Tolteca sinnombre Huber sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 51577DD3-55BD-4916-B9C2-E8A52181090C

Figs 36G–H, 44D–F, 47–48

Pholcophora hesperia Gertsch, 1982: 102 (only specimens from 10 mi S of Colima; see Remarks under T. hesperia).

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by the combination of: male genital bulb without dorsal ridge (unlike T. jalisco); procursus tip abruptly narrowing (Fig. 44F; similar to T. hesperia, unlike other species); male cheliceral apophyses wide apart (distance between tips ~75 µm, i.e., much wider apart than in T. huahua sp. nov. and T. oaxaca sp. nov.), in lateral view with small angle against distal-frontal face of chelicera (Fig. 44E; unlike T. hesperia; not checked in T. jalisco); main epigynal plate very short, band-shaped, densely set with short hairs (Fig. 48A–B); without knob between epigynum and pedicel (Fig 47A, C); female internal genitalia with pair of very long sacs (85 µm) (Figs 48D, 55F).

Etymology

The species name is derived from the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype MEXICO – Colima • ♂; ~ 6 km S of Coquimatlán, near ‘Cueva sin Nombre’; 19.1521° N, 103.8350° W; 280 m a.s.l., 6 Oct. 2019; B.A. Huber and A. Valdez-Mondragón leg.; LATLAX.

Other material examined

MEXICO – Colima • 2 ♀♀ abdomens; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Ar 23960 • 2 ♀♀ and 2 female prosomata (abdomens transferred to ZFMK Ar 23960), in pure ethanol; same collection data as for holotype; ZFMK Mex237 .

Description

Male (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Total body length 1.25, carapace width 0.56. Distance PME-PME 45 µm; diameter PME 45 µm; distance PME-ALE 20 µm; distance AME-AME 15 µm; diameter AME 30 µm. Leg 1: 2.26 (0.63 + 0.17 + 0.58 + 0.55 + 0.33), tibia 2: 0.47, tibia 3: 0.43, tibia 4: 0.72; tibia 1 L/d: 7; diameters of leg femora 0.130 –0.135, of leg tibiae 0.08.

COLOUR (in ethanol). Prosoma and legs monochromous ochre-yellow, only carapace with slightly darker median line widening anteriorly; abdomen slightly darker ochre-grey, with some indistinct darker marks dorsally.

BODY (Fig. 36G). Ocular area barely raised. Carapace without thoracic groove. Clypeus unmodified but with sclerotized rim, short (clypeus rim to ALE: 170 µm). Sternum wider than long (0.40/0.36), almost round (i.e., not heart-shaped), with pair of small but distinct anterior processes (~80 µm diameter at basis, ~80 µm long) near coxae 1. Abdomen globular.

CHELICERAE (Fig. 44D–E). With pair of frontal apophyses pointing downwards; distance between tips of apophyses 75 µm; without stridulatory files.

PALPS. In general possibly indistinguishable from congeners (cf. Figs 37, 50) but patella ventrally apparently longer than in other species; coxa unmodified; trochanter without process; femur proximally without process, distally widened but simple, slightly curved towards dorsal; femur-patella joints very slightly shifted toward prolateral side; tibia very short, with two trichobothria; tibia-tarsus joints not shifted to one side; procursus very simple (Fig. 44F), with distal ventral process; genital bulb large, complex, in light microscope possibly indistinguishable from congeners (cf. Figs 38D–F, 51D–F).

LEGS. Without spines and curved hairs; with slightly increased density of short vertical hairs on tibia 1 (barely visible in dissecting microscope); retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 63%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1; tarsus 1 with five pseudosegments, all fairly distinct.

Female

In general, similar to male (Fig. 36H) but sternum without pair of anterior humps. Total body length: ~1.20–1.30; tibia 1 in four females: 0.48, 0.50, 0.53, 0.58. Epigynum (Fig. 47) with very short band-shaped anterior plate densely set with short hairs; posterior plate wide, median part distinctly protruding anteriorly. Without knob between epigynum and pedicel. Internal genitalia (Fig. 48) with pair of strong transversal sclerites, pair of distinct sacs (receptacles?), without (or with very small?) pore plates.

Distribution

Known from type locality and one poorly specified neighbouring locality in Mexico, Colima (Fig. 35). We do not have exact coordinates for Gertsch’s (1982) specimens from “ 10 mi. S Colima ”, but that locality is probably within 10 km from the type locality.

Natural history

The specimens were collected in a low forest in a sink below the ‘Cueva sin Nombre’ cave. The leaf litter was partly humid and was shared with two other small pholcids ( Anopsicus sp., Modisimus sp.).