The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level
Author
Rix, Michael
Western Australian Museum, Welshpool DC, Perth, Australia
Author
Harvey, Mark
Western Australian Museum, Perth, Welshpool, Australia
text
ZooKeys
2010
2010-02-22
36
36
1
321
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.36.306
4db6b327-7482-432e-a5f6-36f91c79fef3
1313–2970
576620
ADCACC88-6C78-4386-8E33-3F98234ECE92
Normplatnicka
chilensis
Rix & Harvey
,
sp. n.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
ACD612C7-0D41-460B-B0DA-560F2E95EA66
Figs 99C
, 102–103, 212
Type
material.
Holotype
male:
Parque Nacional Queulat
, near
Puerto Cisnes
,
Aisén province
,
Región Ibáñez del Campo
,
Chile
,
500 m
, wet forest,
6.II.1985
,
N. Platnick
,
O. Francke
(
AMNH
).
Paratypes
:
Allotype
female, same data as holotype (
AMNH
);
1 female
, same data as
holotype
(
AMNH
)
.
Other
material examined.
CHILE
: Región XI (Ibáñez del Campo):
Aisén
:
30 km
N. of Puyuhuapi,
100 m
, sifted moss on logs,
29.I.1985
, S. & J. Peck,
1♀
(
AMNH
).
Región X (
Los Lagos
): Chiloé:
Chiloé Island,
5 km
N. of Quellon,
105 m
, Berlese from modified forest, floor litter and moss,
1.XII.1981
, N. Platnick, T. Schuh,
2♀
(
AMNH
).
Llanquihue:
Alerce Andino, near Laguna Fria, Berlese from mixed forest with
Fitzroya cupresoides
,
41°30'30"S
,
72°37'00"W
,
21.XII.2000
, J. Miller, F. Alvarez, J. Coddington, 2♁ (
NMNH
).
Etymology
.
The specific epithet refers to the distribution of this species in
Chile
.
Diagnosis
.
Males of
Normplatnicka chilensis
can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the presence of a broad, flange-like distal apophysis on the pedipalpal patella (Fig. 103B). Females can be distinguished from all other described congeners by the distinctive shape of the external epigyne (Fig. 102D). Both sexes can also be recognised by the Chilean distribution (Fig. 212). In the field this species is likely to be confused only with the sympatric species
Eperiella alsophila
, which has a very different male pedipalp and female epigyne.
Description
.
Holotype
male
: Total length 0.88. Carapace 0.48 long, 0.37 wide. Abdomen 0.49 long, 0.33 wide. Leg I femur 0.33. Cephalothorax, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream dorsally with chequered olive and cream pattern laterally and ventrally. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.6x diameter of ALE; PME separated by their own diameter. Chelicerae each with bulging anterior projection; promargin with three peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femur-carapace ratio 0.69); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute and lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalpal patella with retrolaterally-directed, hooked lRPA, broad, flange-like distal apophysis and ornate, ridged cuticular microstructure; tegulum smooth, with excavate ETR and large, ventrally-pronounced tegular extension; embolus short (length <5× width), spur-like, situated at apical margin of tegular extension adjacent to small, pointed process (Fig. 103).
Allotype
female
: Total length 1.04. Carapace 0.47 long, 0.39 wide. Abdomen 0.73 long, 0.49 wide. Leg I femur 0.35. Cephalothorax, legs tan-yellow; abdomen cream with darker tan-yellow epigyne. Carapace raised anteriorly, not fused to sternum except around petiole; dorsal surface of pars cephalica slightly convex in lateral view. Eight eyes present on anterior margin of pars cephalica; AME 0.5x diameter of ALE; PME separated by slightly less than their own diameter. Chelicerae without bulging anterior projections; promargin without peg teeth. Legs relatively short (leg I femurcarapace ratio 0.74); macrosetae absent. Abdomen oval, covered with hair-like setae; dorsal scute and lateral sclerotic strips absent. Pedipalp entire, five-segmented. Epigyne with distinctive external morphology (Fig. 102D); spermathecae globular, spherical; insemination ducts proximally triangular, heavily sclerotised; fertilisation ducts simple, curved (
Fig. 99C
).
Distribution
.
Known only from southern
Chile
, in Región Ibáñez del Campo (
Aisén province
) and
Región de los Lagos
(Chiloé and Llanquihue provinces) (Fig. 212).
Remarks
.
Normplatnicka chilensis
is a remarkable Chilean textricellin, clearly congeneric with, and very similar to, the Australian species
N. lamingtonensis
. It is known only from the cool-temperate rainforests of southern
Chile
, in the regions surrounding Chiloé Island, and has usually been collected in direct sympatry with
Eperiella alsophila
(Fig. 212).