Two new species of Tmesiphantes Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Tmesiphantes from Serra do Espinhaço, state of Minas Gerais are described. They comprise the first records of the genus outside the Atlantic Forest. Furthermore, the examination of all type material of the genera Tmesiphantes and Melloleitaoina, which have been suggested as sister groups, showed that the thickness of femur III, used to distinguish between them, shows a continuous variation, and the taxonomic usage of this character is discussed.

Keywords:

• spider
• tarantula
• Serra do Espinhaço
• Parque Estadual do Rio Preto

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Rafael Indicatti for discussion and for sharing the pictures of the holotype of Melloleitaoina, and three anonymous referees for suggestions on the manuscript. I would also like to thank FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais) for financial support. This paper is part of the project “Inventory of Mygalomorphae spiders in Meridional Serra do Espinhaço” (FAPEMIG CRA-APQ-00417-09).