New Spider Species Research Articles

On three new Orchestina species (Araneae: Oonopidae) described from China.

Three new species of oonopid spider from China are diagnosed, described and illustrated: Orchestina apiculata sp. nov. from Hunan, O. bialata sp. nov. and O. multipunctata sp. nov. from Jiangxi. The total number of the known species of Orchestina from China rises to 11 with the addition of three new species described in the present paper. Relationships with Asian and Afrotropical representatives are discussed.

A SURVEY OF EAST PALAEARCTIC GNAPHOSIDAE (ARANEAE). 7. REVIEW OF THE PARASYRISCA VINOSA-GROUP

<p>A new species of ground spider, <em>Parasyrisca golyakovi </em>sp. n. is described based on female from the Altai Mountains. A previously unknown female of <em>P. ulykpani</em> Ovtsharenko, Platnick & Marusik, 1995 is described for the first time.</p>

Two new species of whip spider (Amblypygi): an epigean and a cave dwelling Charinus Simon, 1892 from Belize.

Central America is rich in whip spider species, mainly of the genera Phrynus and Paraphrynus (Phrynidae), but also includes few registers of Charinus (Charinidae) with no description of taxa. In this paper two new species of Charinus from Belize are described and illustrated (Charinus belizensis sp. nov. and Charinus reddelli sp. nov.) being the first species named from Central America. New records of Charinus victori Armas, 2010 from Puerto Rico, a comparative table listing the differential characters of the Caribbean and Central American species, and a distributional map of those species are also provided.

A new genus and new species of diplurid spider (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae) from northeast India

A new diplurid genus and species is described from northeast India based on a single female specimen from Jampui hills. Orientothele gen. nov. is placed in the subfamily Diplurinae based on the presence of one row of teeth on the chelicerae. The new genus and species can be diagnosed from most diplurid genera in lacking lyra on the prolateral face of maxilla, paired claw with one row of teeth, maxilla with numerous cuspules, scopulae absent on all legs, and spermathecae consisting of two elongate stalks with bulbous receptacles at their tips which are bent inwards. Ischnothele indicola Tikader, 1969 is here treated as incertae sedis with regards to its generic placement in light of the discovery of Orientothele gen. nov.

New species of Alpaida (Araneae, Araneidae) from Rondônia, Brazil

ABSTRACT We described a new species of spider, Alpaida clarindoi sp. nov. (Araneidae), from the southwestern Amazon forest. The new species is distinguished from most Alpaida by the presence of a pair of shoulders spines. Females can be separated from similar species by the subquadrangular shape of the epigynum, and males by the shape of the terminal apophysis and the tegulum, which possess an apical pointed tip. Alpaida clarindoi sp. nov. is described based on both sexes.

The new Andean jumping spider genus Urupuyu and its placement within a revised classification of the Amycoida (Araneae: Salticidae).

Urupuyu gen. nov. is described for three new species of small black jumping spiders from the cloud forests of Ecuador: Urupuyu antisana sp. nov. (type species), U. edwardsi sp. nov., and U. occidentale sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses with DNA sequences (28S, actin 5C, wingless, 16SND1 and CO1) indicate Urupuyu is closely related to the huriine amycoids Hurius and Scoturius, a placement also supported by morphological traits. Our phylogenetic analysis serves to clarify the relationships within the Amycoida in general, leading to our proposing a revised classification for the group, with subfamilies Gophoinae, Sitticinae, Bredinae subfam. nov., Scopocirinae, Thiodininae, Sarindinae, Huriinae, Simonellinae, and Amycinae. We confirm the marpissine-like Breda belongs within the Amycoida. The phylogeny implies that ant mimicry has evolved at least twice (simonellines and sarindines) and probably a third time (Atomosphyrus in the thiodinines) within the Amycoida. The following new synonymies are proposed for suprageneric names: Hyetusseae Simon, 1903 and Arachnomureae Mello-Leitão, 1917 = Thiodininae Simon, 1901; Zunigeae Simon, 1901 = Sarindinae Simon, 1901; Synemosynae Banks, 1892 = Simonellinae Peckham, Peckham & Wheeler, 1888; Magoninae Petrunkevitch, 1928 = Amycinae F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1900.

A new large trapdoor spider species of the genus Heligmomerus Simon 1892 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Idiopidae) from Western Ghats, India

A new species of trapdoor spider, Heligmomerus maximus sp. nov. is described from southern Western Ghats of Kerala state, India. The new species differs from known species of the genus from India and Sri Lanka in possessing a band of thorn-like spinules on coxa IV. Moreover it is the largest species of the genus with adult females reaching a length up to 32 mm and the burrows are shallow compared with other species of the genus.

Pasilobus dippenaaraesp. n. (Araneae: Araneidae), a New Species of Cyrtarachnine Spider from South Africa, with a Key to the Afrotropical Species

A new species of bird-dropping spider, Pasilobus dippenaarae sp. n., is described from the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, South Africa on the basis of females. A key is provided to the six Afrotropical species of the genus. Notes are provided on the habitat and web-building behaviour of P. dippenaarae sp. n., as well as the egg sac structure.

Indian Ocean Goblin Spiders (Araneae, Oonopidae): four New Species of Pelicinoids from Madagascar, with a Redescription of the Type SpeciesSilhouettella CurieuseiBenoit, 1979

ABSTRACT Four new species of oonopid spiders are described from Madagascar, divided between the genera Silhouettella and Noideattella: S. perismontes, sp. nov., S. perisalma, sp. nov., N. omby, sp. nov., and N. sylvnata, sp. nov. A new diagnosis for Silhouettella is provided, its type species, S. curieusei, from the Seychelles is redescribed, and its morphology thoroughly documented with digital images.

One new genus and two new species of oonopid spiders from Xishuangbanna Rainforest, southwestern China (Araneae, Oonopidae).

A new genus, Bannana, is established for two new species that resemble those of the Dysderoides complex. Two new species are described, Bannana crassispina sp. n. and Bannana parvula sp. n. Morphological descriptions and illustrations of both new species are given.

Determination of peptide and protein diversity in venom of the spider Selenocosmia jiafu by high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry

Selenocosmia jiafu (S. jiafu) is recently identified as a new species of spider in P. R. China. These medium bodied venomous spiders are distributed mainly in the hilly areas of southwest of China, mostly at Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces. In order to understand the composition of the S. jiafu venom, we performed a preliminary analysis of this venom using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The S. jiafu venom was separated by RP-HPLC in an analytical C18 column (phenomenex 100 A, 250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) equilibrated with solution A (distilled water with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid), using a gradient from 0% to 50% of solution B (acetonitrile with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid) over 50 min with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The isolated venom proteins were treated with in-gel digestion separated by SDS- PAGE and then identified by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS) techniques. The results show that more than 40 fractions eluted were monitored at 215 nm in the RP-HPLC chromatogram of the venom of the spider S. jiafu. Most of the fractions were eluted with retention times of 5-15 min and 25-40 min, corresponding to 5%-15% and 25%-40% acetonitrile, respectively. The venom contains 238 peptides that follow a bimodal distribution, with about 62.5% of the peptides having a relative molecular mass of 3,000-4,500 and about 33.2% of the peptides having a relative molecular mass of 1,000-3,000. This distribution model is rather different from those of peptides from other tarantula spider venoms analyzed. To explore the relative molecular mass distribution of the venom proteins, the venom was analyzed by SDS-PAGE using standard protocols. Except for peptides with relative molecular mass lower than 10,000, the SDS-PAGE electrophoresis revealed three more obvious bands around 50, 72 and 90 kD respectively. Further MS analysis indicated that there are mainly hemocyanin, potassium ion channel protein, calcium protease and so on. Altogether, this study not only indicated there are many peptides and proteins in the S. jiafu venom, but also provided a basis for further case-by-case investigation of peptide toxins from this venom.

Новые виды пауков семейства Gnaphosidae (Aranei) из дельты Дона

Новые виды пауков семейства Gnaphosidae (Aranei) из дельты Дона

A new species of peacock spider, Maratus proszynskii sp. nov. (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini), from Tasmania, with a review of Maratus in Tasmania, Australia

A new species of peacock spider, Maratus proszynskii sp. nov. (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini), from Tasmania, with a review of Maratus in Tasmania, Australia

A new Cyphalonotus species (Araneae, Araneidae) from Malaysia

A new species of the twig-legged orb-weaver spider from the genus Cyphalonotus Simon 1895, C. selangor sp. nov., is illustrated and described based on a female specimen from Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Malaysia.

A fossil ray spider (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae) in Cretaceous amber from Vendée, France

A new species of fossil ray spider, Baalzebub? mesozoicum n. sp. (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae), is described from Mesozoic amber from the Cretaceous (Middle Cenomanian to Early Santonian) deposits of La Garnache, Vendee, NW France. The palpal structures, especially the highly sclerotized claw-shaped retrolateral ‘paracymbium’ originating as an outgrowth of the cymbium basally and the basal cymbial lamella, are considered sufficient to make a tentative placement of the new fossil species in the extant genus Baalzebub Coddington, 1986.

The Glitterati: Four New Species ofPhoroncidia(Araneae: Theridiidae) from Madagascar, with the First Description of the Male ofP. aurataO. Pickard—Cambridge, 1877

Summary Four new species of theridiid spiders in the genus Phoroncidia Westwood, 1835 are described from Madagascar: Phoroncidia wrightae sp. nov., Phoroncidia vatoharanana sp. nov., Phoroncidia roseleviorum sp. nov., and Phoroncidia ambatolahy sp. nov. Additionally, the male of Phoroncidia aurata O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 is described and imaged for the first time. New images are also included for the type species of the genus, Phoroncidia aculeata Westwood, 1835. The present study describes the first new species of Phoroncidia from Madagascar since 1913 and increases the number of described Phoroncidia from Madagascar from three to seven species.

A reanalysis of the morphological phylogeny of the spider genus Physocyclus Simon (Araneae: Pholcidae) with the description of a new species and description of the female of Physocyclus paredesi Valdez-Mondragón from Mexico.

A new species of spider from Michoacán, Physocyclus peribanensis sp. nov. is described. This description is based on a male holotype and one female paratype. Also, the first description of the female of Physocyclus paredesi Valdez-Mondragón from Oaxaca, Mexico is provided, as well as the redescription of the male. This paper provides a cladistic reanalysis of the spider genus Physocyclus Simon, corroborating the monophyly of the genus with morphological data. The phylogenetic reanalysis was done with 54 morphological characters (44 binary and 10 multistate) using equal and implied weighting approach. The equal weighting analysis found two most parsimonious trees, whereas the analysis with implied weighting found just one most parsimonious trees with the concavity values (K= 5-10). The genus Physocyclus is composed by two clades or species groups: the globosus and the dugesi groups. Physocyclus peribanensis sp. nov. belongs to the dugesi group composed of 21 species, and P. paredesi to the globosus group composed of 11 species. With the new species described here, the number of known species of the genus Physocyclus increases to 32 species. The globosus group has a biogeographical distribution pattern in the Mesoamerican and Mexican Mountain biotic components, whereas the dugesi group has a biogeographical distribution in the Mesoamerican and Continental Nearctic biotic components.

Discovery of two new species of eyeless spiders within a single Hispaniola cave

Vision is a remarkable sensory adaptation; however, natural selection may not favor maintenance of eye function in habitats where eyesight does not contribute to fitness. Vision loss is relatively common in cave-dwelling spiders in the temperate zone, but appears rarer in tropical caves. To date, blind spiders in the (sub)tropical Caribbean have only been described from Cuba and Jamaica, including four pholcids, a barychelid, a ctenid, and a prodidomid with reduced eyes. In our survey of over 40 caves in the Greater Antilles, mainly Puerto Rico, Isla Mona, Cuba, and Dominican Republic, we have not previously found any eyeless spiders. Here we summarize information on blind Caribbean spiders, and describe two newly discovered species representing two families, from a single cave, Cueva Seibo, in the Dominican Republic. These are the eyeless Ciba seibo n. gen., n. sp. (Ctenidae) and the vestigial-eyed Trichopelma maddeni n. sp. (Barychelidae). Cueva Seibo appears to be an energy-poor system with a relatively small bat population and is physiologically unique amongst caves we surveyed. We postulate that troglobiomorphism in the Caribbean may result from individual cave environments and hypothesize convergent eye loss within this cave, as most members of both families, including epigean species from the Dominican Republic, have normal eyes. However, another blind species, Ciba calzada (Alayon 1985) n. comb., occurs in a cave in Cuba and it remains to be tested if eye loss occurred in these two convergently, or if their shared lack of eyes is homologous.

Bayana labordai, new genus and species of Nemesiidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from Northern Uruguay and Southern Brazil

A new genus and species of a mygalomorph nemesiid spider collected in a hill of Northern Uruguay and in Araucaria forest at Southern Brazil is diagnosed, described and illustrated. A remarkable characteristic of the new genus is its dense body pubescence, unusual in most Nemesiidae. Also genital and somatic characters led to differentiate it from related genera. The habitat is characterized by a tubular burrow followed by an aerial tubular portion made with silk and vegetation. The sexual behaviour is briefly described from a copula between the types, observed in the laboratory.LSID: zoobank.org:pub: D5A6D7EA-19DD-4427-E6A41162EE4E.

A new troglobitic species of the spider genus Tengella Dahl (Araneae, Tengellidae) from Chiapas, Mexico.

A new species of troglobitic spider of the genus Tengella Dahl is described from Mexico: Tengella kalebi new species, from a limestone cave in Chiapas, Mexico. The species is described on the basis of adult male and females. This is the fifth species described for the genus Tengella, the third species described from Mexico, the first species that has notable troglomorphic modifications, and the first ecribellate Tengella species.