Research Article |
Corresponding author: Alejandro Valdez-Mondragón ( lat_mactans@yahoo.com.mx ) Academic editor: Ingi Agnarsson
© 2016 Alejandro Valdez-Mondragón, Mayra R. Cortez-Roldán.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Valdez-Mondragón A, Cortez-Roldán MR (2016) On the trapdoor spiders of Mexico: description of the first new species of the spider genus Aptostichus from Mexico and the description of the female of Eucteniza zapatista (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 641: 81-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.641.10521
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A new species of the spider genus Aptostichus Simon, 1891 is described from a cave in Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, Mexico: Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. This species represents the first new species described from Mexico and the southernmost record in North America for the genus so far. Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. represents the forty-first species described for the genus, which has the highest species diversity in the family Euctenizidae. Eucteniza zapatista is redescribed based on five new males and the first known female from the Parque Nacional La Malinche (PNLM), Tlaxcala Mexico. Eucteniza zapatista is the fourth species of the genus where a female is known, and one of fourteen species described for the genus to date.
Aptostichus , Eucteniza , Euctenizidae , new species, Mexico, taxonomy
Currently, the trapdoor spider family Euctenizidae Raven, 1985 comprises 75 species described in seven genera: Apomastus Bond & Opell, 2002; Aptostichus Simon, 1891; Entychides Simon, 1888; Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875; Myrmekiaphila Atkinson, 1886; Neoapachella Bond & Opell, 2002; and Promyrmekiaphila Schenkel, 1950 (
The specimens were collected and deposited in 80% ethanol and, labeled with their complete field data. For the descriptions the specimens were observed using a Zeiss Discovery.V8 stereoscope. A Zeiss Axiocam 506 color camera attached to a Zeiss AXIO Zoom.V16 stereoscope was used to photograph the different structures of specimens. All structures photographed under the stereoscope were submerged in gel alcohol (available commercially as a hand cleaner). The firm consistency of the gel allows for the immobilization and positioning of the structure to be photographed. The structure suspended in the gel alcohol was covered with 80% liquid ethanol to minimize diffraction during examination and photography. All measurements in the descriptions are in millimeters (mm). Photographs were edited with Adobe Photoshop CS6.
The holotype specimen of Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. is deposited with its collection code in the Colección Nacional de Arácnidos (CNAN) of the Instituto de Biología
Abbreviations used in the description are:
B bulb;
Cl, Cw carapace length and width (widest part);
Cy cymbium;
E embolus;
LBl, LBw labium length and width taken from the longest and widest points, respectively;
PTl, PTw male palpal tibia length and width (widest part in dorsal view);
STRl, STRw sternum length and width (widest part);
v ventral;
p prolateral.
Aptostichus atomarius Simon, 1891.
For updated diagnosis of the genus see
For updated description of the genus see
Atomarius, Hesperus, Simus, and Sierra (
Aptostichus aguacaliente Bond, 2012; A. angelinajolieae Bond, 2008; A. anzaborrego Bond, 2012; A. asmodaeus Bond, 2012; A. atomarius Simon, 1891; A. barackobamai Bond, 2012; A. bonoi Bond, 2012; A. cabrillo Bond, 2012; A. cahuilla Bond, 2012; A. cajalco Bond, 2012; A. chavezi Bond, 2012; A. chemehuevi Bond, 2012; A. chiricahua Bond, 2012; A. dantrippi Bond, 2012; A. derhamgiulianii Bond, 2012; A. dorothealangeae Bond, 2012; A. edwardabbeyi Bond, 2012; A. elisabethae Bond, 2012; A. fisheri Bond, 2012; A. fornax Bond, 2012; A. hedinorum Bond, 2012; A. hesperus (Chamberlin, 1919); A. huntington Bond, 2012; A. icenoglei Bond, 2012; A. isabella Bond, 2012; A. killerdana Bond, 2012; A. lucerne Bond, 2012; A. mikeradtkei Bond, 2012; A. miwok Bond, 2008; A. muiri Bond, 2012; A. nateevansi Bond, 2012; A. pennjillettei Bond, 2012; A. sabinae sp. n., A. sarlacc Bond, 2012; A. satleri Bond, 2012; A. serrano Bond, 2012; A. sierra Bond, 2012; A. simus Chamberlin, 1917; A. sinnombre Bond, 2012; A. stanfordianus Smith, 1908; and A. stephencolberti Bond, 2008. Total: 41 species.
United States, Mexico.
MEXICO: Oaxaca: 1♂ holotype (CNAN-T1121) from Cueva Li Nita (lat 18.14767°, lon -96.79844°, 1919 m), Municipio Huautla de Jiménez, 12-April-2014, J. Mendoza, J. Cruz, S. Davlantes, M. Minkton Cols.
This species is dedicated to the María Sabina Magdalena García "María Sabina", a famous Mazatec shaman due to her traditional knowledge of healing and ceremonial use of hallucinogenic mushrooms who was born in 1894 in Huautla de Jiménez (municipality of the type locality), Oaxaca, Mexico.
Males are easily distinguished from the other known species of Aptostichus by the combination of the following characters: 1) a very long, slender and sigmoidal unique embolus (Figs
Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. Male holotype: 8–9 Left palp, prolateral and retrolateral views respectively 10 Left palp, ventral view 11 Left palp, prolateral-apical view (arrow indicates apical spines on cymbium) 12 Detail of the bulb and embolus, ventral view. Scale bars 0.5 mm (11), 1 mm (8–10, 12).
Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. Male holotype: 13–14 Left leg I, prolateral and retrolateral views respectively 15 Tibia I, retrolateral view 16 Tarsus I, retrolateral view17 Metatarsus and tarsus I, dorsal view (arrow indicates the small finger-shaped projection on retrolateral-ventral part of metatarsus) 18 Metatarsus I, retrolateral view (idem) 19 Detail of the small finger-shaped projection on retrolateral-ventral part of metatarsus I. 20, Spination pattern on legs III and IV. Scale bars 0.2 mm (19), 0.5 mm (16, 18), 1 mm (15, 17), 2 mm (13, 14, 20).
Male (holotype): Specimen collected manually, preserved and observed in 80% ethanol. Measurements: Total length (prosoma + opisthosoma) 8.30. Carapace 3.84 long, 3.12 wide. Clypeus length 0.18. Diameter of AME 0.13, ALE 0.25, PME 0.18, PLE 0.23. Labium: LBl 0.23, LBw 0.53. Sternum: STRl 1.85, STRw 1.65. Leg lengths: I femur 2.75/ patella 1.80/ tibia 2.2/ metatarsus 1.88/ tarsus 1.36/ total 9.99; II- 2.50/ 1.64/ 1.88/ 1.68/ 1.24/ 8.94; III- 2.25/ 1.32/ 1.76/ 2.40/ 1.28/ 9.01; IV- 3.00/ 1.60/ 2.48/ 3.50/ 1.52/ 12.10. Leg formula: 4-1-3-2. Prosoma: Carapace longer than wide, with surface smooth, setose, pyriform shaped, light brown coloration (Figs
Female. Unknown.
Aptostichus sabinae sp. n. resembles Aptostichus asmodaeus (
The holotype specimen was hand collected inside a cave, in a temperate forest at 1919 m of elevation. Although the specimen was collected in a cave, it does not present any troglomorphism or adaptation to cave life, and so might be considered a trogloxene.
Known only from the type locality (Fig.
Eucteniza mexicana Ausserer, 1875.
For updated diagnosis of the genus see
For updated description of the genus see
Eucteniza cabowabo Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. caprica Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. chichimeca Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. coylei Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. diablo Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. golondrina Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. hidalgo Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. huasteca Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. mexicana Ausserer, 1875; E. panchovillai Bond & Godwin, 2013; E. relata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895); E. ronnewtoni Bond & Godwin, 2013, E. rosalia Bond & Godwin, 2013; and E. zapatista Bond & Godwin, 2013. Total: 14 species.
Mainly from Baja California, along to the Sierra Madre Oriental and central part of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt (
E. zapatista Bond & Godwin, 2013: 54, f. 48–52 (Dm)
MEXICO: Puebla: 1♂ holotype (EU012) (not examined), from Paso de Cortés (lat 19.1167°, lon -98.76676°, 3000 m), 18-July-1943, C. Bolivar Col. Holotype deposited in
MEXICO: Tlaxcala: 4♂♂ (LATLAX-Ara0031) (pitfall traps) from 1.5 km al Oeste de la Estación Científica del Parque Nacional La Malinche (PNLM) (lat 19.24544°, lon -98.00336°, 3250 m), Municipio Ixtenco, 25-April-2016, A. Valdez, M. Cortez, A. Juárez Cols. 1♂ (LATLAX-Ara0033) from Carretera Perimetral con entronque Albergue IMSS Parque Nacional La Malinche (PNLM), Municipio Ixtenco, 4-May-2016, A. Ramírez Col. 1♀ (LATLAX-Ara0032) (hand collected) from Parque Nacional La Malinche (PNLM) (hand collected), El Pasaje (lat 19.25304°, lon - 97.97942°, 3030 m), Municipio Ixtenco, 03-July-2016, V. Jiménez, A. Díaz Cols.
Eucteniza zapatista Bond & Godwin, 2013. Male: 32–33 Left leg I, prolateral and retrolateral views respectively 34–35 Left leg II, prolateral and retrolateral views respectively 36 Tibia I, retrolateral view 37 Tibia II, retrolateral view 38 Detail of the paired megaspines on tibia I 39 Scopulae on tarsus I, retrolateral view. Scale bars 1 mm (38, 39), 2 mm (36, 37), 5 mm (32–35).
Eucteniza zapatista Bond & Godwin, 2013. Female: 45 Habitus dorsal 46 carapace, dorsal view 47 Endites, ventral view; detail of the cuspules 48 Prosoma, ventral view showing coxae, sternum, labium and endites 49 Spermathecae, dorsal view. Scale bars 1 mm (49), 2 mm (47), 5 mm (46, 48), 10 mm (45).
50, 51 Live female of Eucteniza zapatista Bond & Godwin, 2013 outside of her burrow (photos by Victor H. Jiménez Arcos) 52 Pine forest of the Parque Nacional la Malinche (PNLM), Tlaxcala, Mexico, where the specimens of E. zapatista used for this study were collected (photo by Alejandro Valdez Mondragón).
Male: Specimen collected using pitfall traps, preserved and observed in 80% ethanol. Measurements: Total length (prosoma + opisthosoma) 17.68. Carapace 8.30 long, 7.40 wide. Clypeus length 0.80. Diameter of AME 0.46, ALE 0.40, PME 0.25, PLE 0.30. Labium: LBl 0.88, LBw 1.31. Sternum: STRl 4.70, STRw 4.25. Leg lengths: I femur 7.70/ patella 4.30/ tibia 5.90/ metatarsus 5.10/ tarsus 3.10/ total 26.10; II- 7.00/ 3.40/ 5.20/ 5.50/ 3.20/ 24.30; III- 5.90/ 3.30/ 3.75/ 5.90/ 3.70/ 22.55; IV- 7.20/ 3.80/ 6.00/ 6.50/ 3.70/ 27.20. Leg formula: 4-1-2-3. Prosoma: Carapace longer than wide, protruding anteriorly, with surface smooth, setose in posterior part, hexagonal shaped, dark brown in anteriorly and lighter posteriorly (Figs
Female. Similar to the male, differences: Specimen collected manually, preserved and observed in 80% ethanol. Measurements: Total length (prosoma + opisthosoma) 29.50. Carapace 12.20 long, 11.10 wide. Clypeus length 0.80. Diameter of AME 0.47, ALE 0.46, PME 0.23, PLE 0.43. Labium: LBl 1.31, LBw 1.87. Sternum: STRl 7.50, STRw 6.50. Leg lengths: I femur 9.10/ patella 5.10/ tibia 5.70/ metatarsus 4.30/ tarsus 2.50/ total 26.70; II- 7.60/ 5.10/ 4.80/ 4.00/ 2.20/ 23.70; III- 6.50/ 4.80/ 3.00/ 4.20/ 3.10/ 21.60; IV- 8.90/ 5.50/ 6.70/ 6.00/ 3.40/ 30.50. Leg formula: 4-1-2-3. Prosoma: Carapace markedly more anteriorly protruding than the male, small setae posteriorly, lighter brown anteriorly and posterior part markedly lighter color than the male (Figs
Males (N = 5): Cl 6.8–8.3, 7.62±0.62; Cw 6.5–7.3, 6.84±0.38; STRl 4.30–4.90, 4.60±0.25; STRw 3.80–4.30, 4.00±0.19; PTl 3.50–4.20, 3.90±0.27; PTw 1.5–1.8, 1.62±0.13; Tibiae I (length): 4.60–5.90, 5.18±0.55. There is variation in the width of the tibia I and in the position of the ventral megaspines; in three specimens megaspines are close together and in two the megaspines are separated (Figs
All specimens examined were collected in the PNLM, a temperate pine-oyamel forest at 3000-3250 m of elevation (Fig.
In general, to collect trapdoor spiders is a difficult task, and few species have been described using both males and females. Most of them are described using few specimens or even only the male holotypes. The females are more difficult to collect due to their fossorial nature, whereas males, during certain seasons of the year wander, making pitfall traps the best method or technique so far for their collection. As
Although the genus Aptostichus was expected to have a relatively restricted biogeographic distribution in the southwestern United States and Baja California peninsula in Mexico, where the species are found in different habitats ranging from Mediterranean climates to the arid Mojave and Colorado deserts (
As the genus Aptostichus, the genus Eucteniza in Mexico has been poorly collected in the Sierra Madre Occidental (
The first author is grateful to the program "Cátedras-CONACyT", Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), Mexico for the scientific support for the project No. 59: "Laboratorio Regional de Biodiversidad y Cultivo de Tejidos Vegetales (LBCTV) del Instituto de Biología (