender, long, three times longer than tegulum, with curvature of roughly 90° to retrolateral side (Fig. 5 ─7). Cymbium: two subequal lobes, prolateral one triangular, with very short spiniform process on apex.
Color pattern: dark brown carapace bordered with light brown hairs; all legs and pedipalps dorsally dark brown, femora darker. All appendages and carapace covered with light brown hairs with pinky sheen. Sternum, labium, maxillae, coxae and legs ventrally brown. Leg rings on distal femora, tibiae and metatarsi pinkish. Reddish hairs and broad black stripe over central area on dorsal abdomen (Fig. B1).
Description: Paratype female. Carapace 10.5 long, 8.8 wide, chelicerae 4.7. Legs (femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, tarsus, total): I: 8.1, 5.0, 6.1, 5.0, 3.6, 27.8. II: 7.4, 4.7, 5.9, 4.8, 3.6, 26.4. III: 6.6, 3.9, 5.1, 4.7, 3.5, 23.8. IV: 9.0, 4.7, 7.5, 6.9, 3.9, 32.0. Palp: 5.4, 3.5, 3.4, –, 3.9, 16.2. Midwidths: femora I–IV=1.8, 1.6, 2.2, 1.8, palp=1.3; patellae I–IV=2.0, 1.9, 1.9, 2.0, palp=1.6; tibiae I–IV=1.8, 1.7, 1.8, 2.0, palp=1.7; metatarsi I– IV=1.6, 1.4, 1.4, 1.4; tarsi I–IV=1.6, 1.5, 1.4, 1.4, palp=1.7. Abdomen 11.5 long, 8.4 wide. Spinnerets: PMS, 1.3 long, 0.6 wide, 0.1 apart; PLS, 2.0 basal, 1.2 middle, 2.3 distal; midwidths 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, respectively.
As in male, except:
Carapace: length to width 1.2; Fovea: 1.6 wide.
Eyes: tubercle 1.7 long, 2.3 wide. Sizes and inter-distances: AME 0.66, ALE 0.53, PME 0.21, PLE 0.41, AME–AME 0.42, AME–ALE 0.34, AME–PME 0.11, ALE–ALE 1.48, ALE–PME 0.48, PME–PME 1.39, PME–PLE 0.02, PLE–PLE 1.78, ALE–PLE 0.33, AME–PLE 0.30. Ratio of eye group width to length, 2.0.
Maxillae: length to width: 1.6. Labium: length 1.2, width 2.0, with 35 cuspules spaced by more than one diameter from each other on anterior third centrally. Labio-sternal groove without discernible sigilla.
Chelicerae: basal segments with 12 teeth in row and three small teeth on promargin.
Sternum: length 5.0, width 4.1.
Legs. Clavate trichobothria on distal 2/3 of tarsus I–IV. Metatarsi III–IV 2 /3 distally scopulate.
Genitalia: Two spermathecae, at basal third curving to external side in 90° angle, having folds in two thirds of distal part and ending in multilobular apex (Fig. 8).
Color pattern: carapace brown bordered with light brown hairs; all legs and pedipalps dorsally brown and light brown hairs with pinky sheen. Sternum, labium, maxillae, coxae and legs ventrally brown. Leg rings on distal femora, tibiae and metatarsi pinkish. Abdomen dorsally light brown with large longitudinal central black stripe with zigzag edges in which lies a red spot on posterior half and three ill-defined black stripes connected to the central one on each side (Fig. B2).
Color pattern ontogeny: Even though we examined only a few specimens in different stadia, the color pattern ontogeny of A. sooretama sp. nov. seems to be similar to that of A. diversipes (cf. Figs A4─A5) and A. gamba sp. nov. (cf. Figs C3─C5). The main difference in the color of the spiderlings is the shorter central long spot on the dorsal abdomen does not reach its most anterior portion (Fig. B3) as in A. diversipes and A. gamba sp. nov. Other differences from A. diversipes are the lack of orange markings on the tarsi and metatarsi both in large juveniles and adults (Figs B1─B3). Adult males of A. sooretama sp. nov. have a pinky sheen all over the body and present a longitudinal central black stripe over the red abdomen (Fig. B1). Adult females of A. sooretama sp. nov. seem to retain the juvenile color pattern (Fig. B2).
Distribution: Extreme south of State of Bahia to southern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Fig. 17).
Natural History: The specimens collected in Reserva Biológica de Sooretama were found walking on leaves and over a tree trunk at night (R. Nagahama, pers. com.).
description: Published as part of Bertani, Rogério & Fukushima, Caroline Sayuri, 2009, Description of two new species of Avicularia Lamarck 1818 and redescription of Avicularia diversipes (C. L. Koch 1842) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) — three possibly threatened Brazilian species, pp. 25-47 in Zootaxa 2223 on pages 29-32, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.190150