A revision of the concept of Mago O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882, and proposal of a new genus (Araneae: Salticidae: Amycini)
Author
Ruiz, Gustavo R. S.
Author
Maddison, Wayne P.
Author
Galiano, Maria Elena
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-08-21
4658
1
124
140
journal article
25958
10.11646/zootaxa.4658.1.5
aec44da6-3bb9-4130-a87e-c0cb11cbc2e7
1175-5326
3373137
2E0CE5D2-64DA-4EC0-A76F-61E9B3A55902
Matinta
Ruiz & Maddison
gen. nov.
Type
species:
Mago acutidens
Simon, 1901
.
Etymology.
The name, to be treated as a feminine Latin noun, refers to a Brazilian folklore figure known as Matinta Pereira, commonly feared in Northern
Brazil
(= Amazon) for being a witch worn in black who lives in the forest. The association is due to the meaning of the word “mago” in Iberian languages (= wizard), since species being transferred herein to
Matinta
were previously included in
Mago
O. Pickard-Cambridge.
Diagnosis.
Amycine species included in
Matinta
generally have the male palp with a “tegulum” obliquely divided by a thin slit, with the two “tegular” halves articulated by a poorly developed hematodocha (
Figs 35–36
; see also
Patello & Ruiz 2014
: figs 7–10). The embolus is usually short, wrapping less than 180° around the tegulum, with the tip resting in a cymbial groove. [In an alternative interpretation of the bulb, the tegulum would be reduced and represented only by the proximal half prior to the hematodocha; the distal “tegular” half would be, in fact, a modification of the embolar base; in this alternative, the embolus would be articulated with the reduced tegulum and rise at 2 o’clock in the left palp, reaching almost 360°.] The femur is straight (
Fig. 39
). Epigynal plate varies from having a common atrium (see
Galiano 1968
: fig. 59) to a pair of separate copulation openings (see
Patello & Ruiz 2014
: fig. 32), but with no digitiform gland ducts. The legs (
Figs 40–43, 45–48
) are relatively shorter and thicker than in many other amycines, such as
Noegus
,
Hypaeus
,
Amycus
and
Acragas
. This gives them a more robust appearance than most other larger species of amycines (
Figs 37–38
). Besides having the “tegular” slit, species of
Matinta
differ from
Mago
in the 16SND1 gene region (see below), in having the 3
rd
and 4
th
legs coequal in length, the male palp patella and tibia coequal in length, and the larger and less compact body.
Note.
The boundaries of amycine genera are still being revised. The diagnostic “tegular” slit is not obvious in
Matinta procax
(
Simon, 1900
)
comb. nov.
,
Matinta saperda
(
Simon, 1900
)
comb. nov.
and in
Matinta pardo
(Costa & Ruiz, 2017)
comb. nov.
However, these three species have the subtegulum exposed on the retrolateral side of the male palp, a feature also seen in
Matinta apophysis
(Costa & Ruiz, 2017)
comb. nov.
(which has the “tegular” slit), but not in the remaining species of the genus. These are all kept in
Matinta
based on the overall similarity. Although under a new genus name, this is conservative in preserving the existing concept of the group. A cladistic analysis needs to be carried out to confirm the monophyly of the genus.
FIGURES 35–36.
Matinta acutidens
, male left palp: 35 ventral; 36 ventral, expanded.
FIGURES 37–38.
Matinta
cf.
fonsecai
“MGBOR”: 37 male; antero-laterodorsal; 38 female, dorsal. © 2015 W. Maddison, released under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 3.0 license.
FIGURES 39–48.
Matinta acutidens
: 39–
43 male
(39 palp; 40 leg I; 41 leg II; 42 leg III; 43 leg IV, lateral); 44–
48 female
(44 palp; 45 leg I; 46 leg II; 47 leg III; 48 leg IV, lateral). Scale bar equals carapace length.
List of species.
The
type
species
Matinta acutidens (
Simon, 1900
)
comb. nov.
and closely related species (treated as the
acutidens
species-group) received recent redescriptions, diagnoses and updates on distribution records (
Patello & Ruiz 2014
). The text below is only intended to establish new combinations and a list of the species included in the genus (for known sexes and details on nomenclatural acts, see World Spider Catalag (2019) and listed literature):