Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

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  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

The tiniest violin: the male of Loxosceles vallenar (Araneae, Sicariidae)

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The tiniest violin: the male of Loxosceles vallenar (Araneae, Sicariidae)

Abstract

In recent years, several endemic species of Loxosceles, violin spiders, have been described from the North-Central Chile biodiversity hotspot, some of which have ambiguous placement within the species groups of the genus. In a recent expedition to the Atacama region, we collected male specimens representing new records of two recently described species: Loxosceles vicentei Taucare-Ríos, Brescovit & Villablanca, 2022 and Loxosceles vallenar Brescovit, Taucare-Ríos, Magalhaes & Santos, 2017 (Araneae, Sicariidae). Males of the latter are hitherto unknown and are here described for the first time. Examination of the morphology of these species revealed characters such as an embolic keel and digitiform median receptacles, which suggest they do not belong in the laeta species group, but rather in the spadicea species group, which is briefly re-diagnosed. With carapace lengths smaller than 2 mm, the newly discovered males of L. vallenar are the tiniest members of the genus. In addition, males of this species bear strong macrosetae in the clypeus, a sexually dimorphic character not previously reported in Loxosceles.

Magalhaes ILF, Iuri HA, Brescovit AD, Pizarro-Araya J (2024) The tiniest violin: the male of Loxosceles vallenar (Araneae, Sicariidae). ZooKeys 1206: 327-342. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1206.122469