Sparianthis chicaque 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 chicaque

description: Sparianthis chicaque spec. nov.
Figs 5A–E, 6A–D, 7A–G, 20
Type material: Holotype: ♂, COLOMBIA: Cundinamarca: San Antonio de Tequendama, Parque Natural de Chicaque (4°36’26.41”N, 74°18’20.01”W), 2400 m, 15–17 October 2016, Estudiantes Curso de Biología de Arañas Universidad Nacional de Colombia leg. (ICN-Ar-13557). Paratypes: 1♀, with same data as for holotype (ICN-Ar-13558); 1♂, Tibacuy, Reserva Natural Cerro Quininí, Piedra de los Partos (04°19’32.07”N, 74°29’34.32”W), 1840 m, W. Galvis & C. Casas leg. (ICN-Ar-13559).
Etymology. The specific name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. Males of S. chicaque spec. nov. resemble those of S. iguaque spec. nov. (Figs 8C–E, 9A–D) and S. medina spec. nov. (Figs 12C–E, 14A–D) by the palps with tibia lacking mRTA and by TBE bearing a long apical projection, accompanying the embolus throughout most of its length. They are distinguished from both species by the TBE with apical projection pointed, with a hyaline, fan-like projection (Figs 5E, 7C–D) (TBE with a thumb-like subapical projection and apical projection laminar, shaped like a bowie knife blade with rounded tip in S. iguaque spec. nov. and apical projection laminar, subapically dilated and distally hook-shaped in S. medina spec. nov.). Females resemble those of S. medina spec. nov. (Figs 13C–D, 14E–G) in having the anterior and lateral furrows continuous and AA roughly the same length as MS. They are distinguished from the latter species by the AA trapezoid, smooth, with anterior and lateral margins more or less straight (Figs 6C, 7E) and vulva with ovoid spermathecae (Figs 6D, 7F) (lateral margins of MS extending into oval AA with curved margins and IDS with irregularly-shaped spermathecae in S. medina spec. nov.).
Description. Male (holotype): Prosoma brown with darker brown margins and large U-shaped brown irregular band on thoracic region; fovea and thoracic striae dark brown; eye borders black; chelicerae yellowish brown with two dark longitudinal stripes; legs and pedipalps pale brown, yellowish brown on femurs, with several tiny brown spots densely distributed; labium orange brown, distally pale brown; endites pale brown, slightly darker anteriorly and posteriorly; sternum pale brown, with darker margins; opisthosoma brownish gray; dorsally with dense dark brown pattern with clear spots around muscular impressions, part of cardiac mark on anterior half and in between chevron like marks medially down posterior half; ventrally with irregular dark brown marks; spinnerets yellowish gray, mostly covered with dense dark brown spotting (Figs 5A–B). Total length 6.36. Prosoma: 3.01 long, 2.74 wide. Opisthosoma: 3.06 long, 1.82 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.20, 0.17, 0.16, 0.15; interdistances: 0.44, 0.40, 0.52, 0.43, 0.46, 0.39. Legs (1423): I: 9.55 (2.69, 1.38, 2.74, 1.98, 0.76); II: 9.23 (2.70, 1.33, 2.61, 1.92, 0.67); III: 8.26 (2.39, 1.20, 1.99, 2.00, 0.68); IV: 9.80 (2.71, 1.06, 2.44, 2.57, 1.02). Spination follows the generic pattern except femora I–III r1-0-1; tibiae I–II d1-0-0; metatarsus I p1-0-0; r1-0-0; metatarsus II: p1-0-0; r1-1-1; metatarsus IV: p1- 1-0; r1-1-0. Palp: tibia short, roughly half the length of cymbium, with three long prolateral spines (tips surpassing margin of the alveolus); dRTA slightly curved ventrally, distally rounded; vRTA concave slightly extended apically as a small pointed projection; ST visible between 3:00–3:30 o’clock; embolus prong-like (Figs 5C–E; 7A–D).
Female (paratype): Coloration pattern as in male, slightly lighter and yellowish brown; opisthosoma ventrally with lighter and smaller spots (Figs 6A–B). Total length: 7.37. Prosoma: 3.22 long, 2.83 wide. Opisthosoma: 4.36 long, 2.73 wide. Eyes: diameters: 0.32, 0.30, 0.23, 0.27; interdistances: 0.84, 0.79, 0.97, 0.84, 0.71, 0.57. Legs (2143): I: 8.41 (2.51, 1.39, 2.28, 1.68, 0.55); II: 8.89 (2.61, 1.52, 2.38, 1.85, 0.53); III: 7.48 (2.34, 1.22, 1.77, 1.56, 0.59); IV: 8.01 (2.31, 1.01, 1.89, 2.11, 0.69). Spination follows the generic pattern, except femur III: p1-1-1, d0-1-1, r1-0-1; metatarsi I–III: v2-0-0. Epigyne: EF sub-squared, slightly longer than wide; AA slightly longer than wide; MS longer than wide with posterior margin rounded and two postero-lateral depressions (Figs 6C, 7E). Vulva: IDS anteriorly with slender, encapsulated ducts anteriorly; first winding antero-laterad; GP small, mediad; spermathecae ovoid, longer than wide; FD latero-anteriad (Figs 6D, 7F–G).
Distribution. Only known from Cundinamarca, Colombia (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 350-353, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5496.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/13346799