Diamonds in the rough: Ibotyporanga (Araneae, Pholcidae) spiders in semi-arid Neotropical environments Author Huber, Bernhard A. 33607F65-19BF-4DC9-94FD-4BB88CED455F Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, LIB, Bonn, Germany. b.huber@leibniz-lib.de Author Meng, Guanliang 7E8C41F8-77BB-468F-BE9A-D3F1DFCA1E4E Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, LIB, Bonn, Germany. G.Meng@leibniz-lib.de Author Král, Jiří E836F3B5-D704-4EEC-966A-0C4F1FAD324B Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. spider@natur.cuni.cz Author Ávila Herrera, Ivalú M. E3687584-7F64-450D-9492-BE0DD4864AD6 Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. avilai@natur.cuni.cz Author Carvalho, Leonardo S. 28AA7D67-3C9D-495E-8C17-33D35F1A0FAC Campus Amílcar Ferreira Sobral, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Floriano, Piauí, Brazil. carvalho@ufpi.edu.br text European Journal of Taxonomy 2024 2024-10-18 963 1 169 https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/2687/12427 journal article 10.5852/ejt.2024.963.2687 2118-9773 13963130 BA331360-A678-4233-A7CC-7308EF8B6D7E Ibotyporanga itajubaquara Huber sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7D8BA391-1F21-45B4-B226-1E033A14EEA1 Figs 96 , 121–124 Diagnosis Distinguished from similar congeners (with split procursus with long dorsal branch; long male palpal patella, i.e., dorsally>1.8×as long as medially wide; wide epigynum, i.e.,>1.9 ×as wide as long; distinct epigynal pocket, i.e., narrow and relatively deep; and sclerite in female internal genitalia) by combination of: procursus main and dorsal branches proximally not overlapping, i.e., with space between them in lateral view ( Fig. 122C ); male palpal tarsus with large dorsal hump (bold arrow in Fig. 122C ); and median sclerite in female internal genitalia without posterior constriction ( Figs 123C , 124D–G ); from I. kiriri sp. nov. also by cheliceral apophysis ( Fig. 123B ; directed more forwards and with more slender tip); from I. canudos sp. nov. and I. ouro sp. nov. also by simple evenly curved tip of dorsal branch of procursus, i.e., without ‘buckle’ ( Fig. 122C ). Females of I. itajubaquara sp. nov. may be indistinguishable morphologically from females of I. kiriri , I. ouro , and I. canudos . Etymology The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition. Type material Holotype BRAZIL – Bahia • ♂ ; N of Itajubaquara ; 11.3607° S , 42.6810° W ; 840 m a.s.l. ; 23 Nov. 2022 ; B.A. Huber and A.S. Michelotto leg.; CHNUFPI 5972 . Paratypes BRAZIL – Bahia • 1 ♀ ; same collection data as for holotype; CHNUFPI 5973 • 1 ♂ ; same collection data as for holotype; CHNUFPI 9052 [deposited in ZFMK Ar 24383] . Fig. 121. Ibotyporanga itajubaquara Huber sp. nov. , male from Brazil, Bahia, N of Itajubaquara, ZFMK Ar 24383. Left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale line: 0.3 mm. Other material examined BRAZIL – Bahia • 1 ♀ , 1 juv. , in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; CHNUFPI 5974 [deposited in ZFMK Br22-212; female abdomen transferred to ZFMK Ar 24383] • 1 ♂ ; NW of Gameleira do Assuruá ; 11.1942° S , 42.7165° W ; 640 m a.s.l. ; 23 Nov. 2022 ; B.A. Huber and A.S. Michelotto leg.; CHNUFPI 5975 • 1 ♂ , 1 ♀ ; same collection data as for preceding; CHNUFPI 9053 [deposited in ZFMK Ar 24384] • 2 juvs, in pure ethanol; same collection data as for preceding; CHNUFPI 5976 [deposited in ZFMK Br22-216] . Fig. 122. Ibotyporanga itajubaquara Huber sp. nov. , male from Brazil, Bahia, N of Itajubaquara, ZFMK Ar 24383. A–C . Left tarsus and procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views (bold arrow: dorsal hump on tarsus). D–F . Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Abbreviation: db =dorsal branch of procursus. Scale lines: 0.2 mm. Description Male ( holotype ) MEASUREMENTS . Total body length 1.9, carapace width 0.73. Distance PME–PME 65 µm; diameter PME 70 µm; distance PME–ALE 25 µm; distance AME–AME 20 µm; diameter AME 45 µm. Leg 1: 4.17 (1.13+0.30 +1.03 +1.28 + 0.43), tibia 2: 0.87, tibia 3: 0.80, tibia 4: 1.20; tibia 1 L/d: 10; diameters of leg femora 0.18–0.20; of leg tibiae 0.10–0.11. COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs ochre-yellow, carapace medially with darker Y-mark, legs without darker rings; abdomen pale gray with many darker internal marks; ventrally with light ochre plates in front of gonopore and in front of spinnerets. BODY . Habitus as in I. ouro sp. nov. (cf. Fig. 73G ). Ocular area slightly raised. Carapace with distinct but shallow thoracic groove. Clypeus with sclerotized rim with median notch. Sternum wider than long (0.54/0.47), with very low and indistinct anterior processes near coxae 1 not different from those of female. Abdomen globular. CHELICERAE . As in Fig. 123A–B ; width 0.32; with strong median frontal apophysis; stridulatory files very fine and poorly visible in dissecting microscope. PALPS . As in Fig. 121 ; coxa unmodified; trochanter with short ventral process; femur proximally with distinct retrolateral process directed toward distal, with prolateral stridulatory pick, distally widened but unmodified; femur-patella joints not shifted toward one side; patella dorsally ~1.9 × as long as medially wide; tibia with two trichobothria in relatively proximal position; tibia-tarsus joints slightly shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus with strong dorsal hump (bold arrow in Fig. 122C ); procursus ( Fig. 122A– C ) with long dorsal branch distally flattened (wider in dorsal than in lateral view), main branch with light prolateral band, tiny subdistal side-branch, distally transparent and curved backwards; genital bulb ( Fig. 122D–F ) with prolateral sclerite on bulbous part, embolus tip simple, without distinctive sclerotized elements. Fig. 123. Ibotyporanga itajubaquara Huber sp. nov. , male and female from Brazil, Bahia, N of Itajubaquara, ZFMK Ar 24383. A–B . Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. C . Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view (asterisk: expandable membranous sac not drawn, cf. Fig. 124D). Scale lines: 0.2 mm. Fig. 124. Ibotyporanga itajubaquara Huber sp. nov. A–C . Abdomens, ventral views, females from Brazil, Bahia, N of Itajubaquara (A–B), CHNUFPI 5973 and ZFMK Ar 24383, and from Bahia, NW of Gameleira do Assuruá (C), ZFMK Ar 24384. D–E . Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view, and detail of same figure, same specimen as in B. F–G . Cleared female genitalia, dorsal view, and detail of same figure, same specimen as in C. Abbreviations: es=expandable membranous sac; pp =pore plate. Scale lines: A–D, F =0.3 mm; E, G =0.1 mm. LEGS . Without spines but with longer hairs ventrally on femora; without curved hairs; with short vertical hairs on tibiae 1 and 2; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 60%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with ~3–4 pseudosegments, only distally distinct. Variation (male) Tibia 1 in three other males: 0.97, 1.07, 1.07. The species delimitation analysis ( Fig. S7 ) suggested a possible split between the sequenced specimen from N of Itajubaquara and the specimen from NW of Gameleira do Assuruá. The K2P distance between them was 10.2%. However, no morphological differences could be found in males. Female In general, similar to male but clypeus unmodified, tibia 1 with few vertical hairs. Tibia 1 in three females : 1.07, 1.13, 1.17. Epigynum ( Fig. 124A–C ) anterior plate trapezoidal, posterior margin almost straight, with distinct anterior pocket; posterior plate large but simple. Internal genitalia ( Figs 123C , 124D–E ) with pair of elongated pore plates posteriorly, strongly sclerotized median structure, and very thin-walled large anterior membranous expandable sac. In the cleared female from NW of Gameleira do Assuruá, the internal sclerotized median structure is longer than in the cleared female from the type locality ( Fig. 124F–G ). Since males from the two localities appear indistinguishable, this is here interpreted to represent intraspecific variation. Distribution Known from two neighboring localities (distance 19 km ) in Brazil , Bahia ( Fig. 96B ). Natural history At the type locality, the spiders were found under rocks fully exposed to the sun in a degraded shrubland with scattered trees. Upon turning the rocks, the spiders ran extremely fast and were thus difficult to catch. At the second locality, a rocky outcrop with thorny shrubs and trees, the spiders were mostly found under rocks, one female under the bark of a dead branch lying on the ground.