Discovery of a new eye pattern in Araneoid spiders, with the description of two new species of Testudinaria from the Ecuadorian Amazon (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract

Summary. Two new species from the genus Testudinaria Taczanowski, 1879 are described: T. charapa n. sp. (♀♂) and T. derocheae n. sp. (♀) from the Amazonian region of Ecuador. The female and male of T. charapa n. sp. present a peculiar and unique eye arrangement, never observed in araneoid spiders, where the anterior median eyes and the posterior median eyes are situated on the sides of the carapace. Members of the genus Testudinaria are unlike any other Araneidae and are distinguished by three morphological characters, the absence of radix in male palp, the absence of flagelliform gland spigot on posterior lateral spinnerets in both males and females, and the absence of a sustentaculum. In situ and in captivity observations shows that members of the genus do not construct an orbicular web. Detailed morphology of the group as well as SEM of male and female spinnerets gland spigots are presented for the first time. Finally, the limit of the group Testudinarieae sensu Simon, 1895 is discussed.

Résumé

Découverte d'un nouvel arrangement oculaire chez les araignées aranéoïdes, avec la description de deux nouvelles espèces de Testudinaria de l'Amazonie équatorienne (Araneae: Araneidae). Deux nouvelles espèces du genre-type Testudinaria Taczanowski, 1879 sont décrites : T. charapa n. sp. (♀♂) et T. derocheae n. sp. (♀) de la région amazonienne de l'Équateur. La femelle et le mâle de T. charapa n. sp. présentent un arrangement oculaire particulier et unique, jamais observé chez les araignées aranéoïdes, dans lequel les yeux antérieurs et postérieurs médians sont situés sur la partie latérale de la carapace. Le genre Testudinaria est caractérisé par l'absence de radix dans le palpe mâle, l'absence de glande flagelliforme sur filières postérieures médianes chez les mâles et les femelles, et l'absence d'un sustentaculum. Des observations in situ ainsi qu'en captivité démontrent que le genre ne construit pas de toile orbiculaire. La morphologie détaillée du groupe ainsi que des images au microscope électronique à balayage des glandes des filières mâles et femelles sont présentés pour la première fois, et finalement les limites du groupe des Testudinarieae sensu Simon, 1895 est discutée.

Keywords:

• Taxonomy
• biodiversity
• morphology
• eye pattern
• neotropical region

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to all curators, assistants, and colleagues who sent and loaned specimens: from CAS, Lauren Esposito, Sarah Crews, and Chris Grinter; USNM, Jonathan Coddington, Hannah Wood, Dana De Roche; SMNK, Huber Höfer. Thanks to: Alvaro Barragán, Fernanda María Salazar, Véronica Crespo-Pérez, Taryn Ghia and Diego Guevara from the Museum of Invertebrates, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito (QCAZ) for their support, access to the collection and specimen loan. Special thanks to Dr. Giovanni Onore of OTONGA Foundation and Dr. Luis Coloma of Jambatu Foundation, Centro de Investigación y Conservación de Anfibios for their friendship and technical support. The authors sincerely thank Dr. Mark Townley for the discussion on spinnerets spigot morphology. Finally, the authors sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers and Dr. A. Brescovit and Dr. V. Framenau for their review and comments that helped improve the manuscript. Part of the study (BIO-GEEC project 2019–2021) was funded and supported by the GIZ and DAAD as part of the CoCiBio program (project number 57520227). Sincere thanks to all our BIO-GEEC partners: Dr. Danilo Harms (LIB), Dr. Dietmar Quandt (NEES), Dr. Maria Cristina Peñuela Mora (IKIAM), Dr. Maria Claudia Segovia Salcedo and Marianela Mariño (ESPE) and Dr. Santiago Zarate Baca (UTN) for their support. The collection of specimens was done under the permits (MAE-DNB-CM-2020-0130), and the exportation of specimens was done under the permit (N^o046-EXP-CM-FAU-DBI/MAAE) of the Ministerio de Ambiente, Quito, Ecuador.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst: [Grant Number 57520227].