The Neotropical genus Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with the description of seven new species and the highest altitude record for the family

ABSTRACT

New specimens of the genus Hapalotremus (Theraphosinae) are revised based on the examination of types and additional material collected in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. A new generic diagnosis is proposed. New information and illustrations are provided for known species and seven new species were recognized and are newly described and illustrated. Hence, Hapalotremus comprises 10 valid species, distributed along the Andes and Yungas in western South America. All species are keyed and mapped. New taxonomic features are included in the descriptions and the detail of embolus keels morphology and positions are described for the first time for the genus. Information on species habitat is included. The highest altitude record for a Theraphosidae spider, living at 4524 m above sea level, is reported.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1C028676-CCD9-4654-A755-6ACA3BCE3E98

KEYWORDS:

• Andes
• morphology
• tarantula
• taxonomy
• Yungas

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank people who kindly allowed examination of collections under their care: Dr Diana Silva Dávila and Dr Gerardo Lamas (MUSM); Dr José Ochoa (MUBI); Dr Cristina Scioscia and Cristian Grismado (MACN); Dr Luis Pereira (MLP); Dr Lorenzo Prendini and Louis Sorkin (AMNH), and Gonzalo Giribet and Laura Leibensperger (MCZ). Thanks to Dr Pablo Goloboff for collecting specimens of H. chasqui sp. nov. and to Dr Fernando Pérez-Miles and Fabian Vol for providing photographs and data of the type material deposited in MNHN and SMF. Josh Richards, Mauricio Pacheco Suárez, Laura Montes de Oca, Gabriel Pompozzi, Sofía Copperi and Leonela Schwerdt are thanked for kindly supplying the images of live specimens and for their help during field trips. Thanks to Dr William Lamar and Dr Darrel Frost for their help with the etymologies. Thanks to Dr Alejandro Loydi for providing facilities and the use of the stereoscopic microscope. Dr Anton Seimon (Appalachian State University) is thanked for his help with collecting some of the specimens and organizing the Peruvian expeditions. J.C. Chaparro is grateful to I. de la Riva, J.M. Padial and S. Castroviejo-Fisher, who shared fieldwork and good moments in the field.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was partially funded by the Programa Incentivo para la Publicación Efectiva de Artículos Científicos en Revistas Indizadas 2016 1°Corte, (RDE 036, 20.04.2016) del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica de Perú [CONCYTEC–FONDECYT (Cienciactiva)] (PI: J.C. Chaparro). N. Ferretti is a researcher of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Specimens that belong to the Museo de Biodiversidad del Perú (MUBI), are recognized by the Resolución de Dirección General No. 024–2017–SERFOR/DGGSPFFS. Specimens deposited in the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos were collected under INRENA–IFFS–DCB scientific collecting permit No. 10–2005 to author T.A.S. Specimens deposited in the Laboratorio de Zoología de Invertebrados II, Universidad Nacional del Sur (LZI) were collected under DFFSyS scientific collecting permit No. 82–330–2017 to author N.F.