On the males of the orb-weaving spiders Alpaida nigrofrenata (Simon, 1895), A. machala Levi, 1988, and A. cisneros Levi, 1988 (Araneae, Araneidae) and a new synonymy Author Poeta, Maria Rita Muniz Author Lise, Arno Antonio text Zootaxa 2015 4000 3 397 400 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.4000.3.7 7d59f2ba-64d9-4aad-8b7d-0b317faf4455 1175-5326 232100 2B105E46-B384-403D-BA1D-955965BF7AA8 Alpaida nigrofrenata ( Simon, 1895 ) ( Figs. 1, 2 ) Araneus nigrofrenatus Simon, 1895 : 816 . Female holotype from Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil . Deposited in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN, not examined). Alpaida nigrofrenata ; Levi, 1988 : 421 , figures 223–225; Buckup et al . 2010 :487 ; WSC 2015. Material examined. BRAZIL , Rio Grande do Sul: Viamão, 30°05’S , 51°01’W , ♀, 08.XII.1992 , A.A. Lise ( MCTP 2806). Novo Hamburgo, 29°41’S , 51°07’W , ♀, 04.XI.1985 , C.J. Becker (MCN 14357). Note. Male and female were considered conspecific for having the same color pattern. Diagnosis. The palp of Alpaida nigrofrenata ( Fig. 1 ) is similar to that of A. citrina (Keyserling, 1892) (see Rodrigues & Mendonça 2011 , figures 1–4) in having a square-shaped terminal apophysis. A. nigrofrenata differs from the latter species in having a smooth median apophysis, not denticulate as in A. citrina . Also, A. nigrofrenata features a unique black band from the posterior median eyes to the anterior lateral eyes ( Fig. 2 ) (see Levi 1988 , figure 225). Description. Male (MCN 14357, Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil ). Total length 3.65. Carapace length 1.50, width 1.30, height 0.60. Clypeus height 0.10. Sternum width 0.60. Abdomen length 2.0, width 1.30, height 1.00. Leg formula 1243. Leg lengths (I/II/III/IV): femur 1.40/1.20/0.80/1.10; patella+tibia 1.56/1.30/0.88/1.20; metatarsus 0.90/0.76/0.50/0.80; tarsus 0.50/0.46/0.40/0.40. Total leg 4.36/3.72/2.58/3.50. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.06, ALE 0.06, PME 0.08, PLE 0.06; AME-ALE 0.14, PME-PLE 0.20, AME-AME 0.10, PME-PME 0.12. Eyes with black borders. Carapace pale orange, with black longitudinal band between the PME and ALE ( Fig. 2 ), as the female (see Levi 1988 , figure 225). Sternum, labium, endites, and chelicerae pale yellow. Legs pale yellow, distal half of tibiae dark-brown; basal half of metatarsus and distal half of tarsus dark-brown. Abdomen longer than wide and seems decolorized. Female : see Levi (1988: 421) . Distribution. Brazil : Minas Gerais (Simon 1985) and Rio Grande do Sul ( Levi 1988 ).