Agyneta platnicki new species

Figs 412–420, map 27

Type material: Female holotype from New Mexico, Lincoln County, T6N R10E Sec., 0 4 Sept., 1971, Riechert (AMNH). EXAMINED.

Etymology: The specific name is a patronym in honor of Dr. Norman Platnick, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA.

Diagnosis: Males and females are distinguished by their distinctive abdominal pattern (Figs 416, 417). Males are differentiated from all Agyneta by their large, tricorn ventral cymbial tubercle (Fig. 412). Females are distinguished from all species by the discernible converging copulatory ducts not reaching the proximal part of scape visible on the epigynum (Fig. 418), for distinction with A. hedini see the diagnosis of the latter.

Description: Male: Total length 1.72; carapace length 0.81, width 0.73.

CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace yellow, shiny, finely reticulate; margin suffused with gray. Sternum light yellow, lightly suffused with gray. Clypeus height 3. Chelicerae yellow, excavated; seta-tipped tubercles absent; promargin four teeth, retromargin two denticles and projection near base of fang. Cheliceral stridulatory organ visible ~27 striae, evenly spaced throughout. ABDOMEN: Off-white with black spots (Fig. 416). LEGS: Missing. GENITALIA: Palpal tibia with elongated, smooth retrolateral tibial apophysis; dorsal tibial apophysis absent; two retrolateral trichobothria and a dorsal one (Fig. 413). Cymbium with conical extension; dorsal cymbial tubercle small; ventral tubercle large and rugose; prolateral notch deep (Fig. 412). Embolus tip bent; rugose ventrally; Fickert’s gland bulbous; ventral lamella absent; thumb extending beyond the embolus proper (Fig. 414). Embolus proper set apically, small prong near base (Fig. 414). Anterior terminal apophysis long with a few short protrusions; posterior terminal apophysis, large, well sclerotized with bifid tip with protrusions; lamella characteristica with large, triangular folded tip (Fig. 415).

Female: Total length 1.82; carapace length 0.72, width 0.58.

CEPHALOTHORAX: Carapace yellow, shiny, finely reticulate margin suffused with gray. Sternum light yellow, lightly suffused with gray. Clypeus height 3. Chelicerae yellow; promargin four teeth, retromargin three denticles. Cheliceral stridulatory organ visible ~30 striae, evenly spaced throughout. ABDOMEN: Off-white with black spots (Fig. 417). LEGS: Yellow; leg I total length: 4.13, leg III total length: 2.72; Tm I: 0.19, Tm IV: absent. GENITALIA: Epigynum with narrow proximal part of scape, sides parallel gradually enlarging apically; epigynal slits small and rounded; pit hook depression absent (Fig. 418); lateral lobes short and wide; stretcher indistinguishable (Fig. 419). Median part of scape narrow basally, larger apically; genital pores situated in the middle of median part of scape (Fig. 420). Internal genitalia with elongated, ventral receptacula and an oval dorsal one (Figs 419, 420).

Other material examined: USA: New Mexico: Lincoln, T6N R10E, 15.viii.1971, 13, 24.viii.1971, 1Ƥ, 04.ix.1971, 1Ƥ, Riechert (AMNH).

Distribution: Southwest USA, New Mexico.

Note: The male was not chosen as the holotype and no illustrations of the male palp in retrolateral view was possible since the only known male had both palps completely expanded.