Gephyrellula Strand, 1932

Schinelli, Hector Baruch Pereira, Wanderley do Prado, André, Cerqueira Baptista, Renner Luiz & Takiya, Daniela Maeda, 2025, A new species and the phylogenetic placement of the Neotropical genus Gephyrellula Strand, 1932 (Araneae, Philodromidae), Evolutionary Systematics 9 (1), pp. 87-98 : 87-98

Gephyrellula Strand, 1932

Figs 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

Gephyrella Mello-Leitão, 1918: 121; Mello-Leitão 1929: 107, 259, 261.

Gephyrellula Strand, 1932: 137 (replacement name for Gephyrella Mello-Leitão, preoccupied in Lepidoptera).

Gephyrellula : Soares, 1943: 10; Santos and Rheims 2018: 382.

Diagnosis.

Gephyrellula may be recognized by the carapace flat and wider than long, with a marginal row of anteriorly directed bristles, relatively low clypeus, median eyes of both rows closer to lateral ones than to the other, all eyes with white veil, and lack of leg scopula. Males have palps bearing a small hook-shaped PCA, well developed VTA and RTA, with RTA more sclerotized than VTA, small and almost inconspicuous RMC (present in G. violacea , but doubtful in G. condeuba sp. nov.), and long curved embolus starting at prolateral margin of bulb, bordering anterior margin and pointing towards the palp tibia. Females have epigyne simple, wider or as wide as long, MS variable, usually wider than long (longer than wide in G. lavidabonita ), wider at anterior margin (wider at middle portion in G. lavidabonita ), and lateral plates projected in a thin, acutely pointed, elevated median lobe (no projected point in G. lavidabonita ), separating the CG and the GP, and the GH stalk inserted near the middle or at the posterior region of spermatheca, not near its anterior margin.

Description.

Males: total length: 3.0–4.2; carapace length: 1.1–1.6; females: total length: 3.5–6.2; carapace length: 1.2–2.1. Carapace pale to dark yellow with a lighter triangle pointing to fovea, many suffused with dark dots or irregular spots denser near lateral margins. Males typically darker with bigger and denser spots, females may have white pigments at lateral and / or posterior margin. Carapace wider than long, wider at legs II or III; with rows of strong bristles along lateral margins facing anteriorly (visible in Santos and Rheims 2018, fig. 15). Chelicerae with same color and pattern as carapace, longer than wide; fangs same color as paturon; small teeth. Endites same color or a little darker than sternum; labium a little darker than both. Labium wider than long with anterior margin rounded; endites longer than wide, oblong, angled inwards. Sternum pale yellow with much fewer dark spots than on carapace or none at all; anterior margin slightly concave; posterior margin round and convex, separating coxae IV by 1.0 to 1.5 times their width. Eyes with white veils placed in two recurved rows, posterior more recurved than anterior; PME closer to PLE than to each other; eyes near equal in size but AME and / or PLE a little larger than ALE and PME.

Legs with spot patterns similar to carapace but often denser, sometimes making areas appear almost uniformly dark, but lighter venter. Leg II almost always the longest, but leg I longer than II at least in female paratype of G. condeuba sp. nov.; leg IV shortest. Spination pattern variable. Usually tibiae bear 2 or 3 pairs or ventral spines and metatarsi 3 pairs; patellae and tarsi without spines; females usually have almost or none spines on femora.

Abdomen with guanine spots covering most of dorsum and / or dark spots usually denser near laterals; cardiac mark visible but not strongly delimited or pigmented. Shape oval with acute posterior end and a notch of variable depth on anterior margin. Two pairs of conspicuous dorsal sigillae, the second one elongated and subdivided; followed by two pairs of smaller depressions in the end of the median third. Venter lighter than dorsum; spinnerets pale yellow, conical.

Male palp with tibia longer than wide; RTA relatively small, well sclerotized, forming a broad rounded or a thin pointed lobe, with 1 to 2 acute tips; VTA relatively large, forming a transversal lobe placed near or closely pressed to the RTA, lightly sclerotized. Tegulum elliptic, weakly projected ventrally; tegular suture clearly seen and long, placed at basal third of tegulum and separating the long median loop of reservoir; PCA small, hook-shaped; primary membranous conductor lacking; RMC small and almost inconspicuous (present in G. violacea , but doubtful in G. condeuba sp. nov.); embolus originating from the apical third of the prolateral margin of tegulum; relatively long, semicircular, tapering towards a thinner tip, which is pointed towards palpal tibia. Embolus tip pressed against the RMC at the retrolateral distal margin of cymbium. Female epigyne simple, wider or as wide as long; MS variable, usually wider than long (longer than wide in G. lavidabonita ), wider at anterior margin (wider at middle portion in G. lavidabonita ); lateral plates usually projected in a thin, acutely pointed, elevated median lobe (no projected lobe and MS covering the posterior region of the lateral plates in G. lavidabonita ); CG semicircular, anteriorly placed, usually separated from the GP by the lateral plate lobe (CG with posterior portion covered by lateral plates and no GP in G. lavidabonita ); main spermatheca globose to piriform; GH placed ectally and clearly surpassing the anterior margin of spermatheca, globose (except G. condeuba sp. nov.), with long and curved stalk inserted near the middle or at the posterior region of spermatheca, not near its anterior margin.

Taxonomic notes.

A comparative diagnosis of Gephyrellula and similar genera is included in the Discussion section, with comments on previous works and on the phylogenetic placement of the genus.

Composition.

Gephyrellula violacea ( Mello-Leitão, 1918) (type-species); Gephyrellula lavidabonita Galvis et al., 2024 and Gephyrellula condeuba sp. nov.

Distribution.

Gephyrellula is a Neotropical genus, with records known from Colombia (Magdalena), all regions of Brazil, Argentina (Corrientes and Jujuy provinces) and Paraguay (Central, Paraguari e Itapúa) (Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Gephyrellula condeuba sp. nov. holotype male. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Prosoma, frontal view; D. Palp, retrolateral view; E. Palp, ventral view centered on tibia; F. Palp, ventral view centered on tegulum. Abbreviations: PCA: Paraconductor apophysis; RTA: Retrolateral tibia apophysis; TS: Tegular suture; VTA: Ventral tibial apophysis. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C – F).

Figure 2. Male palp of Gephyrellula spp, retrolateral view. A. Gephyrellula condeuba sp. nov. holotype male (UFRJ 2418); B. G. violacea (UFRJ 2420 / ENT 6107).

Figure 3. Gephyrellula condeuba sp. nov. paratype female. A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Prosoma, frontal view; D. Epigyne, ventral view. Abbreviations: CG: Copulatory guides; GH: Glandular head; GP: Guide pockets; MS: Median septum. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B); 0.2 mm (C); 0.1 mm (D).

Figure 4. Female genitalia of Gephyrellula spp., top: ventral view of epigyne, bottom: outline of internal genitalia as seen through transparency of the epigyne in ventral view. A. Gephyrellula condeuba sp. nov. paratype female (UFRJ 2419); B. G. violacea (UFMG 619, specimen listed in the Material Examined by Santos and Rheims 2018).

Figure 5. Distribution map of Gephyrellula, including records given by Santos and Rheims (2018) and new records. Type-localities are shown as stars, localities of voucher specimens of DNA sequences are shown with a dot in the middle. Records of G. violacea are in purple and G. condeuba sp. nov. in yellow.