Genus Schismatothele Karsch, 1879 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): taxonomic notes and seven new species description Author Moeller, Wolf D86FA4FF-8863-4AA2-A8B9-C2122A81889A Laboratório de Aracnologia de Rio Claro, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista. Av. 24 A 1515, 13506 - 900 Rio Claro-SP, Brazil. wolf.moeller@unesp.br Author Weinmann, Dirk 315572D8-5893-4FA1-A930-565B85BE2313 Rotkehlchenweg 38, 70734 Fellbach, Germany. dirkweinmann@t-online.de Author Guadanucci, José Paulo Leite D4955FF5-FE7F-4E68-AB2F-4A89593F9850 Laboratório de Aracnologia de Rio Claro, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista. Av. 24 A 1515, 13506 - 900 Rio Claro-SP, Brazil. jose.guadanucci@unesp.br text European Journal of Taxonomy 2023 2023-03-14 861 78 112 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.861.2069 journal article 54048 10.5852/ejt.2023.861.2069 3dbcaa54-c566-4625-9d1c-5cd2c341934e 2118-9773 7737459 10DF4F68-C7AF-4567-9C54-B260F26E2B65 Genus Schismatothele Karsch, 1879 Schismatothele Karsch, 1879: 544 . Hemiercus Simon, 1903: 929 . Hemiercus – Petrunkevitch 1928: 78 . — Roewer 1942: 231 . — Bonnet 1957: 2155 . — Raven 1985: 153 (synonymy with Holothele , rejected by Rudloff 1997: 12 ). — Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 287 (in part, suggests that Hemiercus kastoni Caporiacco, 1955 may belong to Euthycaelus ). Schismatothele – Roewer 1942: 207 . — Bonnet 1958: 3944 . — Raven 1985: 158 (synonymized to Holothele ). — Rudloff 1997: 12 (removed from the synonymy with Holothele , contra Raven 1985: 158 ). — Panzera et al. 2011: 130 . — Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 282 . — Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019: 548 . — Mori & Bertani 2020: 112 , 118 (transferred S. opifex from Psalistops and synonymized E. solitarius to S. lineata ). Type species Schismatothele lineata Karsch, 1879 . Diagnosis Males of Schismatothele can be recognized by the combination of the following characters: palpal tibia swollen (except S. quimbaya sp. nov. ; Figs 65–66 ), with several thick spines on the apical third in one row, arranged in one or two groups ( Figs 30–31 , 38–39 , 46–47 , 57–57 , 72–73 ) ( Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014 ; Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019 ) or in a single linear group ( Figs 65–66 , 80–81 ); palpal bulb with subtegulum large and totally fused with tegulum; tegulum rounded at the base ( Guadanucci 2020 ); embolus short with an paraembolic apophysis below, except in S. caeri sp. nov. , S. hacaritama and S. quimbaya , which has an apical keel instead ( Figs 23–26 , 59–62 ) ( Valencia-Cuéllar 2019 ). Females can be recognized by the spermathecae bulky and heavily sclerotized, except in S. weinmanni , which has the ventral receptacle weakly sclerotized with four receptacles divided in dorsal and ventral portions clearly distinguishable ( Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014 ; Valencia-Cuéllar et al. 2019 ). Distribution Northern Brazil , Colombia , French Guiana , Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela . Species included Schismatothele benedettii Panzera, Perdomo & Pérez-Miles, 2011 ; S. caeri sp. nov. ; S. caiquetia sp. nov. ; S. hacaritama Valencia-Cuéllar, Perafán & Guadanucci, 2019 ; S. inflata ( Simon, 1889 ) ; S. kastoni ( Caporiacco, 1955 ) ; S. lineata Karsch, 1879 ; S. merida sp. nov. ; S. modesta ( Simon, 1889 ) ; S. moonenorum sp. nov. ; S. olsoni Guadanucci, Perafán & Valencia-Cuéllar, 2019 ; S. opifex ( Simon, 1889 ) ; S. quimbaya sp. nov. ; S. timotocuica sp. nov. ; S. wayana sp. nov. ; S. weinmanni Guadanucci, Perafán & Valencia-Cuéllar, 2019 . Identification key for species of Schismatothele (except S. kastoni ) Males (males of S. lineata and S. opifex are unknown) 1. Palpal bulb with prolateral keels ( Figs 23 , 51 , 59 , 75 ) ..................................................................... 2 – Palpal bulb without prolateral keels ( Figs 33 , 41 , 67 ) .................................................................... 10 2. Palpal bulb with paraembolic apophysis ( Figs 51 , 75 ) ..................................................................... 3 – Palpal bulb without paraembolic apophysis, retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis twice longer than prolateral branch ( Figs 23, 28 , 59, 64 ) .............................................................................................. 8 3. Embolus pointing forward. Palpal tibia without ventral middle concavity ( Figs 51, 57 , 75, 82 ) .... 4 – Embolus pointing upward. Paraembolic apophysis discrete with apical serrated keel (see Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 284 , fig. 5a) .............................................. S. inflata ( Simon, 1889 ) 4. Paraembolic apophysis with same length or longer than embolus, laterally flattened with rounded end ( Figs 75 , 83 )................................................................................................................................ 5 – Paraembolic apophysis shorter than embolus, thin or slightly dorso-ventrally flattened ( Fig. 57 ) .. 7 5. Palpal tibia without medial concavity and one group of spines ( Figs 80–81 ) .................................. 6 – Palpal tibia with medial concavity and two groups of spines (see Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019: 559 , fig. 30) ............................................... S. weinmanni Guadanucci, Perafán & Valencia-Cuéllar, 2019 6. Presence of prolateral and retrolateral paraembolic keels. Absence of apical striae. Palpal tibia with two rows of spines ( Figs 75–76, 80–81 ) ............................................................... S. wayana sp. nov. – Absence of prolateral and retrolateral paraembolic keels. Presence of apical striae. Palpal tibia with single row of spines (see Panzera et al. 2011: 131 , figs 2, 4–5) ......................................................... ......................................................................... S. benedettii Panzera, Perdomo & Pérez-Miles, 2011 7. Short and conical paraembolic apophysis. Presence of ventral retrolateral keel. Presence of retrolateral tegular apophysis ( Figs 51–54 ) ................................................. S. moonenorum sp. nov. – Paraembolic apophysis dorso-ventrally flattened. Absence of ventral retrolateral keel. Absence of retrolateral tegular apophysis (see Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 285 , fig. 6a–c) .......................... .................................................................................................................... S. modesta ( Simon, 1889 ) 8. Palpal bulb without prolateral tegular apophysis, tegulum with ventral processes near embolus. Palpal tibia not swollen ( Figs 59–60 ) ............................................................................................... 9 – Palpal bulb with prolateral tegular apophysis, absence of ventral granular process. Palpal tibia swollen ( Figs 23–26, 30–31 ) ..................................................................................... S. caeri sp. nov. 9. Tegulum with ventral granular process near to embolus, retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis digitiform ( Figs 59–64 ) ..................................................................................... S. quimbaya sp. nov. – Tegulum with ventral spiniform process near to embolus, retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis very widened and flattened distally (see Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019: 555 , figs 9–16) ............................. .......................................................... S. hacaritama Valencia-Cuéllar, Perafán & Guadanucci, 2019 10. Tegulum piriformis or subrectangular with slightly pronounced prolateral lobe ( Figs 41–44 , 67– 70 ) ....................................................................................................................................................11 – Tegulum globose with prolateral lobe very pronounced near the embolus ( Figs 33–36 ) ................... ............................................................................................................................. S. caiquetia sp. nov. 11. Tegulum without ventral granular process. Retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis digitiform at the apex ( Figs 67–71 ) ........................................................................................................................... 12 – Tegulum with ventral granular process on a bulge. Retrolateral branch of tibial apophysis flat at the apex ( Figs 41–45 ) .................................................................................................. S. merida sp. nov. 12. Tegulum piriformis. Paraembolic apophysis with rounded tip (see Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019: 557 , figs 17–20) ................................................ S. olsoni Guadanucci, Perafán & Valencia-Cuéllar, 2019 – Tegulum subrectangular. Paraembolic apophysis with straight tip, slightly retrolaterally twisted ( Figs 67–70 ) .................................................................................................... S. timotocuica sp. nov. Females (females of S. hacaritama , S. inflata , S. modesta , S. moonenorum , S. olsoni , S. opifex , S. quimbaya and S. wayana are unknown) 1. Abdomen with striped pattern ( Figs 5 , 9 , 17 ) ................................................................................... 2 – Abdomen without striped pattern ( Figs 1 , 13, 15 , 21 ) ...................................................................... 5 2. Ventral receptacle of spermathecae not fused or fused only at the base. Dorsal receptacle not fused, with short lobes ( Figs 32 , 40 , 48 , 74 ) ............................................................................................... 3 – Dorsal and ventral receptacles of spermathecae fused. Dorsal receptacle with long lobes (see Guadanucci & Weinmann 2014: 283 , fig. 4a–b) ............................................ S. lineata Karsch, 1879 3. Ventral receptacle fused at the base ( Figs 40 , 50 ) ............................................................................ 4 – Ventral receptacle not fused, with digitiform aspect. Dorsal receptacle globose and slightly pointing inwards ( Fig. 74 ) .............................................................................................. S timotocuica sp. nov. 4. Ventral receptacle elongated, large, flattened at apex. Dorsal receptacle digitiform ( Fig. 40 ) ........... ............................................................................................................................. S. caiquetia sp. nov. – Ventral receptacle digitiform. Dorsal receptacle globose or subrectangular ( Fig. 48 ) ....................... ................................................................................................................................ S. merida sp. nov. 5. Dorsal receptacles hard, heavily sclerotized ( Fig. 32 ) ...................................................................... 6 – Dorsal receptacle soft, without sclerotization (see Valencia-Cuéllar et al . 2019: 560 , figs 32–34) ... ........................................................... S. weinmanni Guadanucci, Perafán & Valencia-Cuéllar, 2019 6. Ventral receptacle of spermathecae digitiform and pointing out ( Fig. 32 ) ....................................... 7 – Ventral receptacle of spermathecae ronded (see Mori & Bertani 2020: 119 , fig. 321) ....................... ....................................................................................................................... S. opifex ( Simon, 1889 ) 7. Ventral and dorsal receptacle partially fused, dorsal receptacle flat (see Panzera et al. 2011: 131 , fig. 7) ............................................................... S. benedettii Panzera, Perdomo & Pérez-Miles, 2011 – Ventral and dorsal receptacle not fused, dorsal receptacle slightly oval and pointing outward ( Fig. 32 ) ..................................................................................................................... S. caeri sp. nov.